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husbandohunter · 3 years

Note

Your Stardew Impact has given me a serious brainrot and I couldn’t sleep on it so here

Imagine the boys getting Isekai to Stardew and meeting their (soon-to-be) s/o a.k.a the farmer who found them in the mines and dragged them out.

It’s basically the same as the original but the reader lives in Stardew universe from the beginning.

The Outlanders who trespassed the Stars [Stardew Valley + Genshin Impact]

Synopsis: You were a simple farmer who lived a simple life before crossing paths with these outlanders. A tale of greetings and farewells tells a story that loving someone was like looking at the stars in the sky; a sense of warmth amidst darkness, where the dots connect no matter what distance it was. But just like stars, they were meant to be unobtainable.

(Basically what happens if the boys get Isekai'd)

Genre: fluff, angst (faceapalm didn't mean to)

Characters: Childe, Xiao, Zhongli

(A/n): Hi anon, haha I didn't think the Stardew Impact series would be this enjoyable. Allow me to serve your brainrot. But just for future references there is a character limit! Also it long, a pro tip to use ctrl+F and type in the name :>

======================

~Childe's Story~

The day you met Childe was perhaps during the most fortunate yet unfortunate hour of your life.

Winter comes by, your fields were left dry, what else was there to do other than mining? You were aiming to build a new Barnhouse before summer comes, fishing only made average income thus you decided to take your pickaxe and hope to run into some diamonds, gold or even better: prismatic shards. However, expensive items could only be found in the deepest parts of the mountains, where dangerous monsters lurk by.

When peeking over the abandoned minecart you so carefully shielded yourself with, you began contemplating whether you've just dug yourself a grave instead. The whole area became infested, you weren't in the best condition and on top of all that, you were out of food.

You decided to make a run for it, with the treasures and goodies at hand, you couldn't give up. However, things only got worse when purple mist began taking over your vision, signaling a lava bat wave drawing nigh. It was thanks to your greed that you ended in such a predicament but it was also your greed that brought you to him.

"W-Woah!!"

You tripped with your toe pointing downwards into a pile of wooden crates. The bats swarmed in shortly after, daunting around the area above but you couldn't afford to look. Your face was down to the ground and you could only rely on your ears regarding their whereabouts. As if Yoba heard your prayers, the lava bats could not seem to find you, confusing them to think you've escaped. And so, they flew away.

"I'm never doing that again," The sudden impact was excruciating, you were sure that your lip bled due to biting too hard. At least the floor felt somewhat soft, cotton-like and warm enough to be comforting. Yet, for some reason it was also a little…bony?

"…Mn…."

Your body jerks up like a springboard when you felt something shifting. A man, no older than his twenties, no older than you, lays sprawled out under your form. He was beginning to stir and you panicked when a pair of blue cerulean eyes pointed into your seemingly shocked ones within the close parameter.

Too close.

The man gives a cheerfully wry chuckle, you could practically feel his breath almost, "Well this is quite unexpected, didn't think I'd end up in this position," he jests, soon his expression began to tighten into a grimace, "Mind getting off me though? With all due respect miss, you're a little-…heavy."

You scrambled to the side while still kneeling, "What the hell, who are you?!"

"Hm," The man didn't answer, instead he pushed himself upright and turned his attention to examine the surroundings, "Where are we?" He paused when he noticed how the ceiling was made of rocks, "Wait, is this a cave?"

"Ninety two floors deep and surrounded by monsters," you sighed in frustration while rubbing your head with your palm, "Seriously, whoever you are you shouldn't be here, especially if you're not even carrying the necessary supplies."

"Hey, I just got here. I'm just as confused as you," he puts his hands up in a defensive gesture, "But how strange," he mutters to himself, lowering his arms ever so slightly before pinching his chin in deep thought, "I swear it was the right portal…or maybe it was the other one? Hmmm, could it be the effect of the hidden seal?"

I have so many questions. You sweatdropped nervously. Here you were, hours spent to get to the deepest parts of the earth and looking like a cavewoman while his clothes were practically untouched, nor did they seem to be a recognizable fashion. You've seen many odd events within Stardew Valley but not to this extent, "Alright you know what, let's forget about it for now. We need to get out of here before those lava bats come back for us again. Otherwise we're toast," you gestured to the lava pool, "Literally."

He gave another one of his gleeful smiles, you wondered if he was afraid at all, "Sounds like a solid plan to me. Judging by the equipment you're wearing, you seem to have been here for a while. You know your way around?"

Figures that he doesn't know, you thought, "I'll lead."

"Glad we're on the same page. Though, we've only just met and yet you're still willing to help a stranger like me," he mentions in an off-handed manner, perhaps he wasn't used to generosity ever since being recruited as a harbinger, "But not that I'm complaining. You have my thanks, comrade."

"(Y/n)," you tell him, "That's my name. I'm a farmer that resides in this town."

"I see. A town it is then," he inquires, "Call me Childe, as where I'm from, not sure how to answer that anymore."

"What do you-"

But before you were able to question him further, a hoard of lava crabs were spotted crawling it's way towards where Childe sat. He shot you a confused look and turned to the direction, amusement sparks in his eyes,

"Lava crabs? You've got to be kidding me," your arms have already grown tired long ago, at this rate, you figured it may be best to pay a visit to Harvey's doctor office and check up for any muscle strains that have occured during the process. You most likely have considered how heavy your items felt now. Partaking in another battle would only make it worse.

"Ah an opponent, to think this place wouldn't have a set of new monsters to fight. I was growing tired of beating up hilichurls all the time."

His casual reaction caused you to scrunch up your nose in disbelief, "We're being ganged up on and your first response was that???"

Childe paid no mind, instead he propelled himself back to his feet using his trained reflexes and swaggered towards the crowd, "Relax girlie," Stopping just after a few steps, he turns his head ajar over his shoulder with a floppy smirk spreading his lips, "I've got this."

You held in your breath, wondering if you could trust this man. For now all you could do was sit back and hopefully regain some of your strength while observing by the stacks of crates that were abandoned years ago. The lava crabs formed a straight line in front of him, they were smart creatures, cornering their prey in a very well strategized form so that trespassing was out of the question. Childe wasn't intimidated in the slightest, he merely looked down at them with hooded eyes, flexing his fingers for preparation.

"Lava crab…in other words you're of the pyro element," the harbinger holds out his hand in front of him, trying to cultivate the shape of his bow, "A shame. This fight would end much shorter than I anticipated."

However, when he expected his element to manifest, nothing came out. Childe was left dumbfounded.

"Don't just stand there," you screeched, "Do something!!!"

"Wait," he halts you and tries to summon his bow again. Once, twice, as the crabs grew closer still there was nothing, "My powers…they're gone?!"

"Take this," left without a choice, you pushed yourself towards him and shoved Neptune's glaive into his grasp. He examines it with curiosity, but you knew this was also your own well-being you were entrusting him, "It's really easy to use, just-"

When a crab leapt forward, you ran back to create some manageable space for Childe to move in. He delivers a powerful slice using one arm, hitting the crab's weak spot while tossing it toward the side until a dent was formed in the wall. Your mouth parts, fast, he was fast, you didn't even have the time to blink. It was as if he knew the glaive more than you did. Though, the assumption wasn't that far from the truth. Childe was well adept with swordsmanship as he was an expert with many other melee weapons. Which is precisely the reason why he chose the bow as his main, a ranged device, the challenge to keep him on his toes. Just like he was now.

"He wasn't lying when he said he could fight," you watched in mesmerization, each single blow he delivered deemed equivalent to three hits on your part. Childe was both powerful and swift. He was formidable. The way he effortlessly deflected his opponents despite not having an enchantment ring made you forget how much of an idiot he was earlier before. Soon, the lava crabs began to lessen, leaving what remained of their dusted corpse while some retreated back into the depths of the cave.

"Not bad, it was kind of fun!" Childe laughs exasperatedly, glancing at his blue reflection upon the marred blade, "It's been a while since I last used a sword, and still haven't gone rusty either," he hands you the hilt, "Thanks for letting me use it by the way. You seriously got yourself a sick weapon."

"Keep using it for now, I think I'm a little too worn out to handle it," you say regretfully and pointed your nose towards the ceiling, "The mist hasn't disappeared so there's probably gonna be more monsters we'll encounter soon."

Childe looks up as well, "Huh I was wondering what that meant."

"By the way I've never seen anyone fight like that. Exactly what kind of place are you from?" You finally ask, "You somehow ended up in a cave, without anything to defend yourself with and it's not like you know your way out either. Are you...from another world?"

"Huh didn't think you'd draw that conclusion so quick," he comments jokingly, "Guess there's no reason to hide it anymore. Indeed I am from another world, at least, that's what I can tell so far. I've never encountered these types of monsters either."

You couldn't help but be taken aback by his honesty, "That was strangely easier than I thought...."

After escaping the cave, you introduced Childe to the wizard who lived in Cindersap forest, M. Rasmodius. He was extremely intrigued by the concept of an outlander and seemed happy to be of assistance. Since helping others was the culture of Pelican Town, you commissioned Robin to build a small cabin for him to live in temporarily. In return, Childe must accompany you back to the caves and make up for your losses. It was a mutual benefit since he had the opportunity to fight as well.

Childe befriended the townsfolk rather easily. On friday nights where everyone goes to the Saloon to enjoy their time, he would be found in the other room playing pool with the gang (Sam, Abigail and Sebastian)-- you as well when he managed to drag you along with him.

Crashes at your place when you were busy with the farm. You can bet that he would pop up suddenly midday through your window, “Can you use the door like a normal person???” But despite how much you get irritated by this habit, all bygones are bygones the moment he starts a conversation.

He sticks around as you carry your hay batches, sharing his stories. How the organization he worked in was a powerful militaristic force that had authority over many countries. But you didn't see him as a brute since he only joined for the sake of his parents, for the sake of his siblings and their dreams.

You thought of your grandfather who also once told you to pursue your dreams: live a peaceful life away from urban society. However, as long as the harbinger was with you, there wasn't much option for 'peace'.

"Tell me again why you dragged me out here? You know thatI still have a lot of work to finish back in the farm," you trekked your feet through the thick icy sheets with one hand clutching the zipper near your collarbone. It was incredibly windy in Cindersap forest and Childe happened to have convinced you to leave the comfort of your home for 'a surprise favour'. He purposely made a vague statement to draw in your curiosity but if you had refused-- well, that would have led to constant nagging on his part.

"You'll see," is what he said, it was what he told you through this whole ordeal. He lifted his chin to feel the frosty air against his face, "There's this one activity I wanted to try out. Back in Snezhnaya, I used to bring my brother to go skating out on the lakes. It's deadly freezing there so the ice is pretty thick to work on. Haven't done any of that since I joined the Fatui."

You shot him a deadpan glare, "That's why you brought me out here? Why didn't you just go by yourself?"

"Now that's cold (Y/n),” you rolled your eyes at the pun, “Can't you loosen up instead of throwing yourself in a pile of work all day?"

"It's not that I don't want to...I'm just very busy with the farm since it's the last day of the month. At least I want to do as much as I can before Spring comes."

"Haha you're right but you only live once y'know?" Childe noted happily despite your protest, "And like I said before, seize the opportunity when you see it. You never know when it will be your last."

You cocked your head to the side, "What do you mean?"

"Now let's get started shall we?" As you both reach the edge of the frozen lake, Childe takes a step forward ahead of you, "Have you ever gone ice skating before?"

"Yeah but..." You glanced at the glassy surface with skepticism, suddenly struck by hesitance. The thought of drowning made you retreat your steps right away, "I don't know Childe, it doesn't seem that safe."

"That's true if you're not careful enough," he pointed out, "Luckily you have me to help you with that."

"How does that work?"

He placed one foot onto the hardened lake and parts his mouth into a grin, "Watch."

In contrast to your cautious personality, Childe was considered to be more of a wildcard if anything. He loved adventure, just like you except his side often included bloodshed and the thrill that danger carries. You weren't sure if it was worth putting up with his antics or entertaining his idea of skating on thin ice, but you complied regardless. He had a way of delivering his words through that cheery voice you couldn't deny.

Prior to meeting him, life was boring. The corporate world was boring. You moved into your grandfather's farm in order to search for some form of fulfillment that Zuzu city couldn't give and you thought you did now that you had your very own farm, but slowly you began to pile more responsibilities than you could even count.

Everything you did, you did alone.

If it weren't for Childe, you wouldn't have learned the art of surfing on ocean waters. You never would have known the taste of mixing three different ice-cream flavours together despite what strange names they all had. Or what it felt like to mingle with the townspeople rather than mingling for the sake of business. Suddenly, everything became...fun.

Childe wanted to go far and wide. He was always running, so far ahead, somewhere beyond the stars as he could conquer the world to the point you might no longer reach him.

No longer reach him, huh. Curling your fingers into your palm, you renewed your courage and took a step onto the ice.

At the sound of boots tapping behind him, Childe spins around to see you wobble in your stance, nearly tipping over. He slid across to where you were and grasped your arm before you fell.

"Gotcha."

"Thanks," You sighed in relief, "Jeez, this is harder than I thought."

"Guess this is your first time then," he commented with a bit of jest, "Don't stress yourself over it too much, you'll be okay. I got you."

He carefully led you to the center, staying close in case you were to fall sideways again. You awkwardly tried to keep your legs straight, balancing on your own yet the fact that there was still water underneath struck fear into your nerve. It caused you to tremble and eventually skittered backwards.

"Haha ice skating isn't your forte isn't it?"

"I'm just getting started!"

He takes your hand in his before you could even protest, it was one of his many aspects that you found endearing-- the fact his impulse stems from genuine intentions, feelings, not giving them a second thought. The two of you glide using the soles of your shoes, he speeds up ever so slightly and the adrenaline begins to increase until there comes a rush of excitement, freedom. The stress you once had already forgotten once taking flight upon the ice.

"Look Childe! I'm actually doing it!" You couldn't help mentioning with a bit of youthful playfulness in your voice, "It's so smooth and fast! Almost like I'm flying!"

He smiles quietly from a distance, “See? I told you that you'll be fine.”

It was clear to many that the two of you were much closer than what meets the eye.

Childe began to notice the change in your aura. You were happier and much more soulful. Before you were always on the edge, cautious in contrast to his sanguine approach, he couldn't help but be caught off guard whenever you teased him. Or the sudden honesty that causes him to be flustered. By your side, he was no longer a Fatui Harbinger rather more of a puppy, adorable almost.

But when he saw that the reason you changed was because of him, it brought fear into his bones. Why? How did things get to this point? You were lost in a wonderland, ignorant to the blossom that had sprung inside of your chest.

Maybe it was better to be ignorant. Just live in the moment while it can still last.

"You're leaving?"

Standing at the gateway between the mountain cliffside and the starry sky, you call out to the man you've known in a way that carries more than what words could say. Because he left a mark in your years that could never be erased and here he was, trying to erase his existence completely.

Childe lets out a bitter chuckle, he didn't dare to face you, "I didn't expect you to catch up so quickly. You're quick-witted, comrade."

"It's (Y/n)," you corrected, trying to steady your voice so that he couldn't tell the expression you were making, "Why didn't you say anything? What makes you think that I'll just stay silent and let you go on your own way? This isn't a joke Childe! Don't act as if none of it matters to you because it sure as hell did to me."

His lips that held his usual smirk flattens into a straight line, "Even if I did, would it make a difference?"

The world stills. You knew the answer, he knew the answer, you just refused to admit it. One by one, the stars begin to collect themselves until a bridge was formed in front of him, on another day he would be enjoying the scenery alongside you. But today they would be for you alone to witness. The man who you spent your time with had slowly, regretfully, inevitably became a stranger. He was right. It wouldn't make a difference. You were already aware since the day you met him that he belonged to another world and you willingly offered to help him find a way home.

"You know, you could come with me."

Your eyes jolt open. His voice was so free of care. As if he was commenting on something so minor on a casual Sunday afternoon while accompanying you to the beach. But when you came face to face with the harbinger, his expression lackluster, you knew that he meant every word.

"Just you and me, we can travel across the world to our heart's content. I always thought you were an adventurer just like me and you know what, the farm life just doesn't suit you," Childe slowly extends his hand as an offer, for you it was a temptation, "So what do you think? Care to join me?

Your lip quivers. What he said sounded like a sweet dream that you so desperately wanted to take a bite out of. But even so, you thought about the townsfolk, your farm, your grandfather. Their images flashed in as if holding you back, chaining you to the ground, "I can't."

The answer pained you more than it did to him.

"Figures, this is your home after all," he huffs out, " Now do you understand? I can't leave my home either. If I did, heh, I think my siblings would despise me until the very end and I just don't want that. So no hard feelings, okay?"

You didn't reply.

"Don't worry. I won't pressure you if you don't want to," Childe turns back to the bridge, it was almost time, "Do what you have to do (Y/n), hate me if it makes you feel any better. You can even forget about me," he paused, renewing his resolve, "But I know I won't."

"Childe-"

You ran to grab his scarf only to have it ghost through your hands. He was relieved that he couldn't hear your voice, as he returned to Teyvat, Childe wonders what kind of expression did you have before he left? He'll never know.

---

~Xiao's Story~

The day you met Xiao...well, you weren't in the best of the best positions.

This was probably your sixth attempt trying to make it through all levels of the cave and reach the last floor. The quest had been sitting in your drawer for months.

Of course you didn't expect things to be easy, the fortune teller channel you watched every morning had yet to inform you with any good fortune and you would often bump into obstacles that would halt your progress.

But to be fair, sometimes the colourful ore would attract your attention and before you knew it, it was time to go.

So close yet so far. You dragged your feet tiredly against the ground. What time was it? Who knows. Judging by your state, you assumed it had already struck past 12 a.m.

However, today luck seems to have taken pity on you, just...slightly.

You puffed air into your cupped hands for the nth time, huddling deeper into the touch of your coat while trudging into the cave's cold climate. A little longer, any time soon, you kept telling yourself over and over but as if time was frozen, the wait felt like an eternity. Ah how much you wish to be in the comfort of your soft, fluffy bed right now. Though, merely visualizing the image only reminded how achingly freezing it was so you decided it was best to spare yourself from the details.

"I can't do this anymore..." leaning your head against the ice covered cavern, you whimpered, "I should have stayed home."

As you were about to shut your eyelids, something flashed by your peripheral vision. You darted towards the direction it came from, the light was a bright green hue against blue, could it be, "Warmth!"

It seems you jumped to conclusions too quickly. With impatience, you swung around the corner, expecting to find a heat source, only to meet something much more horrifying.

"KYAH!"

They stared straight into your eyes, those demonic eyes tainted by black and fangs that stuck out of the mouth like tusks on an elephant.

However, when the light evaporated you were able to have a better sense of sight, slowly revealing the monster's true form and the body of a human boy. He fell onto his back with a thud and you used this chance to calm yourself from the frightful encounter.

"He's...unconscious?"

You meekly crawled to where he lay and examined closely. Aside from the mask, there were various distinct features that stood out in his attire, his tattoo being one of them, imprinted in what looked like an eagle. You then realized how unsuitable his clothes were in this current situation. At least there were no injuries so far. But was that a good thing? This man practically came out of thin air as if some sorcery had been committed. Witches never left a good impression ever since they cursed your chicken coop. You were hesitant whether to help a stranger who could potentially be one of them or a creation they cultivated. What other explanation could there be?

"I can't leave him here, it's too cold."

Your gaze suddenly falls upon his covered face. The design, although intimidating at first, upon closer look was very alluring in it’s own way. You haven't stumbled upon anything like what the merchants had to offer in Pelican Town and the mask almost looked too foreign. Was he from the east? Curiosity eventually takes over and you gingerly reach for the mask, sliding it off his face.

"Eh...?" You gasp, taken aback by his striking appearance. A part of it made you feel this was no ordinary boy but that didn't mean he should be abandoned in this environment. It would be immoral to let him die in a place like this.

Before you could even make a noise, his eyes bursted awake, grabbing your wrist in a harsh grip. He used his other hand to push against your shoulder until you were instantly pinned on your back with no opening to escape. You choked a sharp sound as you stared with wide eyes. The man was akin to a beast, he had the expression to match it, like the glaring sharp gaze of wolves that roam at the mountain cliffside near Zuzu city and the ferocity of the demonic mask he once wore. You were breath taken but in a more fearful way as he continued to grip onto you tighter with the possible intent to harm.

"Speak!” He demanded, “What have you done to my powers and where have you brought me?"

In Xiao’s case, he was thrown into another world under the circumstances of fighting against one of Liyue’s unknown beasts. He was on high alert, thinking the fight was still ongoing.

You may look human but you could still be a threat. Xiao is the type to act upon instinct in the moment when something feels out of place. Like the spear he wields, he was trained to behave like one: to strike, strike down his foes without hesitation. Don't leave an opening for them to take the advantage. Xiao is a weapon and violence was what he knew best. He couldn't afford to lower his guard even for a minute.

You could say he left a pretty strong first impression to the point you were paralyzed. As he looked at your face, petrified and tense, he wavered and began to reevaluate things. Large doe-like eyes stare into his feline ones. They didn't seem to hold any sort of malice, was it possible for you to be the one who cursed him?

"Eeeeeek! I-I have no idea what you're talking about, let me go let me go!" you cried, "Please don't hurt me!"

Perhaps he shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.

Xiao feels your struggle and eventually gets off to give you some space. Your reaction was understandable, he was used to it anyways. Xiao scoffed to himself, why are mortals so weak? Their strength, if compared to the adepti, was separated by a large gap (Like it always should be). Xiao kept his gaze averted to the side as you rubbed your wrist, focusing his attention elsewhere. He glanced at the vastness of the cave in front of him.

Why was he sent here? For what reason did it serve? Ever since he sealed the contract with Rex Lapis, the guardian Yaksha had never entertained the thought of leaving his country nor did he act upon it; he was far too loyal to his god to do so. But here he was, against his own will yet free from his karmic binds, stripped of his divine powers in the return of endless questions about this new found mortal-like form.

What should I do now?

Choosing not to dwell in any longer, Xiao rises to his feet and proceeds to walk the other way.

"Ah u-uhm sir, where are you going?"

If the universe wanted to test him then he'll find his own answers.

"Wait! Please wait up!"

"Tch."

Although he intended to keep going, Xiao heard you running to his direction and slowed to a halt, some mortals surely do not know their boundaries, "Hmph there's nothing timid about you. Leave me be," he demands without turning around, "Don't forget what I'm capable of."

Stay away.

"I-I know that," you retaliate weakly. Just by hearing his tone made you want to melt away and become one with the ice. He was a scary man indeed, the same one who attacked you earlier. But even so, "That doesn't mean I want you dead! If you go that way, you might freeze to death. Aren't you cold? You don't even have a coat on."

"..." Upon the mention of his predicament, his senses started to kick in. As a yaksha, Xiao wasn't able to be affected by temperature but now he felt his hands beginning to sting, trembling from it’s impact. Ah, so this is what it feels like to be cold. Still Xiao was stubborn and continued to push you away, "What happens to me has nothing to do with you. Now leave, or else."

"I-I can't do that!"

Xiao clicks his tongue in frustration. How annoying. This is why he dislikes meddling with meddlesome humans. But quite frankly, he wasn't sure how to handle your type of forwardness since most tend to back away. And so, Xiao does what he usually does, he ignores you and continues walking, eventually you'll give up on him anyway. However he hears a loud thump and whips around to see your body laying in the snow. The hours of travelling in the cave have seemed to caught up that you inevitably collapsed from exhaustion.

Knitting his evergreen brows together, Xiao lets out an irritable sigh.

...

You wake up to find the sky above your head and your coat draped over your shoulders like a blanket. Dawn was slowly rising above the distance valley, you figured it was around 4a.m in the morning. Rubbing your eyes, you eventually noticed a figure sitting across, admiring the sunrise.

"Ah it's you!"

Xiao jolts ever so slightly, peeking over his bare shoulders until you could see the sun's light casted against his golden irises. Did he stay here while you were asleep? Then, that would also mean he was also the one who carried you all the way up from sixty floors below.

“You're awake,” he noted flatly, “If that's the case, then I have no reason to stay here."

Of course, that wouldn't be the last time you saw him.

You were a tenacious human being, always so insistent in dragging him away from his lonesome personality. He resides in the forest and camps there for the time being (similar to Linus since they’re both homeless lol). But you’d always run in, DAILY and sometimes for the most stupid and mundane reasons. It could either be giving him the snacks you snatched off the table since Xiao refused to participate in parties, or fancy seashells you found on the beach. You didn’t want him to miss out on all those things of course! Although he responds with irritation, it was as if his words went through your ear and then out the other. His efforts were futile (however, he was slowly warming up without realizing).

He learns how easily his body reacts in the presence of food purely because he was hungry. You bring an extra set of blankets and pillows to his campsite when the ones you gave him wore out (he didn’t ask by the way). Xiao needed help whether he liked it or not since he no longer has his powers, hence he couldn't run away. He somehow ends up moving in to live on the small islands near your farm.

Xiao doesn't understand humans very much. Just as he was unable to understand how human emotions work. He was the almighty yaksha, Adeptus Xiao and a formidable beast that killed thousands in thousands of years, at least that's what he used to be. Even now he still has yet to figure out what he was or who he was exactly without a weapon to define his existence. He was made for battle but nowadays, he found himself watering plants, chopping down trees and throwing seeds to the chickens living in your coop. How did everything escalate to this? It baffles him, how much his life changed so drastically.

Haha, you’re Xiao of course! The greatest farming assistant I could ever have.

But above all else, the one thing Xiao couldn't understand among those universal questions, is you.

"Why are you doing all this?" Finally he asked. The urging thought had been persisting at the back of his mind ever since.

You stopped on your tracks and turned to look at him, tilting your head with a complexion made curious, "What do you mean? Ah, did I do something to bother you?"

"I didn't say that," Xiao interrupts abruptly, he folded his arms across his chest and shot you a deep contemplating gaze, " You're...incomprehensible. All I did was drag you out of that cave yet why are you so kind to me? Don't you think you're extending yourself too much just because of one little deed?"

Because to him, saving a life was the norm. He does it unconditionally just like you helped him with those same intentions. Except, Xiao had been pursuing corrupted souls behind the scenes all this time and expected nothing in return. Experiencing someone's gratitude was rather new.

You shook your head, "It wasn't small to me," a satisfactory smile melting onto your face, "I'm here at this very moment, feeling the wind against my skin and smelling the scent that nature carries, these are just the few things I cherish. It's thanks to you that I can still watch over grandpa's farm, that's why I don't feel like I'm overextending myself in any way," suddenly you beam at him, "At first I thought you were a scary person. Haha. Time flies so fast, it's amazing how much can happen in between."

"Hn, you're a simpleton. But that's not a bad thing..." he points out curtly yet softly, "Do as you wish, I won't stop you so feel free to call my name whenever you need my help. I'll be there."

Xiao also finds you to be very clumsy. He couldn't leave your side even for a minute. But that was a lie. He just grew very attached to you.

When you tell him that you've been going into the mines for a quest, he tells you that you're far from capable. So he teaches you how to wield a weapon properly. Xiao was a strict teacher and he intends to keep it that way, he wouldn’t even allow you to set foot in the mines until he finds you capable enough.

You were a meek yet optimistic person, yet you were also strong-willed.

For a place that wasn't his home, he felt it was. And he found that it was all in your presence. Those peaceful hours hiding inside the barn while a storm rages outside, you sit beside him while hugging a sheep close to your chest. Xiao learns how to feed some of them, he even brings seeds for your hen house too. If you were ever short on materials, Xiao would travel to the enchanted forest behind the wizard's tower and get them for you, no matter how late it was. Though if you went by yourself, he'd deliberately go with you despite your protest.

The minute Xiao realized how much he was attached to you, it was devastating. As if the claws of his karmic debt had come back, pulling him into the shadows once more. He was an adeptus with a contract and bound by his duty, he must choose between his god who saved him from a nightmare and you, the girl he fell for, showed him that the world was indeed a beautiful place, he was stuck in an equilibrium and he felt that the binds may even tear him apart if he kept resisting.

But when did he ever have a choice?

"Where are you going Xiao?"

When he heard your voice calling his name, the yaksha willingly pulled himself to a halt. His sunset eyes narrowing from guilt before it shuts with a trembling sigh out of his mouth. Why is it that you always appear during the moments where he desperately needs to get away from you? He planned to sneak out the door, making sure his footsteps were unheard while you slept. And by the time you woke up, he didn't have to face you, he wouldn't have to say goodbye. He won't. Even if what he was currently doing said otherwise. He will never hear himself say those words.

"Xiao?"

Yet, he cannot refuse you. Not now, not ever. You were breathtaken to see a type of expression that you never thought was possible for him to make. The creases that once formed between his slender brows, the heaviness he always carried in his expression was replaced by a sense of sentimentality. Before you could register what was happening, Xiao took his step towards the porch of your house, not once did he tear away from your attention. He slides his hand beneath your jaw and affectionately against your cheek, the fondness evident in his gaze that you almost felt imprisoned by it.

"You never fail to appear in the most inconvenient of times," He gives a weak smile, a smile that makes your heart swell. Despite how much you could drown in his honesty, you couldn’t help but feel there was something wrong, “No matter how many times I’ve tried to push you away.”

You don't know him. You don't know his history and what things he committed in the past. But as if you've known this whole time, Xiao couldn't picture you leaving him for those reasons.

“You’re gentle but you don’t let others put you down. You’re kind but you don’t allow it to be your weakness. I sometimes wonder how it is possible for anyone to be so forgiving?”

"I-I don’t understand why you’re this Xiao. Is something happening?”

He won’t tell you. He doesn’t see the reason why you need to know.

You wince when something poked the side of your neck and you realized it was a tranquilizer. You looked at Xiao with dismay, his face becoming hazier until your vision darkened and could no longer hold your own weight. Xiao caught you around the waist with one arm as you fell unconscious.

"How can you be so stupid...?"

But he speaks as if those words were meant for him.

Pulling your body closer to him, Xiao chains you down into a desperate embrace. A silent scream of desperation. His forehead pressed against the bent of your shoulder and the other arm rested his hand at the center of your back. He will relish in the shape of your body, memorizing every curve both perfections and flaws. The way you fit into his arms and the pleasant smell of nature that you taught him to love, this was the only remnant he was allowed to take. Every detail, he will remember it as if clinging to the last moments of his whole world.

If he was allowed to have a desire, let him meet you again. He prayed to a god, any god-- even if it meant damaging his oath, he will accept his punishment. He prayed to each star in the sky and if he must he'll pray to the devil himself, whatever it is, he will do it for you.

As he painfully lets go, Xiao lets his hand slide off your body until the last thing he felt was the very tips of your fingers. He settles you down gently into your bed. You belong here in this peaceful world, not the one riddled with monsters.

---

~Zhongli's Story~

The Skull Cavern was considered to be the most dangerous mine of Stardew Valley. It wasn't your intention to run into any trouble, all you wanted was to test your cool new galaxy sword on some easy monsters and then be on your merry way. At first.

Just one more floor. You say, before catching an arm sticking out a pile of rocks.

"I-Is that a person?!!!"

You dug as fast as you could, any time soon the mummies would wake up and start attacking. Quick quick! Moving the last rock, you saw the face of a young man, he was asleep but alive! and undeniably attractive oh wow *lip bite*. But despite your attempts of shaking him awake, it was fruitless and the monsters weren't waiting.

Taking out two warp totems, you raised it to the ceiling and chanted a teleportation spell.

It wasn't everyday that you brought a man to your house.

But when you did, he wouldn't be from a cave, six floors down and buried in a place filled with monsters.

"And this small black device you say is some form of communicator? That certainly is intriguing, never in my years have I heard of something so advanced."

However you were beginning to think otherwise. That this man would have been from the prehistoric ages who you managed to unbury after his thousand year slumber. Zhongli sits on the couch across from you while examining your smartphone, a term he claimed had been completely foreign. You were contemplating whether you should bother Harvey despite being past his work hour and book an emergency appointment to see if this man had a special case of amnesia.

You brushed the idea away. There was so much going on and nothing made sense, for now, you decided to settle this on your own.

"Uhm Zhongli is it?" you asked nervously, "Maybe you can try giving the name of a relative or someone you know. I can use the phonebook to see if I can find their number."

“Number?” He parroted.

You blinked a few times, making sure if you heard him correctly, “Yes, number. You know? To communicate?”

"I appreciate your kind gesture," Zhongli acknowledges in a polite manner, "But that won't be necessary. This device doesn’t seem to be at a level where it can communicate with the people from my homeland."

If he was travelling then how the hell did he end up in THE Skull Cavern is what I wanna know!

“T-Then if you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

Zhongli takes this moment to think of an answer, aware that if he blurted something out it would not have translated in the way he wanted. But you so kindly invited him to your humble household that he felt it would only be proper to owe you an explanation, "I suppose a land from afar."

You sweatdropped, "Suppose?"

"Yes. Although I won't spare you the details since this is not your burden to bear, it’s quite difficult for me to try and remember exactly what happened," Zhongli took his chin into his hand, fingers almost covering his mouth, "Perhaps I would need search for clues in order to refresh my memory."

Oh no he really does have amnesia!!

"A-Actually why don't I just call the local doctor, I'm sure he wouldn't mind giving you a hand," you say while taking your iPhone.

"A doctor? There's no need," dismissed Zhongli, "My condition is only a minor one and I do not think I'm in a position to afford medical assistance. Besides, you have done more than enough. May you find great fortune in your years Miss (Y/n), I shall be on my way."

He pushes himself up from the couch and you watch him cross towards the door. But just when he was about to reach the space of your carpet, Zhongli pulled to an abrupt stop.

"Ah yes,” He began as if remembering something, “ Do you happen to know where the nearest Inn is located? I would need to find a place to shelter for the time being."

"..."

This was how the former god ended up being your roommate. Like Xiao, Zhongli also takes upon a human form. He needed to eat, drink and a place to sleep. He insisted that he would take the couch as well as help you with any tasks that needed to be completed during the day.

You question if Zhongli was even aware of what situation he was currently in. Answer: HE WASN'T because Zhongli is an extremely dense man. To feel embarrassed was not part of his dictionary when living with a woman.

The type to take long showers. You always find the bathroom steaming because he doesn't turn on the fan to get rid of it (but maybe you should've taught him). So when it was your turn to use the shower, the water was either lukewarm or worst case scenario, cold.

Also he somehow finds your old kettle (that your grandfather used) to brew tea even though you told him you already had a water boiler. He stated that he liked doing things the old-fashioned way, it brings him a sense of nostalgia. You couldn't understand what he meant (unless you considered that he was older than he seemed....no that can’t be it!)

Despite it all, Zhongli was incredibly polite and considerate. Tending the farm was not an easy job and you often came home with sore muscles, fatigued from running so many errands. He's knowledgeable in terms of making the best herbal mix for a soothing remedy.

You would see a warm cup, every morning before going to work and every time you come home, it was sitting on the kitchen table (if his drink had potion effects, they would be regeneration).

Gentle he was but it wasn't good for your heart.

Ever since Zhongli moved in, it became difficult to live in your own house.

There were many situations where he caused trouble despite not intending to cause disruption to your daily routine. And when he did, the repairs came out of your own pocket. One time you opened your microwave to find thick ash and burnt cinders stuck upon the walls.The entire space was a hazard and needed to be dispensed immediately since Zhongli thought that plastic-wrapped items were allowed to be microwaved. Another incident, as bizarre as it sounded, was when your vacuum cleaner zoomed out of your house...and never came back. You remembered the awkward cough he gave when you shot him a deathly glare, hence why Zhongli was not allowed to touch your high-tech devices (if you considered them high-tech) without your permission.

Even so, you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him. It was the opposite in fact. One day, all the flaws you counted suddenly became his charms. You came to find them endearing almost.

Zhongli was a handsome man. He carried himself with a distinct aura that could only be found in the rarest geodes; revealing orestones mined from the depths of a forgotten cave, sometimes in the shape of exquisite artifacts-- a type of ancient charm. Perhaps that was why people were willing to obey his every command without hesitation. Whenever Zhongli spoke, it was full of firmness and authority yet somehow deprived of arrogance. He was polite to all and does not indulge in conflict despite how tempting gossip can be in modern society. Always patient during your temperamental moments and considerate to the point you wonder if he even had any desires. He was so kind that soon enough, you couldn't help but be flustered by his presence. Forget about having a conversation, maintaining his leveled gaze was already enough of a challenge. Like staring into the sun after the morning dew. So gentle and so very comforting. But the more you linger onto the sun, it's rays will continue to set ablaze, eventually bringing you pain.

And you feared that you have grown addicted to those feelings.

Why can't he understand?

Stopping at the center of the bridge, you kept your head low while letting the anger take form into your tightened fists. The town was empty with only the sound of water flowing beneath your feet, filling the heavy air. They rippled and swayed, peaceful amongst your inner turmoil. The fact that such a miniscule attribute was able to make your blood rise was hilariously pitiful. How did you stoop to a point that even nature, the very being you've tended for a living, could bring you bitterness? Were your feelings this uncontrollable? The answer was obvious. It spiraled, violently and mercilessly as if commanded by another. There was a wave of emotions filling your heart and you could almost feel yourself drowning from the inside. If only they were as tranquil as the ones you stood upon.

"I thought I would find you here."

The voice you dreaded calls from across and you fight to keep yourself from gasping. Oblivious to it all, Zhongli proceeds to close the distance until he towered over you, looking down to your bowed head, "When you hadn't returned home without a notice, I was getting worried if something had happened. But I'm glad that wasn't the case."

Your whole face clenches.

"Is something bothering you? If you would like, we can discuss it after eating dinner. Come, I have already prepared our meal while you were gone as well as turning off the rice cooker once finished. I hope it can ease your stress since I know it can be difficult maintaining a farm like this."

"Zhongli."

He blinks hard when the sound of his name falls out of your lips. Zhongli was an experienced observer and listener, he was able to catch the glimpse of frustration that dripped from the tone you used. Relaxing his poised shoulders, Zhongli carefully asked in a reserved manner, "Have I...done something to make you upset?"

A trembled breath escaped when you breathed out. Dense. He was so dense that sometimes it made you want to crack him open.

"Tell me..." you began, "Are you also like this with other women?"

The former god sets a brief sharp pause, "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm talking about the way you act, they're...giving me all these mixed signals. We've been living together for months, we even share meals together! And sometimes you would help me with the farm and when I didn't ask, you still insisted on tending to my needs when I felt sick. I just…” you trailed off, trembling ever so slightly, "It's all perfectly normal. You’re nice to everyone. I know that. I know that!"

"(Y/n)," Zhongli whispered. They sounded like a thousand needles to your heart.

"I doubt you have the intention to put me in this situation. You're a really great person Zhongli but I sometimes can't help feeling this isn't just some roommate thing you know?" closing your eyes, you thought of your past relationships, how they started and ended, "Do any of your actions mean anything to you? Do you know how it makes me feel? Or am I just overthinking this, that it was all one-sided this whole time?"

Alas the truth spills and the air stills, bringing the waves to a halt. Peace, tranquility, nothingness. That was all you wanted. That was all you heard. It was deafening.

"I see, so that's why," Zhongli mutters to himself with eyes narrowed, "There's...something I need to confess."

After several months, he tells you everything. How his memories returned, some of them were already intact. He told you about his homeland and his true identity, that he was a god that once ruled over Liyue for six centuries before giving away the gnosis.

The reason why he hadn't said anything until now was because there will be a day where Zhongli must depart and return to Teyvat. He was a god with a contract, the circumstance didn't matter, he must stay with it until the very end of time.

Through his years, Zhongli learned to cherish his finite moments. He didn't want to taint them with troubles to come. Thinking too far ahead into the future would only bring strain.

But what he didn't tell you was his true feelings. You were a sweet woman, tender and enthusiastic about agriculture, the way your feelings extend to the earth with grace whereas many others chose to trample over without hesitation, he fell deeply in love with that side of yours. You taught him many things and showed him many sides of humanity that he had never seen before. He even discovered an aspect of himself. Like breaking a geode, revealing the beauties held inside.

Zhongli couldn't look you in the eye when your expression was covered in disbelief. He thought he hid his feelings well but it seemed that he was expressing his love in subtle and subconscious ways that eventually drove you to fall for him as well. You didn't stop him when he left the bridge. He wasn't even in your house. He chose this, he chose to set you free from his heavy presence.

And as the weight started to lift from your shoulder, you sank to your knees and wept. It was cruel of him. To give you these emotions yet he could not bring himself to stay by your side. But your heart would not allow you to hate the man you love.

Things couldn't end this way. You had to say goodbye to him, see him one last time because if you didn't, these burdens will haunt you forever.

When Zhongli looked up to the sky he saw his ending drawing near.

Three days had passed since he last spoke with you and he had no plans in seeing you again. Soon, the former god will return to his rightful place. Even though he had already given his gnosis to the Cryo Archon as Liyue already began to enter a new era, it seems that his decisions weren't his to make as he was born in a world where stars ruled above the archons. Fate-- they won't allow it. He does not belong here. If there was one thing Zhongli regretted during his time in your world, it was that he couldn't leave you a good memory before taking his departure. The sight of your large glassy eyes and quivering lips when he crushed you with the truth, he sincerely believed that they would haunt him much more than it probably did to you. But perhaps things would be easier if you despised him. Because if he had stayed and you came to forgive him, he would no longer have the strength to let go.

Despite it all love was indeed a selfish creature. He couldn't help but feel resentment towards the stars for bringing you into his life in such a mockingly sweet manner. They tied him with a contract, made him vow to his own beliefs and tested them by using you-- a bystander struck between the crossfire, eventually bringing you down into the depths of his battlefield and he thought that maybe...maybe there was hope that he could bring you with him as well.

How disgraceful for a god to let the devil tempt him so.

Zhongli was thankful that you weren't beside him. Otherwise he would dance with the ugly hope of a slim chance for you to come along. This was the best choice. It was for his-- your own good.

"Zhongli!"

The arch of his lined eyes shot upwards. As if fate had decided to give him one final test, he felt your small figure crash into him from behind and your arms coming to hug around his waist, tightly and fearfully that he felt like you would be the one who would slip away instead.

"I...I made it time," you panted, burying your nose into his clothed back, "I’m so glad...I'm so glad you're still here…!"

Your cry of relief was a thunder to his ears, a reminder that he was the main cause. Zhongli, casted by solemn smile, lifts his hand to cover over yours and grasped onto them, I'm here, he wishes to say. Yet he knew they were only temporary promises, "To come all this way despite everything that has happened. You foolish girl..."

"It's your fault Zhongli, I'm a fool because I love you! It's all your fault that I have to say goodbye," You grit your teeth as the tears fell down your face until it blended into his clothes, "Take me with you. Please. Don't leave me all alone…!"

The words he wanted to say melted into a silent gasp through parted lips. Zhongli merely clenched them back together and his hand on your hand, even tighter. He won't lie to you. At the very least, let his actions speak for him where he himself could not.

Take me with you.

Don't leave me alone.

Goodbye.

If it is fated Morax...we will meet again.

"I see," letting his thoughts echo in his mind from the distant memories, the former god begins to take a new perspective upon his wisdom, "For many years, I have experienced countless farewells from the people I've come to known," Zhongli reminisced, tilting his head back with his golden eyes against night, as if searching for some sort of answer, "And yet I never thought what it must have felt like being in their position."

"Zhongli…" you trailed off, "Then don't! I may not know everything about you but it doesn't have to be this way. At least, just answer me this, will I ever see you again?"

"I'm sorry (Y/n)," he apologized and you knew the answer. He gently pries your arms off him, turning around so he could swipe the corner of your eyes dry. There was a glowing reverence in his countenance, one that he reserved for you and only you, it was the only way for him to express the feelings that run deep in his heart, "I cannot thank you enough for coming into my life. If there will be a day when I erode from your memories, I truly hope that you will find someone more suitable than I."

"That's ridiculous," defiantly, refusedly, you protest, "No one can replace you."

Zhongli laughs sadly as the white halo outlines his whole figure, signaling that there wasn't much time left. He wonders if there was anything he could do in his last moments, a small token, something, it could even be as small as a single star in the sky, "If it is fated...we will meet again."

You watch him turn transparent until he slipped from your grasp. No longer was the man, only the dust being one with the sky. They shone brilliantly but you were left in the darkness.

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liketolaugh-writes · 3 years

Text

Heavenflower

The first part of this is too vague to catch a lot of immediate interest without an explanation, so I'll say this: this is best summarized as 'that AU where Link knows even less than normal, dyes his hair green, and people start to call her the incarnation of Farore- and she's not quite certain whether or not it's true.'

----

The moon was the only way I could keep track of time on this stupid plateau.

I had watched it disappear six times. Five times it had turned into a beautiful, pockmarked orb. I had watched it go from one state to the other, back and forth, enchanted by the gentle glow and the wax and wane of its shape. On days it was covered by clouds, I imagined it. Sometimes I traced its shape into the soil or the snow. It was due to turn full again in only a couple of days, and I wondered if I should mark the occasion. Six times, back and forth, wax and wane.

Eight times the moon had turned red, and every cursed bokoblin on the plateau had been ressurected and found new weapons. I had tried to find a pattern to that, too, but if there was one, I couldn't make any sense of it. I just grabbed whatever I could find too, and went after them before they could get comfortable.

Not for the first time, I took the mysterious little device off the specialized, sticky holster on my hip, and I traced one fingertip over the carvings – the same ones that had been on the diamond structure I had found, the one that had risen out of the ground, and the little domed constructs that had followed. I fancied that it had come from the goddesses themselves, a divine relic that had fallen into my hands by chance or design. Or perhaps it was a commonplace tool, and I simply did not know it because I knew no one. For all the wildlife and greenery, the plateau was empty of what I really wanted: answers. How had I gotten here? Why had the entrance – and exit – been sealed off? What had given me the tight, gnarled scarring that made every stretch painful? But I was alone on this plateau, just me and the trees and the animals.

How had I even gotten here?

Boredom had led me to scour every nook and cranny of what surroundings I could reach. I'd met a dozen cheerful, charming little Koroks. I'd climbed Mount Hylia a hundred times. I'd hidden in the trees to watch how the bokoblin made their arrows. I'd eaten everything I could fit in my mouth at least once, driven by gnawing and recurrent hunger. I'd even, on one particularly long wait between red moons, pressed the stone tablet to one of the dome structures, and watched it open in front of me.

Magnesis, Cryonis, and Stasis had opened up a few new paths for me to explore. But not many. So, the only place left untouched was what my map called the Eastern Abbey.

And the Eastern Abbey had the monsters – the towering horrors with their huge glowing eyes and the shrill warning that hurt my ears and tightened my chest until it hurt to breathe. With a blast like a sledgehammer, and the red light that hit my stomach dead center, that had left burns that had made me cry-

I didn't want to go there.

Determined to stay as far from the ruined abbey as possible, I cut through the forest to skirt the cliffs again. The bokoblin camps had long since been cleared, but my stomach ached hollowly, and I wanted to find a boar again. The forest had plenty of them, and some mushrooms that hadn't made me sick before, and shrubs to pluck leaves off of. I'd have to wash off before I went to sleep, or I'd wake up sticky, but nothing kept me full as long as the bloody meat of an animal.

It only took a few hours to track down a snorting, snuffling target, and by the time I was within reach it was barely evening. I nocked an arrow, aimed- and yelped loudly, the arrow releasing prematurely, when a bird startled, flying out of its perch in a screech of feathers and wind. I had to shake my hair out of my face before I looked, and by then the boar was gone. I let out a soft, disappointed groan, reaching up to rub at my face. So much for that.

Shaking myself off, I went to grab the arrow – no sense letting it go to waste. It had flown into a patch of overgrown bushes, thick with thorns, and I had to grit my teeth as I pushed through them; my thin, threadbare shirt offered almost no protection, and in fact gained several new holes during the ordeal. On the other side, I found the arrow tangled in a twisted, beautiful vine plant, then hissed as my hand brushed a flower, giving me a painful shock so strong I could taste it.

I rubbed my hand and cautiously leaned against the cliff face, examining the flower. It was a beautiful little bloom, a bright green only a few shades darker than a Stamella, with frail, thin petals like honeysuckle. About six inches below the cluster of flowers, there was a much darker green pitcher, shaded and dimpled to blend in with the shrubbery around it. When I looked, I could see a couple of rats gruesomely stored inside. Confused, I looked around.

I had been here before, certainly – I'd scoured what I thought was every inch of the forest. But this was a little path, hidden by the thicket of thorny bushes, and it quickly disappeared underground. Every wall was covered in the toxic green flowers.

Curiosity overcame me, as it always did when I encountered something new, and I had nothing to lose. I pushed through, hissing and stumbling every time I came into contact with one of the flowers. By the time I got through, my tongue and fingertips tingled, and I was oddly dizzy. My skin prickled painfully. But I'd gotten through, and the cave under the mountain was beautiful, with flecks of sunlight coming in from far above to illuminate it.

There was a chest in the middle, more ornate than any I'd ever seen. Cautiously, I dropped to my knees and edged closer.

It was a beautifully gilded golden chest, gleaming in the light. There were carvings set into it, Koroks and leafy vines and wind runes, all painted in a vivid green that had only worn away in a few places. I almost didn't want to touch it; I was certain I would get it dirty.

But if I didn't touch it, I would never know what was inside. I reached forward and fumbled with the lock, my fingers still numb from the flowers in the tunnel, and after a few minutes managed to unlatch it. I pushed the lid up.

There was a bow inside.

It wasn't anything like the crude bows the bokoblin made, or the flimsy wooden ones I had found lying around. It wasn't even quite like that one metal knight's bow that had been on top of the ruined temple. It was wood, earthy red, a beautiful recurve bow that had been polished until it shone in the dim light. The limbs were carved as if the bow had been draped lovingly with wildflowers, and the grip was moss green, thick and sturdy. There was a jewel set into the arrow rest, flush with the surface so it didn't throw off the aim. A topaz.

There was a quiver in there too, almost as pretty as the bow. It was leather, as soft as if it had been freshly oiled, and shaped like the pitchers of the plant outside. The surface was embroidered with pictures; they looked like they told a story, but I didn't recognize it, and even after studying it for several minutes I couldn't even begin to decipher it.

I strapped on the bow and the quiver. Whoever they had belonged to before, they were mine now.

#legend of zelda #breath of the wild #botw #loz #link #farore #fanfiction #my writing

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peachykindalovesyou · 3 years

Text

L'erreur Du Fou

Rook Hunt x assassin! fem! reader

Word count:: 2k+

Warnings:: gore, character death, blood mentions, weapon/knife mentions

Author’s note:: god damn am i proud of this

---

I was the fool who had made the mistake. I was the madman who had thought I could do this. It was an assignment from my boss, I couldn’t decline. Just one more wipeout, and I am in his favor. I was his greatest, one of the best. I honored him; I was a mascot to our team.

He always said he would leave the best for last, but my victim, my prey, he was one unlike the others. Fast, diligent, flexible, astounding, he was the ideal target for pride. I was all of those things as well, yes, but the way he portrays his ability is simply magnificent. Fast yet delicate strides, quiet graceful gazes, however he did it, I must know as well.

This was the night I would strike him. Tonight, I will have the power others have dreamed of, I could have the power no one else could have; Something of unimaginable potential. With those abilities, I will be different from the rest, superior, even. This is all I’ve ever wanted and craved, to be the favored by my peers.

The corridor was dark, moonlight shown through the glass stained with the seven sins. Chandeliers with stunning crystals decorated the ceiling. The floor was marbled and etched with strokes of grey and blue, with every step I took, it echoed in a symphonic way. The light sound of ballroom music could be heard faintly.

Even if this is the night I charge, I still had my doubts. I blocked them out as well as I could, hiding them away in the deepest depths of my thoughts. Everything I seemed to do never worked, it always shot me like a bullet. I must do it; I need to get this job finished. But my heart, my heart desires him. ‘The heart wants what it wants’ is what they always told me; they were all right.

For my victim, my target, my prey, he drew me in, just as some simple prey like him should. I felt as if he could see right through me, he isn’t supposed to. ‘The Hunter Of Love’ he proclaimed himself, for it seems he was right as well. All of his romantic gestures and enchanting features had me head deep in passion.

He should be attending the ball soon; I have come here to this corridor to ready myself for what’s to come. Just beyond this hallway, is an astonishing, breathtaking event. The walls and floors painted in gold. The décor was miraculous, it all seemed unrealistic. The food and beverages prepared for the ball were so aesthetically placed, you wouldn’t dare to take a bite.

The people who attended were only invited of the utmost honor of the headmaster of Night Raven College, the most prestige and powerful academy of this world. Only the most phenomenal wizards and magicians were ever enrolled. All regions from all over Twisted Wonderland were welcomed to this event; That would mean, The Rose Kingdom, The Coral Sea, The Land Of Pyroxene, Jubilee Port, The Land Of Hot Sands, Afterglow Savanna, Valley Of Thorns, Village Of Harvest, and The Isle Of Lamentation.

I continued walking, keeping an eye out for the hunter. The music only got louder and louder the further I walked, as expected. Sound of piano and violin could be heard through the door, it was so beautiful. My long dress cascaded down my hips, long black cloth drug across the shiny and clean marbled floor, the sleeves and sheer outer coat were scattered with silver sequins and small diamond studs.

As the giant door had finally opened, I saw a large amount of people gathered together in the ballroom. I held the invitation in my hands; readying myself for what’s to come. The ghost guards stood in front of the entrance, ordering me to hand in my invitation. I nodded, placing the black and gold envelope in their gas like hands. Stepping in, I had finally spotted him. There he stood, black suit, shiny blonde hair, piercing green eyes, to top it off; his smile was like none of the others, it stood out in the crowd of magicians.

He glanced in my direction, waving goodbye to the other guests, and walking towards me. I kept my composer, standing straight and giving him a thick silence. “Good evening, Mademoiselle (Y/n). Are you enjoying yourself?” He bowed down, taking my hand, and pressing a soft kiss to my knuckles. “I cannot say, for I’ve just arrived.” He gave me a wider smile, standing upright and tilting his head to the side. “That’s a shame, Ma Cherie. Well, the dance is starting soon, would you like to join me?” He held out his gloved hand, waiting for my response. “I would be honored, Monsieur Hunt.” With that, he led me to the middle of the ballroom where the main event began. I waited; it would take me a while to get him where I need him.

“Ma Cherie, is there a specific reason you’ve decided to join us today? Of course, other than the fact that all students and instructors were invited.” His breath fanned my neck and we swayed in sync. “No, I just thought I’d enjoy myself for once. I’ve been very stressed lately, work outside of school is difficult catching up with.”

He slid his hand down my waist, pulling me in closer; Just as he always does. “What kind of work do you do? I’m curious. Writing? Photography? Modeling? Mayhap, hunting-“ He’s onto me. “-For a new one already?” Or not. I chuckled at him, trying to brush off his last comment. “No no, I’d rather keep my private like private, thank you very much.” My feet moved with his, swirling around the ballroom in smooth circles. “And why is that? Are you afraid of me catching you red handed?” My brain froze, avoiding his questions smoothly. “Well, Mr. Hunt, I like to keep my life private for the same reason we close doors when using the restroom.”

“My, Ma Cherie, what a brave soul you are for speaking such a thing out loud; What have you to hide?” He laughed at my last comment, but I am not a comedian for say. “Well, for starters, I have been keeping quiet about how charming you look this evening.” My boss always said the key to conversating with a hunter is bravery, keep them on their toes. “Oh mon! Thank you Ma Lapin, how very kind of you~” His voice enticed me even further, it was smooth, deep.

“Oh? Ma Cherie, you seem to have lost track.” He tapped my shoulder and I snapped out of my daze; I was far too deep in his spell. His masculine features and charming touches were absolutely captivating. The way he drew me in was no laughing matter, his praises had me above the clouds, and his smile; his smile is what had me shamelessly spellbinded to him. The moment he had flashed me that heavenly grin is when I knew he would be the end of my career; he would be the end of me.

“Ma Cherie, if you could, I would like to have a talk with you.” He spoke in a serious tone, and I couldn’t help but follow along. “Of course, is there anything specific you would like to discuss?” I followed along side him down the corridor. “Yes. You seem to be a bit out of it lately, is something on your mind?” Did he know? “No, it seems I’m just a little charmed by you tonight.” Would praise get me out of this? “Mademoiselle (Y/n), I am by far endured by your praise, but please, do not avoid the question. I am a hunter, studying someone is what I do best. I know there is something picking at you.”

We stood in front of the stained glass, the blue moonlight hitting his angelic features so perfectly. The tinted glass was painted with something, the sin of lust and love. ‘Eros’ as some would call it, ‘Aphrodite’ the people said, ‘Asmodeus’ is lesser known. But to me, the sin, the décor, it’s all nothing but a joke. A sick and twisted joke to get everyone to believe that what they do matters, but we all die in the end. There is no use in doing what you love, there is no use finding love, there is no use following the belief that love is real.

“Well, nothing in particular has been itching at me. I guess I am just a bit…distracted tonight.” Tonight…tonight…TONIGHT! He drew me in too far, I was supposed to be the one drawing him in. I fell for his charm, I fell for his dirty tricks, I fell for…him. Because of him, I will fail my mission. My pride, my honor, it will all be torn down to pieces once my boss sees me in the hands of ‘The Hunter Of Love’. I stayed quiet, waiting for an answer from him, but it never seemed to come.

“…Rook Hunt, The Hunter Of Love, a beauty of the Pomefiore dorm, the assistant of Vil Schoenheit himself, it seems I have…” I ran away from my statement, this isn’t supposed to be happening, this cannot be true. “…Fallen for me?” He finished my sentence and I hold back a cry. I stayed quiet, but I have yet to leave myself vulnerable in front of him. “Well?” He took a step forward, tilting my head up with his thumb and pointer finger.

Normally people would try to deny their love for someone. “Yes, I have fallen for you. But for that, I despise you as well. You’ve ruined me, you’ve stolen my pride, I’m only a toy for someone to play around with. But as the adults have always said ‘Put your toys away when you’re done with them.’ And it seems you’ve forgotten to.

His eyes widened; a look of shock painted over his face. “Ma Cherie, you could not really mean that, could you? Falling for me? Hating me?” He seemed heartbroken. Had I got through him? It’s hard to tell, he’s never like this. “I-…” I paused my answer, letting my tears glide down my rosy cheeks. He let out a gasp, now was my chance. I quickly turn us around, stepping forward until he was backed up against the wall. “Rook Hunt, you are the only thing holding me back from what I truly want, I’m sorry for thi-”

I didn’t get a chance to finished before he turned the tables, he had his hand to my throat and a hunting knife to my neck. “Ma Cherie, if you are really planning on assassinating me for power, that is truly a shame. I understand how you feel, killing someone you love is the hardest part of that life.” He pressed the knife into my neck with more pressure, small droplets of blood painted my skin. “I- R-Rook, P-pleas-e-“ I put my hand on his wrist, only for him to more pressure.

“Mademoiselle (Y/n), it is time for your career to end. You’ve wanted this for the longest time, right? But I won’t let you go without a proper goodbye.” The weapon fully slid through my throat, choking on the crimson liquid, and coughing it up, Rook pressed his lips to mine. He held me with such passion, as I slowly lost breath in his arms. He pulled away, blood staining his lips and clothing. “Ma Cherie, I love you.”

I reached my hand out to him, but it was too late. The knife had been slit through my throat, and I shut my eyes for good. His words echoed in my head as I the last glance I got of him was him pressing his lips to my dying body, a tragedy, Night Raven College’s best assassin, defeated by Rook Hunt.

#twst rook #rook hunt x reader #rook hunt x mc #rook Hunt #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x mc #twisted wonderland x reader #twst x mc #twst x reader #tw character death #tw blood #tw weapon #tw knife #twst #pomefiore x reader #pomefiore

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dragonslayer-5fanfiction · 4 years

Text

My Burly Love Chapter 8

Alright ya’ll this is a little late, but you know there’s a lot going on and I’m here. I got it done. Stay positive in these times!! Also give this Spotify playlist a listen. It’s pretty fire and my writing insporation!

Chapter 7

The GIF is from giphy btw.

https://open.spotify.com/user/spookyclouds/playlist/64KTxueNrGIn8enH7SP3kb?si=gCdkQEruTQyBNmKf6dBvPQ

Chapter 8

We were advised by Beorn that the quickest way to get to the Lonely Mountain was to cut through the Mirkwood forest. He lent us some of his horses to get us to the forest.

“Stay on the path. Do not stray.” Gandalf advised us. He was very solemn. I stood and watched him ride off into obscurity. When I couldn't see him anymore, I turned and walked into the unknown.

When I entered everything felt off, like there was something sinister hiding deep in the wood. I’m not sure what it could be, but it gives me a bad feeling. The air is thick and the wood is sick. The smell of stale air, and infection are spread throughout the forest. The breeze is heard at the tops of the trees, although nothing is felt on the ground.

The path is made of stone, and the line is very clear. With Thorin at our lead, we will not stray. We have been walking for what felt like forever, when I looked down and there was no path. I stopped and turned in a circle, the path was nowhere to be found!

“Excuse me, guys, but it appears that we have strayed from the path!” They all looked around.

“Oh no where is the path?”

“We lost the path!” We scattered around for a few minutes until we finally found the path again. The stones are a welcome sight, and the slow quiet trickle of a stream was enticing. As we walked forward we saw there was a bridge, broken in the middle, a sight right out of a picture.

“Do you not remember what Gandalf said, these waters are enchanted.”

“How are we going to get across, I don’t think swimming is a good idea.” Fog floated a few inches above the water. The water was murky and there was no telling how deep it actually was. I walked over to a huge branch that was curling off to the left of the broken bridge. I ran my hand along the bark, wondering how old this tree was, and how we were going to get across safely. The events from Beorn’s and a week ago were racing through my mind. Even just the thought of it made my stomach churn and my head swirl.

Dwalin noticed me standing off to the side and came to stand by me. I didn’t even look at him, I’m still so mad at him for walking away and refusing to talk to me about it. I think I’m more mad at me for thinking he’s interested, for embarrassing myself. But most of all, for falling for him. He’s my best friend here, and he probably thinks about me as a kid.

“What’s going on that head of yer’s lassie?” I rolled my head to the side, to look at him.

“What do you think is running through my mind?”

“Lass I’m not a mind reader, I don’t know.”

“Yeah, that much is clear.” I rolled my eyes and stalked away from him.

When I got back to the group, Bilbo had used some hanging vines to climb his way across the river. The rest of us would then use the vines and also cross, staying away from the water. Dwalin went last. That way he could keep an eye on everyone to make sure they were safe. Thorin went first, and the rest of us followed. We were all in a clump trying to get to the other side. It didn’t make it easy, having all us in one area at once. There were a few times I almost fell, but Fili managed to catch me. He’s always doing that. When I turned to thank Fili, I noticed Dwalin shooting daggers, into Fili’s back.

“Uh, thanks Fili.” My eyes darted between him and Dwalin.

“I feel it. Don’t worry, he’s just jealous.”

“I doubt it.” I muttered.

With a little help, I finally made it to the other side, landing beside Thorin. Everyone else was still trying to cross, behind me I heard some twigs snapping. I turned my head over my right shoulder, trying to see what was making the noise. I saw something white in the corner of my eye. By the time I was fully turned around there was a white stag standing in a clearing. It was the brightest thing I’ve seen since we stepped foot into the forsaken forest. Thorin readied his bow, and while we were staring at it, let his arrow fly.

“That’s bad luck.” Bilbo whispered.

“I don’t believe in luck. We make our own luck.” Thorin responded. Watching it run off, I started to cry. I cried for my friends losing their home, for losing his family, for my fight with Dwalin, but most of all I cried because I had lost hope. Hope that we would get out of this forest, and that we would all come out alive at the end. I heard a dull thud, and a splash. My head whirled as I wiped my tears, and there behind me was Fili. In the water behind him, was Bombur, fast asleep. We got everyone across the bridge, and then they pulled Bombur out of the water by his braid. Once he was on dry land, we got him dried off, and he woke up. Then we were on our way again.

We had been wandering for what felt like days, and the path was getting harder and harder to follow. I lost my footing and stumbled forward. Reaching out to brace myself, I latched onto Dwalin, who willingly caught me. He held me until I was steadied enough to let go.

“Are ya, alirgh’?” He looked at me with concern.

“I’m fine.” I shrugged his arms off of me, and walked ahead of him. The feel of his arms wouldn’t leave me though. They were strong, and warm. Oh so warm. They were heavy with muscles, hard from years of use. They were comfortable, they felt like home.

I looked down, to try to occupy my mind, from thinking about him. I let out a loud gasp, loud enough to stop the entire company in their tracks. “We’ve lost the pathway again!”

Everyone started to call out and look for the path, but it was nowhere to be seen. We found some of our things scattered around, and discovered that we have been going in circles for who knows how long. We couldn’t figure out what to do, and everyone was on edge. They were starting fights left and right. I watched as Bilbo climbed up a tree.

Dwalin was on the edge of a cliff overlooking the forest. He turned and walked over to me. “Are ya okay, from the spill you took?”

I looked up at him and the sound of his voice grated against my ears.

“I’m not saying that you’re not okay, you just don’t look that good.”

“Oh, I get it. I’m not good enough for you-”

“-Lass that’s not what I meant.”

“No. No, it’s fine. That’s why you walked away from me the other day.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my finger cutting him off. “Nope. It’s fine. Don’t worry.” I patted his chest and walked away. He stood there watching me. I sat next to Thorin trying to fend off the burning glare of Dwalin. I tapped Thorin on the shoulder, “Are we going to get moving any time soon?” He was about to respond, when I heard a noise somewhere in the distance. I turned to try to pinpoint where it was coming from or what was making it. I couldn’t tell what it was.

I placed my hand on his arm, “Thorin, do you hear that?” He turned towards me. “I think-AHHH!” I was grabbed and pulled upwards. Whatever grabbed me was screeching, in a most disgusting way. I reached for my sword, and started to swing. I nicked it and it screamed louder than before, then it thumped me against a tree, and everything faded into black.

I woke up to my name being shouted rather frantically. “Hello?!” I called out. “Hello? I’m Here!” They continued to call my name, as if they hadn’t heard me. Maybe they didn’t. Out of nowhere a sword is about two inches from my face, and dragged down my body. “AHHHH!”

“I found Y/N!” I looked up and Bilbo was holding his hand out for me to take. I grabbed it and he pulled me up. I did a quick inventory to make sure nothing was broken. Nothing was broken. I turned around and it was chaos! There were spiders screeching and dwarves fighting and being thrown around. One of the spiders turned and locked in on me. It was big, and screeching. The fangs hanging from it’s face are terrifying. Sharp and dripping with venom, or spit I couldn’t tell.

I lifted my sword and readied myself. Once the spider was within striking distance I rolled under and thrusted my sword up. The spider screeched and rolled off. It was angrier than before, so it turned and lunged at me with a renewed vigor. I tried to get away from it, but it was too quick. It grabbed me and it lifted me up. I couldn’t fight it off, not with the way it was holding me. I was dropped to the ground and I landed hard on my back. By the time I got up, we were surrounded by elves, who were helping us fight off the spiders.

“Don’t think I won’t kill you dwarf. It would be my pleasure.” A tall blonde elf said, holding an arrow at Thorin’s head throat. More appeared out of the woods. Like they had been waiting, watching, for the right time to step in. I scowled at the thought.

“Search them.” the white haired elf commanded. Thorin looked rather pissed that they were here. They started searching everyone. They pulled a locket out of Gimli’s coat. “Who is this? Your brother?” He asked.

“That is......my wife!”

“And what is this horrid creature? A Goblin-mutant?” Man this guy is as rude as they get.

“That's my wee lad, Gimli.” I was so lost watching the interaction, I didn’t notice that an elf came up and was getting ready to search me. This particular elf, looked in every pocket, anything he believed could hide a weapon.

“Hey, watch where you’re putting your hands, you creep!” I pushed him away from me. He grabbed my arm, stopping me from pushing him anymore. Others heard the commotion, and tried to push through to get to me.

“Aye! Ye better not hurt em’!” Dwalin yelled.

“I’ll rip you to shreds if you touch a hair on their head!” Dori yelled.

Thorin finally tore free from the elf searching him, and pushed his way to me. “That is enough.” He pushed them away from me and pulled me up to Dwalin. He deposited me there, knowing I would be safe with him. However, he is the last person I want to be around right now. I’m still angry with him. We marched towards Mirkwood.

As we were walking I started counting everyone. I turned while I was walking, and tripped over my own two feet. Dwalin caught me. I smacked him in the arm, causing him to let go of me. “Dwalin…” I whispered, he didn’t respond. “..Dwalin, we’re missing Bilbo.” He looked confused.

“What?”

“He’s not with us. I don’t know where he is.”

“He’s probably fine. Don’t worry.”

“Dwalin! I can’t not worry. In case you forgot, there are spiders out there.”

“Love, he’ll be fine. Please don’t worry.” I gave him a swift elbow to the gut

“What is that for?”

“For calling me love. I’m not your love, you’ve made that very clear.” I stared down at my feet, for the rest of the walk. At the command of the blonde haired elf, they seperated Thorin and me from the rest of the group. I grabbed Thorin’s hand because I was scared of falling. Who designs a walkway without railings? Who does that? They brought us before a throne that looked like it was made of branches. The same as the crown on the man’s head. Thorin squeezed my hand in reassurance as we were brought before him.

“Some may imagine that a noble quest is at hand. A quest to reclaim a homeland and slay a dragon.” He walked down the steps, and got in Thorin’s face. “And dragged a woman with you, how did this happen?” He turned to me.

“It just happened.” I raised my eyebrows at the end.

“A woman in the company of dwarves, I can imagine a more desirous situation for you, than this quest. Does it not bother you that you are alone amongst men? Does it not bother you that this is dangerous, and that you might die?”

“Is this because I’m a woman, because I know you don’t have an issue with that. You have a female warrior amongst you, and others seem to listen to her, so she must be high up in the ranks. So is the issue the dwarves, or just your own ignorance of my abilities?” I heard Thorin snort at my side, and squeeze my hand once again.

“You will not address me that way, I am a king.” He roared.

“ You are not my king. Is that why you wear those twigs on your head?” He sneered at me. He turned to the guard and said something in a language I didn’t understand, and I was ripped away from Thorin. I clung to the elf rather tightly as he led me further down into the palace. Again there were no railings, although the elf said nothing to me. It was the same slim blonde haired elf, from the forest.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Legolas.”

“Legolas, I like that name.”

“Thank you.” We continued to walk in silence. We finally reached the dungeons, where he opened a cell and guided me in there. My eyes were still adjusting, but I saw another figure in the cell. I reached trying to feel my way around the cell. I grabbed the tunic of whoever else was in there.

“Who is that?” I asked patting their chest trying to get a feel of who it was.

“It's me, lassie.” My hands froze where they were.

“Dwalin.” I breathed out.

“Are you alright? What happened up there?” He grabbed my hands and held them down at our sides.

“We were brought before the King, and I may have done something I shouldn't have.”

“What did you do lass?” His voice took a darker tone.

“I sassed the king, and he sent me away. I don’t think he likes me now.” He immediately pulled his hands away.

“Lass, are ye trying to get yourself killed?! He is a fearsome warrior, not to be trifled with.” Dwalin started raising his voice at me.

“Look Dwalin what’s done is done okay?” We sat in silence for a while before either one of us spoke.

“Lass, why won’t you talk to me?”

“Because Dwalin I’m angry at you.”

“Love-” I cut him off.

“I already told you I’m not your love.”

“So this is about the other week.”

“Oh wow look who’s finally using their thick skull. Yes it’s about the other week. You act like you’re interested, spend time with me, look and act like you want to kiss me, then you back away at the last minute.” I walked towards him. “And do you know what the worst part of all this is?” I shook my hands at him. “I would forgive you. I would go to the ends of Middle Earth for you, even if you don’t feel the same way. Dwalin?”

“Yeah lassie?”

“Why did you do that? I just want to know.” He took a deep breath and looked away from me.

“I-uh. It's complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it for me. I know you feel the same way.”

“I-I can’t. Not right now. I’m sorry.” I threw my hands up in the air.

“Fine. Whatever. I can’t do this right now.”

Chapter 9

Taglist: @fentah, @reignofglitter, @perseny-blog, @xxdragonagequeenxx,@captainrainbowpanda, @hufflepuff25, @swoopswishsward , @tumblinglringlring, @awkwardsleepyturtle, @unadulteratedwizardlove, @classygladiatorcupcake, @leslieebee, @sweetdreamtragedy, @michellemsg,

#my burly love #dwalin x reader #dwalin imagine #dwalin #the hobbit

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justanoutlawfic · 4 years

Note

Drabble challenge : ‘way to go kid’

Canon divergent of S7. Snowing, Emma & Neal went to the NEF with Regina to help fight in the resistance. Neal is now 13 and wants to prove that he’s ready to be a warrior like his parents and big sister...but is he really?

Also on AO3/FF

Neal loved living in the Enchanted Forest. He had heard stories of it growing up but it was better than he originally thought. There were quiet places to read his books. He got to dress like how he saw his dad did in the storybook (along with growing out his hair similar to him). Finally, it meant he got a sword.

David had taught Neal how to wield a sword back in Storybrooke, just as Snow had given him lessons with her bow. Neither were needed much in Storybrooke, at least not to where his parents would let them. If there was ever a town emergency, his parents, big sister and godmother would handle the situation. Which was why when Henry called on them for help, they all went along.

Henry’s new girlfriend and her best friend had created a resistance to reclaim Tiana’s kingdom. On top of that, there was the looming threat of Ella’s step-mother and step-sister. The group was doing a great job of game planning but they left Neal out of it for the most part. They told him that the best he could do to help, was stay safe.

That was code for “We still see you as a baby, please don’t get yourself killed” and it drove him crazy. He was 13 for Christ’s sake!

Neal sighed as he dragged his sword across the dirt. It was yet another day of him being sent on a pity mission by Regina to collect berries. They had plenty of rations, she could just tell he was being anxious to do something. So instead of game planning like Emma and David or standing guard with Snow and Regina, he was going to pick berries like a 5-year-old.

Being the youngest of the bunch sucked. When were Ella and Henry going to have a kid?

As he turned the corner, he heard the snapping of twigs. Neal dropped the basket and adjusted the sword in his grip.

“Who is it?”

A bird chirped. Fire sizzled at a distant camp. Chimera was being cooked nearby. Outside that, all was silent.

Until…

An arrow whizzed past his head. Neal spun around, nearly dropping the sword in the process. Damn his mother’s genes. He adjusted the weapon, piercing it forward at the woman who stood before him. She had long blonde braids, a black robe tied tightly around her body. A sick smile fell across her face. Neal felt the sword weighing down his arm, but he kept it upright.

“Who are you?”

The woman laughed. “Now Neal, I know your father is a shepherd but your mother is a princess. I’m sure she taught you how to respect elders.”

“To get respect, one must earn it. So, I repeat, who are you?”

Her smile grew. “If only I needed boys.” She walked closer to him, circling his body. Neal felt a chill run down his spine.

“Boys for what?”

“They call me Gothel,” she introduced herself. “I believe you know my daughter.”

Neal racked his mind. Had he heard of a Gothel before?

Oh, right. This world’s version of Hook said he had been assaulted by a woman named Gothel. That lead to his daughter, Alice. But because of the evil witch, he had also been separated from her. The team had met Alice once or twice, however due to the curse on her and Killian’s hearts, they couldn’t be that close to one another. Neal spent most of his time with the pirate, rather than the adventurer.

He still didn’t know what exactly Gothel wanted.

Neal steadied his sword. “You’re not going to get to Alice through me.”

“Alice isn’t the only one I want. The Savior’s powers would be a great asset to my team. She’s your sister, no?”

Neal’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t inherit magic like his sister did and there were times he was grateful for that. Yet, he knew it meant that Emma was highly coveted. Her magic was prophesized and heightened by True Love. She had nearly died several times because of it since he was born alone, forget before Pan’s curse took over the town. Emma could take care of herself, but she wasn’t alone anymore. Neal wasn’t going to let anyone hurt his sister.

“She won’t work with you,” Neal declared.

Gothel chuckled. “Is that so? Well, maybe if I had some collateral…”

Gothel’s gloved hand reached for him and using his reflexes, Neal held out his sword. The blade scraped through the glove. He watched as the red blood dripped from her hand, barely visible in the dark leather that was wrapped around it. She looked from it, to him. Her eyes glowered and he stumbled backwards a bit.

“You’re going to regret that.”

She reached her right palm out, when there was another voice.

“Lay a hand on him and I end you.”

Neal turned around to find both of his parents along with Regina standing there. By the time he looked back, all that was left of Gothel was a cloud of dust. Snow and David rushed to his side, Neal feeling his heart beat heavily in his chest.

“Are you alright, sweetie?” Snow asked. “Did she hurt you?”

“N…no. She just said that she wanted Emma.”

“Emma? Why?”

Regina sighed. “Savior magic. Whatever this witch is brewing, it’s going to be big. We should talk with Alice, see what all she knows about it.”

Regina turned, heading back towards the campsite. Snow and David each linked an arm around their son, who was trying to steady his pulse. David gently took the sword out of his hand and noticed the blood. A small smile went across his face.

“Way to go, kid.”

Neal managed to crack a smile of his own. “Does that mean I can fight in the resistance?”

“No,” Snow and David answered in unison.

Neal rolled his eyes, though a sense of relief filled his stomach. Maybe he wasn’t quite ready to slay a dragon yet.

Drabble Challenge! #1 - 150

#charming family #neal charming #neal nolan #snow white #david charming #regina mills #gothel #ouat #once upon a time #loboselinaistrash #asked and answered

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null-whump · 4 years

Text

Felix –– Part Six

This is a series! Start here. Continued here.

At long last, I have arrived with part six! Sorry it took so long guys! I don’t know why but I got kinda stuck on this part, but I ended up getting inspired and I think it turned out pretty well in the end :)

I was originally going to have this be the last ordered part of the ‘intro series’ and then jump around in the timeline more, but I’ll end up having at least one, if not two or three more parts…we’ll see. Well, that’s enough of me talking, enjoy!

Warnings: Death, blood, asphyxiation, burns/stabbing, muzzling, slight dehumanization (Let me know if I missed any!)

Word Count: 3,041

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It had been nearly three days since I last stepped outside, and the sunlight was a stark contrast to the dim candlelight I had become used to. Varren didn’t say a word to me other than commanding me to return to my animal form, before marching off at a brisk pace. I glanced back at the building we had exited, seeing it from the outside for the first time. It was a small house, made entirely of stone, even the roof. The seamless way it was put together told me that it must have been constructed with magic. I turned away and hurried after Varren, not wanting to risk making him angry.

We walked for at least an hour, and I eventually began to wonder why Varren hadn’t used another form of transportation. Even if he was unable to teleport to wherever we were going, he surely had a broom, didn’t he? He was a witch, after all, and I had never met one who didn’t use the traditional means of transportation.

Varren stopped abruptly at the top of a small hill and crouched down, still not speaking. I stopped as well and sniffed the air. I smelled humans, at least three, and some sort of monster. My ears picked up the faint sounds of an animal’s claws on wood, most likely the monster. The humans were conversing with each other, and I heard one of them laugh.

I flinched as Varren’s voice suddenly resonated in my mind. ‘How many?’

‘At least three humans,’ I replied immediately. ‘And one monster.’

I sensed irritation from Varren and tried to suppress the fear that jumped in my mind.

‘What kind of monster?’ He asked, his voice still calm and cold.

I sniffed again, trying to identify the scent. It smelled reptilian but other than that I couldn’t identify it. ‘I – don’t know for sure,’ I said hesitantly. ‘Maybe a dragon? A small one.’

Varren scoffed quietly. ‘I should have known you would be useless in identifying anything. I thought maybe you would at the very least you would be able to tell the species.’ Varren pulled his staff from his back and held it in front of him, still crouching out of sight. ‘Go down there and get more information.’

I obediently walked over the hill and began approaching what seemed to be a makeshift camp. Three humans sat around a small fire; two males and one female. I was right – the monster was a dragon, a very small one. It looked fully grown, but it wasn’t much bigger than the three humans. Its coloring and patterns marked it as an eclecticaren – a dragon of electricity. No wonder Varren was interested – eclecticarens were very rare.

I relayed the information back to Varren, who’s mood turned pleased immediately. ‘Approach them,’ he ordered. ‘I want them off their guards.’

I walked closer to the fire, crouching down as I approached. Given my size, it wasn’t hard for me to appear non-threatening, which was my goal. When I was within five feet of the fire, the dragon’s head turned sharply towards me, a low growl emanating from its chest. The humans jumped and reached for their weapons, but relaxed as soon as they saw me.

“Just a cat,” the girl said, obviously relieved. “You scared us, little guy.”

“Zi, can’t you tell the difference between an actual threat and a harmless animal?” One of the males groaned, looking to the dragon.

The dragon fixed the human with a hard gaze. I twitched my ears and stepped forward cautiously. The dragon’s head whipped back around to glare at me and I froze in my tracks.

“Calm down Zi,” the second male said. “It’s just a cat, it’s not hurting anything.”

“It seems pretty friendly,” the girl said brightly. She set the bow she had been holding on the log next to her and held out her hand. “C’mere little guy,” she coaxed. “We won’t hurt you.”

I was starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach. Whatever Varren had planned for these people, it wasn’t going to be good. I took another step forward, then another, until the girl was touching my head with her hand.

I heard Varren’s voice in my head again. ‘Take out the girl.’

It took all my willpower not to react as the girl continued rubbing my head. She was saying something to her friends, completely unsuspecting. Her discarded bow sat behind her. She wouldn’t have a chance. Maybe there was a way to alert her, a way that would give her a chance to fight back – maybe she would even kill me, that would be better –

‘What are you waiting for, boy?’ Varren demanded. ‘Kill her, now.’

It was an order, and I had no choice but to obey. Varren hadn’t given me any weapons, which meant I’d have to do it with my hands – with my bare hands – I crouched, ready to spring, unable to resist Varren’s command. The girl was smiling at me.

I focused, transforming every part of my body human except the tips of my fingers – my claws – as I lunged forward, aiming for her throat. I had killed before, but this was different. This was underhanded, unjustified – it was wrong. My claws ripped through her throat easily, and she didn’t even have time to scream before her blood was splattered across my face and hands.

“Zaria!” One of the males screamed while the other scrambled for his sword. The dragon roared, electricity sparking around its horns. I dove behind a nearby rock, barely avoiding the blast of lightning that shot towards me.

‘Subdue them,’ came Varren’s voice in my head. ‘But I want at least one of the humans alive.’

Subdue them?! How the hell was I supposed to subdue a dragon?! I jumped from behind the rock, transforming back into my cat form halfway. A small body meant a smaller target, and humans usually weren’t prepared to fight a cat. I dashed headlong towards the two humans, knowing that the dragon wouldn’t risk hitting his friends. The one with the sword swung his blade at me, but I easily dodged, then leaped up, again switching back to my human form.

Before either of them had a chance to react, I grabbed the arm of the human with the sword and pulled him in front of me and kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall. My clawed fingers were on his throat before the other human could ready his weapon.

“Drop your weapons,” I said, trying to disguise the shaking in my voice. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You didn’t have a problem hurting Zaria,” the man across from me snarled. The dragon was crouched, ready to attack, and let loose another growl.

I clenched my jaw. How was I supposed to tell them that I hadn’t wanted to hurt her? They’d never believe me. As it turned out, I didn’t have to worry about answering.

“Well done, boy,” Varren said.

The dragon turned with a snarl and the man I wasn’t restraining raised the sword he had drawn.

Varren held up a hand. “I believe we have already established the situation,” he said calmly. “Unless you want to die, you will lower your weapons and come peacefully.”

The man across from me hesitated, then glanced from Varren to me and my hold on his companion. Then, reluctantly, he dropped his sword.

“Excellent.” Varren snapped his fingers and ropes materialized around the wrists of both men. Then, he turned to the dragon, whose head was on the same height as his. “What a magnificent creature,” he marveled. “A bit small, but that’s all for the better I suppose. Some things are better in small packages, while others…” he glanced meaningfully at me. “Others are not.”

Anger flared up inside me, but I didn’t react. I felt as if he wanted a reaction, and I wasn’t going to give it to him.

The dragon hissed, sparks gathering around its horns. Varren tsked, then snapped his fingers again, this time causing chains to loop around the dragon’s four legs and over its wings. The dragon yelped, as if in pain, and hunkered down, shaking its wings in an attempt to get rid of the chains, but to no avail. The dragon’s sparks died instantly. The chains must have been enchanted to suppress magic.

“What did you do to him?” Demanded the man I was holding.

Varren smiled at him. “Nothing permanent. Now if you don’t mind, I am going to request that the two of you do not cause me any trouble, or I will have my familiar dispose of you.” He glanced toward where the girl, Zaria, was laying. “Just like your friend there.”

I could practically feel the anger emanating from the two men, but I could feel even more the pleasure that Varren was getting from this. It sickened me. But there was nothing I could do.

The journey back was unpleasant, to say the least. Varren chained the two men in a small windowless room and put the dragon in the cellar, adding more chains to restrict its movement and bind its mouth shut. He had obviously prepared for this, considering the heavy enchantments on the walls of the dragon’s prison.

Once the dragon was secure, Varren approached it and laid his hand on its face. “Wonderful,” he murmured, staring into the dragon’s bright blue eyes. “You hold so much power…”

The dragon snarled, jerking on its chains. Varren only smiled in response.

“I look forward to using that power…after you have been tamed.”

The dragon hissed through its clenched teeth, but Varren was unperturbed. He turned away from the dragon and walked towards the stairs. “Come,” he said, not bothering to even look at me as he gave the command.

I felt my anger rise again, indignation at being told to heel like a pet. I hated it. I had never hated anyone as much as I hated Varren, and I had never felt so helpless against anyone either. I tried to suppress my anger as I followed Varren back into his study, where he sat in his chair and gave me a pointed look. The meaning behind it was clear. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to move in front of his chair before lowering myself to my knees.

Varren regarded me in silence for several seconds, during which I could feel my anxiety rising. Finally, Varren spoke.

“Your skills are passable,” he said. “You accomplished the mission I gave you, which is enough to deem you as not entirely worthless.”

I felt a sense of relief at his words. As much as I tried to tell myself that I wasn’t afraid of Varren, I had been dreading the thought of what would come from failing his task. Varren must have felt my relief because he laughed harshly.

“Don’t mistake my words for praise, boy,” he said. “You hesitated before killing that girl and don’t think for a second that I didn’t notice what you were thinking.” Varren leaned forward and placed a finger under my chin, tilting my head up to look him in the eye. “You wanted her to kill you, is that right?”

I didn’t answer, I barely dared to breathe. The look in Varren’s eyes was chilling me to the bone, and I couldn’t deny the fear I felt.

“Answer me,” Varren ordered, his gaze growing harder.

“Y-yes,” I answered, my voice barely above a whisper. “Yes – sir,” I added, though I still felt resentment at the last word.

“At the very least it seems you have realized the pointlessness in lying to me,” Varren scoffed. “But yet you still defy me.”

My breath caught in my throat, and my fear returned in full force. And yet, there was still that part of me, that damned part of me that wouldn’t go away, that was angry. I shouldn’t be bowing to Varren’s every wish, I should fight, no matter how hopeless it seemed.

“There was no reason to kill her.” My own words shocked me, but I pushed past the last of my fear and mustered a glare. “You may be able to control me, but you can’t control everyone who gets in your way, and one day someone is going to stop you.”

Varren raised his eyebrows at me. “Speaking without permission again,” he said, though I detected a hint of anger in his usually calm tone. “You still are unable to follow even the most basic rules. Stop breathing.”

The command came so quickly, without warning, and I didn’t have time to draw a breath before my breathing was forcefully stopped. Varren stood to his feet and walked past me as I struggled futilely to draw a breath.

“It seems that you are determined to disobey me no matter what punishments I give you,” Varren said, walking to stand in front of the cold fireplace in the wall. With a snap of his fingers, the wood caught ablaze. He turned his head to look at me, and I barely registered his smirk through my panic.

‘He won’t let me die,’ I told myself, desperate for any reassurance. ‘He won’t let me die, he won’t –‘

“Breathe.”

I gasped, the rush of oxygen nearly making me pass out. I had only a few seconds of air before Varren spoke again. “Stop.”

My airflow was once again halted, and I felt tears sting in my eyes at the sheer helplessness of it all. It took me second to realize Varren was speaking again.

“Of course I’ll muzzle you again,” he was saying, while calmly stirring the fire with a metal tool. “But you need another punishment, something more…” he pulled the metal rod out of the fire and held it up, examining the red glowing end with a smirk. “Painful,” he finished.

I couldn’t begin to register the implications behind his words, as my vision was turning gray. I blinked and Varren was crouching next to me, still holding the glowing piece of metal. “Breathe,” he whispered in my ear, and I was gasping for air once more. After several desperate breaths, I realized that Varren was holding the metal rod directly in front of my face, just inches from my skin. I froze, trembling from my effort to steady my breathing while holding still. I heard Varren laugh quietly beside me.

“Where should I put this?” He asked. His tone was light, almost teasing, and that only made my fear worse.

He slowly moved the metal down towards my neck. “Here would be a good spot…that would hurt for weeks.” He moved to the left, above my shoulder. “Here would make your whole arm hurt for weeks. Or…” he moved it back towards my face. “You can still see with just one eye, right?”

A whimper escaped my throat as Varren waved the rod teasingly in front of my eyes. “C’mon, right or left? Or should I decide?”

I sat frozen, unable to move as Varren spoke, until he jabbed the metal quickly towards me, nearly striking my face. I fell back with a cry, my hands flying in front of my face. After several terrifying seconds, I realized the Varren hadn’t actually hit me, and I heard his laughter at my fear.

“Don’t worry kitten,” Varren said, seizing my arm and yanking me back toward him. “I wouldn’t want to hurt those pretty eyes of yours.” Then he threw me onto my back and stabbed the rod straight through my right shoulder.

The pain was so intense that I didn’t even realize I was screaming at first. It was a white, blinding pain, so fierce that I couldn’t do anything but clutch my arm and groan through my clenched teeth. My vision was blurry, and I vaguely saw that Varren was still kneeling over me, his hand on the end of the metal piece that was still in my arm. The pain was less noticeable now, but I think it was because I was going into shock.

“Hm,” said Varren, before twisting the rod in my arm.

The pain flared back in even greater intensity and I cried out again, feeling my consciousness fading. I heard Varren’s voice as if coming from far above me.

“No no no, you don’t get to pass out yet.” Then another flash of blinding pain, and I screamed again.

When the pain became manageable again, I saw that Varren had pulled out the metal rod and tossed it to the side. Now he was crouching next to me, looking down at me with amusement. I shut my eyes, unable to bear looking at his face. The pain in my arm made me groan and tighten my grip on my shoulder. This only served to send another flare of pain through my body, which made my eyes fly open with a gasp.

Varren was no longer above me, but he reappeared before I had a chance to wonder where he had gone. Without a word he seized my injured arm and pulled me forcefully off of the ground before throwing me forward onto my knees. I cried out as my injury was irritated more, but Varren didn’t seem to care.

The pain in my arm was so strong that I didn’t realize that Varren was putting something on my face until he pulled the leather straps of the muzzle so tight that they bit into my skin.

“I suppose I’ll leave it on for longer this time,” Varren said, standing to his feet. “If you still haven’t learned by the time I take it off, then we’ll just have to repeat our lesson, won’t we?”

I couldn’t have responded even if I wanted to, and Varren knew that. He laughed again and reached down to roughly ruffle my hair. My face burned with humiliation, but the overwhelming pain in my arm was distraction enough. Varren had made it clear that he wasn’t going to let me fight him, and I was only hurting myself by doing so.

‘Maybe,’ I thought despairingly, ‘maybe sometimes it's better not to fight. Maybe…it’s better to just survive.’

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#whump #pet whump #nonhuman whumpee #my ocs: felix #tw: death #tw: murder #tw: stabbing #dehumanization #Master/Slave #my ocs: varren

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imaginesmai · 5 years

Text

Hvitserk-Rewrite the stars

I tried to upload it sooner, but I’ve been sick for the last few days, I’m sorry!

First of all, thank you @worldisadirtyplace for the idea, I LOVED IT. I wanted to write something different, that’s why it has taken a little longer. This is new for me, but I couldn’t read your request and don’t think about this song (it’s from the great showman, in case you don’t know it) I hope you like it! The parts that are in bold and italic are the parts of the song (Here it is in case you haven’t seen it).

“You know I want you, it’s not a secret I try to hide.”

Hvitserk Ragnarson was not used to the word “no”. If he wanted food, the thralls would have a hot bowl ready for him. If he wanted new weapons, all he had to do was to follow his mother around for a few days and she would get them, just to stop listening to him. If he wanted a woman, he looked up from his ale and at least five women were always looking at him. If he wanted to train, either his brothers or friends would be ready for him.

Hvitserk Ragnarson didn’t say “no” to anything. In his stomach there was always place for more food. His strength and energy was probably boundless, and he could be training and running around all day. And in his bed, there was always place enough for another woman. So he didn’t understand why you always said no.

You were a thrall, for Hvitserk the one of the most beautiful. For seven years, you had served the Ragnarsons and Aslaug, keeping your head down and helping them in everything you could. All the brothers had taken a liking to you, but except Hvitserk they stopped showing their interest when you just smiled at their compliments. The young prince couldn’t get you out of his head, no matter how many times his mother told him to find another thrall; he kept chasing you like a lost puppy.

Still, you said no. When he asked you to sit with him in the big feast, you only smiled kindly and shook your head, returning to your duties. When he tried to use his charms, he only got back blushed cheeks and rejection. Even when he offered you his bed during the cold winter nights, with no other intention than doing something nice for you, you told him no. All of that with so much kindness and softness that he couldn’t hate you for it. If only, it made him want you more.

“Maybe mother would have loved you if you weren’t that much of an useless man!” Ivar’s screams tore him away from his daydreaming, and he blinked twice to focus on the argument in front of him.

“You dare to say that to me, brother? You talk about being useless when your prick doesn’t work?” Sigurd shouted back, making Ivar’s head turn red

Ubbe was there too, with his head between his hands and a troubled expression on his face. It wasn’t worthy to try and tear them apart, because five seconds later they would be at each other throats again. The Ragnarsons’ relationship was always like that.

Hvitserk decided to ignore them too, and blocked his screams and punches from his mind. He had more important things to think of. Like, for example, that night’s sacrifice.

“Ubbe” he called his brother, moving to the seat beside him. “Tell me, are you going to the sacrifice tonight?”

“Of course” Ubbe frowned, and turned to look at Hvitserk. “It’s an offering for our future raid, why wouldn’t I be there?”

“Yeah, but the question is, are you going with someone?”

“With my wife.”

“Which one?”

Ubbe had two wives, and both of them were fine with that. The first one, Torvi, was a famous and brave shieldwoman who had been married to their older brother for years, until he went away and left her. She was beautiful and mature, and if Hvitserk had to judge, his brother was head over heels for the woman, and always tried to have his full attention. He followed her everywhere, trained with her and showered her with presents.

His other wife was different, Margarethe. Between her and Ubbe, there was a time where there was love and passion, but then it was all over. They didn’t divorced because Ubbe knew she was just an slave, freed by him and with no chances of building a life out of his house. So he had kept the two of them, even if Margarethe slept around with almost every man and had laid with all the brothers.

“Probably Torvi” he shrugged, a faint blush covering his cheeks. “I have yet to ask her, if she’s not going with Lagertha she will probably want to come.”

“And Margarethe?”

Since Hvitserk had started to follow you around, his only remedy was Margarethe. Ubbe didn’t care about sharing her with him, and she kept his mind away from the fact that you didn’t want him back.

“You can go with her” Ubbe rolled his eyes. “Although I would highly recommend you otherwise. You deserve so much more, little brother.”

“Probably, but for now she-“

“Well, then don’t be angry when Y/N is hanging by my arm. I bet she would like me much better than a crippled.”

Your name bought up in the conversation made Hvitserk look towards his brothers, who had their faces inches away from each other. Sigurd had a purple cheek, and Ivar’s lip was bleeding. Beside that, both of them were alive, and that was enough.

“Y/N doesn’t have a dick to stick on your ass” Ivar smirked. “She would rather go to the sacrifice with me. Not that you were even an option.”

“Hey, don’t drag her into your arguments” Ubbe said. “The poor girl has done nothing wrong.”

After that sentence, Ubbe had to get up and try to separate his brothers. Sigurd managed to grip Ivar’s arm, twisting it behind his back; while the younger one gripped his blonde braids and pulled. They shouted and screamed, and Ubbe got a few punches in the way. As a good Viking and a Lothbrok brother, he did not hesitate to return them, and soon the three of them were in the middle of a fight.

Hvitserk shifted on his seat, wondering if they were to ask you, you would choose one of them. Of course he had asked you first. For a week, he had followed you around and literally begged you to accompany him to the sacrifice. He had tried everything, from flowers and dresses to a song that he forced Sigurd to write. Still, all you said was no.

But his brothers were a different story, and in that moment he became painfully aware of that. Sigurd was the one who created the song, and had magic hands that could enchant any woman. Ivar was, well, Ivar. He was powerful, dangerous and had the God’s favour with him. He tried to force that thoughts out of him, yet he couldn’t. After all, what would you see in a man who shares his woman with his brother? Wasn’t he man enough, maybe?

“My princes?”

“I know you want me, so don’t keep saying our hands are tied.”

Four heads turned to look at you, and all the noise stopped. Ubbe got up the first, straightening his clothes and looking away ashamed. He was supposed to be the older, the wiser, and he was ready to rip his brothers’ hair. Sigurd and Ivar got up next, the first one trying to shove Ivar off his crutches as he received a hard slap on the back of his head from Ubbe.

You looked at them with a soft smile, used to their fights and screams. After years of being their thrall, you grew accustomed to their behaviours. Your eyes locked with Hvitserk, half of you expecting to find him smiling at you or winking. But the prince had his head low, and did not move from his seat. You tried to mask the deception in you face and returned to the obedient slave.

“Queen Aslaug has requested your presence in the great hall” you said, your voice sweet and soft, nothing compared to the princes’ one. “Food will be ready soon.”

“We’ll be there in a while” Ubbe answered, glaring at Ivar who had just given Sigurd a poke on his side. “Thanks, Y/N.”

Ubbe looked towards his brother as you bowed, ready to head out without receiving not even a smile from Hvitserk. Since you had known them, he had always asked you before a dinner or a fest to join him, and surprisingly it felt strange. Seeing that his brother’s frown was not going to disappear, Ubbe decided to ask you himself.

“Are you staying for dinner?” he asked. “Ivar and Sigurd only behave if you’re near, it seems.”

“You claim it’s not in the cards, fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me.”

“I’m sorry my prince, but I’ve got duties to attend.”

It wasn’t true, actually. Aslaug had given you the night free, since the big sacrifice was taking place and she was in charge of it. You had planned originally to spend it by the boats, with no other intention than talking with Hvitserk. Even if it was true that you always said no to the prince, you liked him back. The only problem was that, for you, he was a prince, destinated to marry a beautiful queen in a big castle, and you were just a slave. The risks of falling in love with the prince and then having your heart broken were too high, so you preferred to stay in the shadows and enjoy casual conversation with him.

“But you’re here in my heart, so who can stop me if I decide that you’re my destiny?”

“That proves my point” Ivar smirked. “None of you are an option, see? If Y/N had to choose, she would choose me. I’m taking her”

“W-What?” you frowned, not understanding what they were saying.

“That doesn’t prove anything, Ivar” Sigurd said, mocking him. “She doesn’t want Ubbe because he has enough wives. I can’t imagine wanting to be one of them neither.”

“Hey, shut up!” Ubbe pointed a finger towards Sigurd. “My wives are very happy to be with me. Your wives… well, they can talk when you have at least one.”

Ivar started laughing loudly and Sigurd looked like he would rather drown in the floor. You looked to the brothers and then to Hvitserk, who still looked deep in thought. Not knowing if you were allowed to leave or not, you stood there for another moment.

“Shut up” Sigurd glared at Ivar. “Y/N won’t go to the sacrifice with you, you’ve got nothing to offer. Besides, I know she likes my songs. So she would rather go with me.”

“If I’m allowed to talk, my prince, I would like to-“

“Y/N would only want your songs to sleep” Ivar interrupted you. “Or to die, you can bore anyone to death, brother.”

“Oh, yeah? Then you can kill her with an orgasm?” Sigurd blinked, and Ubbe stiffed a laugh. “Or you can’t?”

“My lords, please-“

“If you both think that the only way to pleasure a woman is with your dick then I’m sorry for the ones that have laid with you.”

“Ivar, I’m sure any of us can fuck Y/N better than you” Ubbe scoffed, then completely into the argument. “We all have heard the stories of Margarethe.”

The three brothers kept bickering and shouting at each other while you stood there, trying to ask for permission to leave. You looked towards Hvitserk, trying to find a solution to that situation. He locked eyes with you for a second, and you saw the deepest sadness you had ever seen in the cheerful prince. Using all your will power, you stood on your place and didn’t run to him.

A huge smack made you look back towards the other princes, who were throwing stuff at each other. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, yet you walked forwards and tried to stop Ivar throwing a stool to Ivar. You bent by his side an gripped one side of the stool. Giving him a sweet smile, he scoffed and let go of the other part. Then, you heard your name and turned towards the other two brothers.

Time seemed to slow down as Ubbe shouted your name, and you didn’t realise until that moment that Sigurd had in his hands another stool. You watched as he threw it over where you were taking the stool out of Ivar’s hands, and closed your eyes waiting for the hit. One second passed. Two. Three. And still, it never reached you.

“Y/N? You okay?”

Opening one eye, you saw Hvitserk crouching in front of you, a worried look on his childish face. You opened and closed your mouth, trying to understand what had just happened.

“What if we rewrite the stars? Say that you were made to be mine.”

Before you had time to say something to him, Sigurd rushed apologies and Ubbe and Ivar screams towards him made you look towards them.

“I think I’m going to go” you said with a small voice. “I-I’m probably needed in the kitchen. Queen Aslaug is still waiting for you, my princes.”

They didn’t get to say anything else as you left in a rush.

“You think it’s easy, you think I don’t want to run to you. But there are mountains, and there are doors that we can’t walk through.”

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Hvitserk didn’t ask Margarethe to the sacrifice, although she followed him everywhere he went. He tried to lose her between the people, talking with strangers so that she could entertain herself with them and running around for a while.

Sigurd turned out to be his salvation. His brother was drunk enough to not care about who he was talking to, and Margarethe decided that it had been a while since she slept with that brother. So, as the sacrifice went on, she kept herself busy with him. That let Hvitserk free, but that night, he didn’t feel the need to find another woman. His initial goal had been to find someone, take her to his bed and spend the night awake with her.

For him, in that moment some of them were too tall or too short. Their hair wasn’t braided as he liked it, or he thought that their dresses were ugly. Others talked too much or not enough, and all of them weren’t you. Hvitserk didn’t want to say it out loud, yet since that morning, he had been beating up himself over the fact that you would choose his brothers before him.

He might have not been on the argument, but he listened closely and he didn’t hear you saying no to any of them. And before the sacrifice, he had gone looking for you in the kitchens and had found them empty. Asking his mother, he discovered that you had your night free; so either you were hiding away somewhere or you were with other man. The last one made him want to curl in a ball and die. Because he kind of understood that you wanted to be with someone who was able to stick to his own woman, not with his brother’s one.

That thoughts led him towards the boats, where the night was cold and small waves were hitting the sand. He kept walking, lost in his mind, until he saw someone sitting on the shore. He blinked twice, making his vision clear and making out your silhouette. He hadn’t walked-ran faster in his life.

“Just you and me, within this walls”

Before he could reach you, you turned around to look at him. From the noise he was making, it would take a deaf man to miss his steps. Still loyal to your status and manners, you rose up and bowed beside him.

“But when we go outside, you’re going to wake up and see that is was it was hopeless after all.”

“Prince Hvitserk. I though you would be in the sacrifice.”

“Why do you keep doing that?” he asked. “We’ve known each other for years, Y/N, I don’t want you to bow in front of me.”

“No one can rewrite the stars, how can you say you’ll be mine?”

“Because you’re my prince” you smiled softly, though it didn’t reach your eyes.

“Everything keeps us apart, and I’m not the one you were meant to find.”

You sat again on the sand, facing the water and enjoying the soft breeze. With Hvitserk there too, it didn’t seem so dark. He sat too, his shoulder brushing yours and his warmth making shivers ran down your spine. For a few seconds, it was silent between you two. A comfortable silence.

“Why aren’t you in the sacrifice?”

“If I listen one more time to Ivar shouting at Sigurd, I think I’ll offer myself for the next sacrifice” he laughed. “They’re like little children.”

“Well, you all are” you said, and immediately regretted it. “I mean-I’m sorry, my prince, I-I didn’t-“

“Why am I a child?” he asked, waiting for your answer. “Come on, Y/N, you have done nothing wrong. You can talk freely around me.”

“It’s not up to you, it’s not up to me, when everyone tell us what we can be.”

You looked down at your hands; of course you could. With Hvitserk, you had never felt the pressure of being a slave, and he had always made you feel like a normal person. His brothers had been different, most of the times treating you like a piece of meat. He was different; sure, he followed you around and tried to get into your pants a lot of times. But you saw through his charming attitude, you knew the boy who grew excited with new food, whose eyes shined with pride when talking about his brothers, and who was loyal and truthful like no one.

As children, you used to be the closest friends. Playing and messing around all day, until your mother would call you home and scold you for staining your dress. There were good times, happy ones; then, she died and you became a thrall. Hvitserk treated you like always, with love and didn’t change his way of seeing you. You did.

“It feels impossible, is it impossible?”

You understood what he didn’t. That he was a prince, royalty. That he deserved greatness, and his duty was to follow his father’s path. You were not there, you were his thrall. The person who served him breakfast, made his bed and fixed his furs. Time passed and the beautiful friendship turned into a slave-master relationship for your part.

“I don’t know” you shrugged, washing those memories away. “I didn’t mean to say that, I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry” he turned your head towards him with his fingers, making you look to his eyes. “Tell me. Talk to me like we used to.”

“How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine?”

“You-I know Ivar and Sigurd and arguing all the time like children. But, I mean, you have the sweet tooth of a child” you smiled, not tearing your eyes away. “And I’ve not meet anyone who has so much energy.”

“You used to fall behind everytime we played together” he smiled too. “And then I had to wait for you, because your mother would chase me with the broom if you weren’t on time.”

The memory of your mother made you happy for the first time. Every time you thought about her, you reminded yourself to be a good servant, to achieve great things. In that moment, you could only think of happy thoughts.

“Remember that time I fell over and you carried me to my house?” you chuckled. “Mom was so angry with you.”

“It was your fault!” he let out a big laugh. “You were the one who wanted to fight with Ubbe and me.”

“And you trained harder than ever just to prove that you were better than me.”

“It’s up to you, and it’s up to me. No one can say what we get to be.”

Night passed by as you two talked about everything and anything, from the memories of your childhood to catching up with both of your lives. It seemed like the time hadn’t passed by, that you were still two children messing with each other and happy without any worries. Hvitserk opened up about Margarethe, about how he knew he deserved better yet he couldn’t let the only thing stable in his life go; you opened up about the pressure of being a thrall, and the fact that it was your fault that you lost your friendship.

Some laughs were shared and a few tears were wiped out of each other’s cheek, and little by little you discovered that you hadn’t changed a thing. When the sun peeked through the mountains, you found yourself covered by Hvitserk’s furs and laid in the sand on top of him. In another moment, the rational part of your mind would have told you to leave; yet you just moved closer to his side.

“And why don’t we rewrite the stars?”

Until that moment, everything had been fine. Yet you noticed how, when you pressed your head against his shoulder, he let out a painful hiss and tried to get away.

“What happens?” you frowned, looking up at his face. “Does your shoulder hurt?”

“Kind of. Maybe I’ve slept in a weird position” he said, but you knew he was lying. Because you didn’t flinch away from just a “bad sleeping position.”

Your hard eyes and pushing hands made a sigh leave his lips, and he turned to his side to let you uncover his shoulder. A gasp left your lips when you saw the big bruise on it, covering most part of his left side and neck. You ran your hands over it softly, hearing how his breath got caught on his throat.

“What is this? How have you gotten it? By the gods, why has no one treated this?”

“It’s nothing, Y/N, really. Probably I’ve got it in training with Ubbe.”

“Hvitserk, you haven’t trained for more than a week” you sighed, and was met with silence. “Hvitserk”

His name on your lips felt strange yet left a feeling of comfort and happiness on his belly, unknown for so many years.

“It was going to hit you” he half whispered. “If it has done that to me, guess what it would have done to you.”

“What was going to-oh” you shut up, remembering the stool. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“I wanted to” Hvitserk said, and talked again before you could open your mouth again. “Don’t tell me you didn’t want me to, please.”

“But you shouldn’t have done that for me” you sighed. “You’re a prince, you can’t get hurt. I’m just a slave.”

“No, you’re not just a slave. You’re my friend, my confident and my best girl, and you know it. And I’m not a prince, I’m just Hvitserk. The guy you used to play in the square and who still loves you.”

Your breath caught on your throat at his confession, and you looked at him with wide eyes. It wasn’t surprised what filled you, but happiness. More happiness than what you had felt in your last years.

“Please, say something” Hvitserk begged, and sat beside you. He took one of your hands between his, and caressed his fingers over it; just like he did when he waited for you to catch up and gripped your hand to keep you going. “You don’t have to be a slave anymore, you can be with me. And we can be happy.”

“And what, be like Margarethe?” you looked at him with hurt eyes. “I don’t want to be just the slave you free. You deserve a princess, Hvitserk, someone with lands and treasures. Not me”

“You always tell me no, Y/N. I’ve learnt the lesson, I know you’re going to be more than that. Whatever you want to be, wherever you want to go, I promise to be there, holding your hand” he took a deep breath. “I-I’m going to ask just one more time, I promise. If you say no, I’ll go and you won’t see me again. Do you want me as much as I want you.”

“But I can’t have you, we’re bound to break and my hands are tied”

“No.”

It was the best for you both, you thought. It was the best for him, because he deserved more and you were just a slave. Margarethe could offer him a lot of things, any other woman could offer him a lot. You looked down at your hands, watching as a single tear reached the sand and formed a perfect circle on it. Quickly, you reached your cheek to stop it, yet discovered it was dry. Hvitserk was crying.

It was the right choice, he deserved to be happy. It was your duty to look out for him as his thrall. Yet you couldn’t help to be selfish for one in your life.

“No, I don’t want you as much as you want me” you placed your hand on his cheek, covering it whole and running your thumb through its side. Hvitserk leaned against you, enjoying what seemed the last interaction you would have. “Because I think I want you more.”

“Why don’t we rewrite the stars? Changing the world to be us.”

Your words took a second to sink into his mind, and when they did, they became inked forever. Hvitserk’s eyes widened as he looked at you, searching for any type of joke in your eyes; he found nothing, only the bright eyes that used to look up at him when he was younger. Two seconds later, he tried pecking your lips. Three seconds passed and you put one of your hands behind his neck. By the time ten seconds passed, you both were laying in the sand kissing each other and happiest than ever.

“Maybe the world could be ours, tonight.”

Want to know more about me? Here is my Masterlist! Feedback is always appreciated!!

#imaginemai #hvitserk #hvitserk imagin #hvitserk x reader #hvitserk one shot #hvitserk ragnarson #hvitserk lothbrok #request #vikings #vikings imagine #vikings x reader #vikings one shot #ubbe #sigurd #ivar

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gamesception · 4 years

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Vanilla Necromancer, part 1

Looking to play some vidya game. Mostly I want to play Outer Worlds, but I don’t trust my laptop to run it, and if I have to play it on console I’d rather wait for the switch port. Was playing The terrible Kingdom Hearts gacha game, but it tricked me into spending money one to many times so it got the cold turkey. I’ll still react to the rest of the story at some point, but right now I’m bitter so no. And I’m busy lately, so I need something dumb & mindless that I won’t mind dropping when Outer Worlds does release, so I don’t want to mess with Witcher yet. So... what to play?

Call me basic, because I am, but I always quite liked Skyrim, largely because necromancy is cool and Skyrim’s one of relatively few fantasy RPGs that let you go pretty hog wild with it. Especially if you play it on PC modded to high heaven - perk overhauls that let you collect bones to build extra skeletons, expanded necromancy spells, playable lich transformation, re-worked college of winterhold to make playing a mage in general more interesting, build your own guild to recruit a necromantic coven, alternate faction alliances for non-hostile relationships with npc undead & necromancers, etc etc etc.

With all those mods tailored perfectly to my preferences, It’s maybe not surprising that, while I’ve played Skyrim a bunch, I haven’t played vanilla Skyrim since the game originally released. But the convenient portability of the Switch is a good excuse to give it another go, and, looking back, even without all those mods it’s really surprising how much support there is for a Necromancer. So here he is, Sellosus the Blind, named for a Necromancer D&D character I once ran who betrayed the party so spectacularly that he derailed the game completely and became the primary antagonist for the rest of the campaign.

We god a nice, crotchety, grey haired, big bearded, spooky eyed old man. Fantastic necromancer mancer material right here. Nord isn’t the best for caster, necromancy especially. Dark Elf is probably the best there, Breton’s pretty close, but for all the characters I’ve run through this game, I’ve actually played through either side of the civil war plot arc. So Sellosus will be a Nord, to better fit into the Stormcast side.

As usual, Alduin interrupts my execution. Major goof on his part!.

Ralof and I escape from dragon and Imperials alike, and make our way towards Riverwood.

Along the way I attune the Mage Stone for an early game head start on leveling some of my key skills. Ralof doesn’t approve, but it’s only temporary, so I’m sure he’ll get over it.

Of course, he’d approve of my main Standing Stone choice even less, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself

We reach Riverwood and meet with Ralof’s Sister Gerdur. They ask me to head to Whiterun to ask the Jarl to send aid in case the dragon comes to. Fair enough, but I’ve got a quick side errend to run first. But that’ll wait for next post, if I feel motivated enough to continue.

So for the moment, here I am, Sellosus the Blind, novice necromancer. Bit of a short start, so maybe I’ll throw in a few thoughts on this guy’s build.

Obviously Magicka’s going to be Sellosus’s primary stat. Conjuration spells are pricey. Eventually this guy is going to be throwing out multiple expendable lackies per combat and that cost adds up. So lots of Magicka, relatively little Health, very little Stamina. Since I’ll be wearing robes instead of armor for flavor and style he’s going to be very fragile, but that’s ok. Once his primary skills are running properly he’s one of the safest builds in the game. Speaking of...

Conjuration is obviously Sellosus’s primary skill. All the explicitly necromantic spells are conjuration, as are most of the necromantic perks, both in terms of undead manipulation (summoning undead, animating corpses) and stealing souls to use for enchantment. The school has four main lines of perks - boosting summoned elementals, boosting animated dead, enhancing conjured weapons, and discounting conjuration spells.

Sellosus will be summoning elementals a fair bit early on, but I won’t be taking any of those perks as in the long term undead use will replace all of that. The undead enhancing tree sounds perfect but long term most of those abilities aren’t exactly worth while either... but Sellosus will still be taking them because the capstone ability to summon or animate two minions at once is amazing and a cornerstone of the entire build. The conjured weapon tree will be useful as the bound bow spell will eventually be an acceptable in-school alternative to destruction spells for range damage, and one of the perks will automatically apply soul trap to targets hit by bound weapons, which is much more convenient than actively casting the spell in combat - though it will still have out of combat uses. The discount line is useful because conjuration spells are just kind of pricey in general, and again Sellosus will eventually be throwing them about willy nilly.

Another key skill for Sellosus is Enchanting. In Elder Scrolls games, enchanting magic items is an inherently necromantic endeavor, as the energy that powers those enchantments come from captured souls. Which is pretty cool! Eventually Sellosus’s mastery of soul magic will allow him to create magic equipment that far exceeds anything found in the game naturally... with maybe one or two key exceptions. That’s relatively late game, though. I won’t be bothering with Enchanting too much early on.

The skill’s perk tree has three main paths - one enhancing elemental effects - which I might bother with for protection but... eh. Another enhances the use and recharge of magic weapons and that’s just not Sellosus either. But the center line greatly enhances skill & stat augmentations on magic equipment you make, and that will be huge later on.

Another key skill for Sellosus will be Illusion, for a few reasons. First is that one of the captsone abilities of Illusion is partially necromantic in nature - allowing illusion spells to affect undead (along with daedra & constructs) which are normally immune. This will eventually allow Sellosus to pass through hordes of otherwise hostile draugers completely unhindered as the lesser undead fall under the sway of his dark magic. Second is the relatively high level illusion perk that allows spells to be cast silently. Combined with stealth enhancing illusion spells like muffle and invisibility, this will allow Sellosus to remain entirely unseen by enemies while conjuring wave after wave of summoned minions. Third is to steal style points from one of the greatest undead arcanists in fiction, Adventure Time’s Lich. The Lich was a powerful necromancer, but its greatest threat was the ability to manipulate the minds of those exposed to its magic. With mastery of both illusion and conjuration, Sellosus will be able to turn his enemies against each other and then raise the corpses of whichever fall first to keep fighting until no enemies are left, making for a pretty sick play style all told.

Theskill tree has a discount line - useful because I’ll be casting the stealth spells a lot and they’re pretty pricey. To maintain invisibility in combat I’ll have to re-cast it after every other action I take so yeah any discount there is appreciated. Then there’s a line that enhances the level caps of the various types of offensive illusion and with the way they work those are pretty obligatory. Finally there’s a line that enhances the effect against different creature types, and the silent casting perk falls in there, so once again obligatory. Sellosus may end up getting every single illusion perk, the only skill tree where that’s likely despite conjuration and enchantment theoretically being more central to the theme.

Sellosus’s last key skill is restoration. This is a fairly minor skill in the build as I don’t plan on casting a lot of restoration spells in combat. Again, despite the low hit points, once the build is working it’s extremely safe. If all goes well my enemies should be slaughtering each other before they even catch sight of me.

However, there are a few perks in restoration that will prove essential. The ability to heal stamina along with health when casting restoration spells will help a lot with Sellosus’s lack of stamina advancement. More importantly the ‘Necromage’ perk enhances the affects of all of your spells when used against the undead. With the overall tone of the restoration school, this is obviously intended for virtuous wizards to purge the undead from skyrim with their destruction spells, but for Sellosus? Sellosus will eventually *be* undead himself, at which point that perk will enhance the effect of positive magics he uses on himself, including that of any magical equipment he creates for himself.

...

So that’s the build, or at least the plan for it. Even just in the perk trees, that’s already a lot of necromantic goodness to enjoy, and I haven’t even really gotten into the spells, questlines, & magic items. Something to talk about later, if I keep posting this.

#sception plays skyrim #vanilla necromancer #skyrim

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iambuckyrogers · 6 years

Text

Ever Ever After

Summary: You’ve been avoiding Tony since the party, what will happen when you are forced to work together?

Word Count: 2010

Warnings: minor injuries, angst, fluff

Pairing: Tony Stark x Reader

Authors Note: Sequel to So Close so if you haven’t read that, you can here. Title from the song Ever Ever After off of the Enchanted soundtrack. I didn’t mean for it to be quite so long but I got a bit carried away. Feedback is always appreciated :)

The harsh summer sun streamed through your window, falling onto your sprawled body. Groaning, you rolled onto your back and rubbed your eyes. You’d fallen asleep on top of the covers, still in your dress and makeup from the night before. You took a deep breath, trying to shake the memories that came flooding back. The team should be in the gym so you could probably sneak into the kitchen, you hadn’t eaten since lunch yesterday so food was probably a good idea.

After scavenging some snacks, you spent the day wrapped up like a burrito, watching romcoms like they were going out of fashion. You had been interrupted by Friday, checking to see that you were ok, having noted your absence from training. You told the A.I that you were sick and that seemed to work. Apart from that, you had a relatively relaxing day. As the credits for 27 Dresses began to roll, there was a soft knock at your door.

“Y/N/N, it’s Nat and Wanda, can we come in?”

“Yeah, just a second,” you called back, shoving empty food wrappers under the bed haphazardly. You splashed some water on your face and settled into your pillows. “It should be open.”

Your 2 best friends entered your room, Nat settled on the end of your bed and Wanda crouched on the floor by your side, taking your hand gently in her own and rubbing small circles with her thumb.

“(Y/N),” she spoke softly, “what’s going on?” Letting out a tired sigh you squeezed her hand.

“I’m just feeling a bit under the weather, must have bee-“ Nat cut you off with an exasperated sigh.

“Don’t bullshit with us (Y/N), we know something happened last night with you and Tony. We saw you two take off. He came back 20 minutes later and called off the party and he hasn’t been seen since.” Nat’s face softened when she saw your glassy eyes and pulled you snuggly into her lap as Wanda gently wiped a stray tear that fell down your cheek. You let out a shaky breath and the dam behind your eyes broke, tears streaming like waterfalls. You stayed like that, enveloped in the warmth and love of your friends until you finally ran out of tears to cry.

“We’re here for you (Y/N/N),” Nat said, kissing the top of your head once your breathing calmed down.

“So what now?” Wanda asked, “You have to face him eventually.”

“Eventually, but not today!” you whined, burying your head into Nat’s neck. Wanda laughed softly, rubbing your back.

“I never said today, silly. Maybe we could talk to Fury, convince him that you need some time off?”

“You’d do that? For me?”

“Of course! You’d do the same for us,” Nat answered, pulling away from you and getting off the bed. Wanda kissed you on the cheek and joined Nat at the door.

“We’ll go ask Fury now and we’ll come back with some real food,” Nat nodded towards the lolly wrappers on the floor.

“Thank you,” you laughed, waving goodbye as they shut the door behind them.

Fury actually agreed to let you have time off and most of it was spent in your room, binge-watching TV shows on Netflix. The girls would bring you food when they could, or message you when it was safe for you to get your own. You’d train at night when you were sure that everyone was asleep. Tony still hadn’t been seen but Happy let them know that he was in his lab, working on something of vital importance and did not want to be disturbed. It had been a week since the party and you thought that you’d be perfectly content with living like this for the rest of your life.

“Excuse me, Ms (Y/L/N),” Friday interrupted.

“Yeah Friday, what’s up?” you paused the episode of The Office that you were watching.

“Director Fury wishes to see you in the conference room in 10 minutes, he says that playtime’s over and he needs you on a mission that leaves tonight.” You swore under your breath, you knew that this had to end eventually but you had hoped for a little longer.

“Tell Fury that I’ll be there, thanks Friday.” You send a frantic text to Nat.

You let your body relax, relief flooding through you, safe for another day.

The time for the meeting rolled around quickly. Just as Nat promised, Steve and Bucky were to accompany you to check out a suspected arms base on the outskirts of the US/Mexico border.

“Wheels up at eighteen hundred. Make sure-” Fury was cut short by Bucky’s metal arm whirring angrily, the screech of metal on metal filling the room.

“Barnes,” Fury growled, Bucky bowed his head in apology, “As I was saying, wheels up at eighteen hundred, wear full combat gear and please, look after yourselves.” He turned on his heel and left.

“Come on Buck, let’s see if we can lure Tony from his cave,” Steve helped his friend up from the chair, arm still vibrating unnaturally. “Glad to see you’re feeling better” Steve winked over his shoulder as he left.

You checked the straps on your boots for what felt like the thousandth time, your leg bouncing up and down as you waited on the quinjet. The doors to the compound banged opened and Steve came striding out, followed by… Oh shit.

“Last minute change,” Steve informed you, “Buck’s arm malfunctioned and Tony didn’t have time to fix it.”

“So lucky me, I get to be his replacement,” Tony said dryly, making his way to the cockpit.

Steve sat across from you, his eyebrows knitting together as he studied your face.

“You alright?” he whispered. You simply shrugged in response, not trusting your voice.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Tony announced, the engines roaring to life.

The quinjet landed a few kilometres from the base.

“Remember,” Steve glared at Tony, “no engaging in unnecessary combat, understood?” You nodded, slipping your guns into their holsters and checking your belt was secure.

“Oh Capsical, you make life so boring for me,” Tony sighed, his helmet flipping closed before flying out of the quinjet, you and Steve took off after him on foot. The base looked to be no more than a small dingy shack, surrounded by a rotting wooden fence, there were no lights on, no sign of movement, no visible weapons or defence systems, it certainly didn’t look as menacing as Fury made it out to be.

“What’s the verdict, Stark?” Steve asked, crouching behind some shrubbery. You followed suit, ducking behind a tree to the left of him. Tony was sat above you, legs dangling casually as he surveyed the area in front of him.

“I’ve done a scan of the building.” Tony began, before stopping and tilting his head to the side like a confused puppy.

“And?” Steve pressed.

“We’re in a spot of trouble,” Tony barely finished his sentence when the door to the shack burst open and 20 or so militants stormed out, guns trained on the horizon, forming a protective circle around their base. The three of you sprung into action. Steve ran in with his shield high, deflecting bullets and taking out any men who stood in his way. Tony soared high above, hitting the militants with searing beams from his repulsers while yelling out witty remarks. You, lacking a shield and ability to fly, shot at the men from the safety of your tree. The fight was going your way, a hand full of militants were left standing, they were tiring and running out of ammo. Becoming complacent, you didn’t check that the dead were truly dead, you didn’t see one of the men pull himself along the ground to a grenade launcher, you didn’t see him take aim at your tree and you certainly didn’t see the grenade before it exploded just metres from where you were crouched.

The pain was unbearable, shooting up and down your spine causing you to drift in and out of consciousness. The last thing you remember was Tony carrying you bridal style into the quinjet.

“Please, please (Y/N),” he had whispered, “don’t leave me, please, you can’t.” You swore you saw a tear roll down his bruised cheek as your eyes fluttered closed.

Your eyes opened slowly, blinking in the harsh white light. A familiar sterile smell burned your nostrils. You felt like you were moving in slow motion as your hands ripped the oxygen mask from your face. You grappled with the multitude of tubes and wires that were attached to your body.

“Ease up turbo,” Tony’s deep laugh vibrated through the small room, “I’m not sure if they’re supposed to come off just yet.” He looked up casually from his seat next to you. He had dark bags under his eyes, the cuts on his face had been cleaned up and his bruises had almost completely healed. You sat up and tried to speak but all that came out was a breathy squeak, your mouth was dry and refused to co-operate. The corners of Tony’s mouth pulled into a soft smile. He poured you a glass of water and you gulped it down, water had never tasted so good, soothing your sandpaper throat.

“Thank you,” you whispered not looking at him, “what happened? Is Steve ok?” Tony sat back in his chair and explained what happened after you were hit. Steve had taken out the militants while Tony blew the shack and their stash of weapons into next year.

“My god (Y/N), you gave me such a scare,” Tony’s voice cracked, you looked up to see his big chocolate eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He reached out to take your hand but you snatched it away.

“Cut the crap, Tony. If you cared about me so much you wouldn’t have kissed that reporter at the party.” You voice wavered.

“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions, sweetheart,” you opened your mouth to protest but he continued on, “what you saw was her forcing herself onto me. You didn’t see me rejecting her advances all night because the only girl I wanted was you.” He took a deep breath, “It’s always been you damn it. Since the first day I saw you, I knew you were something special, I just never thought that you would, we’d both, you know?” He stuttered, looking at you hopefully, tracks of rogue tears staining his cheeks.

“Oh Tone,” you brushed your thumb along his cheek and he leant into your touch, tears falling from both of your eyes now. He brushed a stray piece of hair behind your ear, his hand coming to rest on the back of your neck. He gently pulled you closer, your noses brushing.

“It’s always been you too, Tony” you whispered breathlessly before tentatively pressing your lips to his. Tony pulled you impossibly closer and you wound your fingers into his hair, moaning as his tongue swept across your bottom lip. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, relishing in the way you tasted. Someone cleared their throat loudly, tearing you and Tony from your blissful moment.

“I, ah, sorry but the heart rate monitor spiked and I, um, I came to check on you but I can see that you’re fine,” Steve rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, red creeping up his cheeks. “It’s about time.” He added quickly before fleeing the room.

“Well,” Tony laughed, kissing your forehead, “We sure gave him a show.”

“I think we’ve scarred him for life,” you say, taking Tony’s hands in yours. “But it was worth it.”

“It sure was,” He pulled you back in for another kiss and in that moment you know that everything was going to be just fine.

To ever ever after

Forever could even start today

Ever ever after

Maybe it's just one wish away

Your ever ever after

#marvel imagine #tony stark x reader #tony stark #tony stark x Avenger! reader #imagine #angst #fluffy ending #avengers #marvel #tony stark imagine #fanfic #tony stark marvel #ever ever after

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rookie-dm-disasters · 3 years

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Chapter 6: Wedding Bells

Nariel’s eyes slowly opened to an all too familiar scene. She laid in her old bed in her old room, the white and green walls around her. Her bookshelf in the corner, the cabinet she kept weapons in, and her writing desk were all as she had left them. She had been gone for a few weeks, and she found it oddly reassuring that her parents didn’t feel a need to change everything in her room. She was still wearing the clothes she was wearing when she went to sleep at the Dusty Dunes. She sat up from her bed and saw her mother, Queen Lorien Golden-leaf, was sitting at the foot of the bed, her back facing Nariel. As Nariel shifted, she saw her mother’s ears twitch in response to the sound she was making. Queen Lorien quickly stood up and turned to face the princess sitting up in bed. Her eyes were bright as always, proud as any wood elf could be. She wore a bright smile that could liven any room. Nariel was always put off by the smile. When she was a child, she would love her mother’s smiling face, but as she got older, she grew to realize that it was a mask she wore. She could never tell if her mother was smiling out of true joy or attempting to hide some malicious intent. But the smile she was seeing now was a poor mask. A mask that had malicious intent written all over it. “Oh, my little leafling, it is so wonderful to have you home.” Said the queen. Her voice was sweet and airy. She sounded sincere, as if she had truly missed her daughter, but Nariel was still cautious. “Mother, what am I doing back here?” Nariel said. “No need to worry about that now.” The queen said, waving away the question like it was a fly in the air. “You need to hurry up and get dressed for your big day.” Nariel shook her head and rubbed her face with a groan. “Can you just give me a straight answer for once? You and father gave me a choice. I could either stay and be princess or go out and be an adventurer.” “Yes, yes, and now that you got to do that, I do hope you have that out of your system now. You can finally get back to your royal duties.” “Father said that if I left, he didn’t have a daughter.” Nariel’s father was a great leader, but fiercely strict. She had figured that once she left the kingdom, she would never be allowed back in, let alone kidnapped back in. She left with full intentions of leaving this life behind her. But now, suddenly, her family wants her back. It didn’t add up. The queen’s face, for the first time Nariel could recall, became stern. Firm as a rock and deadly serious. “Circumstances have changed, my leafling. Your father is dying.” The words hit Nariel like a boulder. He was fine a few weeks ago. How could he possibly be dying? “What happened to him? Was he injured?” “No. I’m afraid it is nothing so trivial as a flesh wound.” She sat back down on the bed with a sigh. “He has fallen ill. His strength leaves him day after day. We don’t know how long he will last. It could be weeks. It could be months.” “Why would an illness be a problem? Can’t our druids heal him?” “You think we haven’t tried that? The druids have never seen a sickness like this. No matter what they try, they cannot seem to remedy the problem. They have tried spells, enchantments, potions. Nothing is working.” Nariel sat in silence for a moment. She hadn’t known anything that the high druids of her kingdom could not fix. No matter what injury or sickness she ever had, they were able to fix within moments. What could possibly have happened that even these great healers could do nothing? After a moment, Nariel spoke again. “So, what does this have to do with me?” Lorien shook her head. “Don’t you see? It’s no longer a question of if you want to be princess or not. It is that you need to be queen. You, as our only child are next in line for the throne.” Nariel felt her world crashing in around her. She had thought, briefly, that she was finally free to do as she wanted, but now she was obligated to stay and fulfill her duties. “And if I refuse?” The queen’s eyes shot wide open. “You cannot refuse. We must always have a king and queen in this kingdom. It has been tradition for eons. You cannot break this tradition.” “What’s the worst that could happen?” “No one fully knows. I’m afraid that knowledge has been lost to time. But it is said that if ever there is not a king and queen ruling over the Golden Kingdom, great danger and misfortune shall befall us all.” Nariel could hardly believe that. Most traditions existed for an arbitrary reason that never amounted to much. She didn’t see how this could be any different. She didn’t see why an ancient doctrine should dictate her life. “I don’t believe that, mother. I’m leaving.” “No, you are not. We have already arranged a wedding for you today. You shall wed the man who shall be by your side as you rule, and you will ascend to the throne, and you will fulfill your duties to your kingdom.” Her voice rose as she spoke. By the end she was yelling. With a deep breath the queen composed herself and began to wear her smile again. “Now, get dressed so we can get you ready for your wedding.” It was hard for Nariel to confront her mother like this. She had never even seen her act like this. She was usually so calm and composed. It would probably be best not to anger her now and play along. She did not plan on going through with the wedding or ascend the throne. She would bide her time and wait for her chance to escape. She used to sneak out of the castle all the time. Surely, she could do it again. For now, she got out of bed and stood up. Her mother looked at her, wearing a smile but anger filled her eyes. “Now,” Said the queen. “Go see your father, I’m sure he will want to speak with you.” Nariel rushed out of her room and made her way through the pristine walls of the palace, making her way to the throne room. The king may be sick, but that wouldn’t stop his stubbornness. Regardless of how he felt, he would sit at the throne and rule his kingdom no matter what befell him. Nariel swung open the doors to the throne room. Guards lined the walls and a druid stood on either end of the thrones. Sitting in the middle of three thrones, was King Ionan Golden-Leaf. It was nothing like how Nariel remembered him. His eyes were sunken, his skin was ash white, and he was riddled with dark spots across his face. Upon her entrance, Ionan lifted his head slightly, mouth curved into a subtle grin as he rested his chin on his fist. “Daughter” he said slowly, drawing out each syllable. “Good to see that you have returned home.” Nariel stepped forward slowly. “Father, I-“ “I’m sure you wish to meet your groom, yes? He should be here momentarily. Very charming young man. His father owns many taverns within the city, and he has an amazing mind for finances. He will do quite well in assisting you in your queenly duties.” Nariel shook her head. “I don’t want to marr-“ “Speaking of, why aren’t you dressed yet? It is a big day. You must begin making preparations.” “Father, would you listen to m-“ Ionan slammed his hands on the armrests of the throne. “You will listen to me, daughter.” He rose and began pacing towards her as he spoke, as if stalking prey. “You don’t seem to understand. You have a responsibility to this kingdom. Without the monarch, there is no Golden Kingdom.” The distance between them was closed, now standing face to face. “And why is that the case?” Nariel said, attempting to keep her voice in control. “It is tradition, as I’m sure your mother has mentioned. There has always been a king and queen in place to serve the people. I will not allow that tradition to die with me.” “I am not giving up my life for some archaic tradition.” Ionan chuckled and walked back to his throne. “You make the mistake of thinking your life is your own. It is not. Your life is in service to the kingdom. To your people. Your life is not yours, as my life is not mine. Like it or not, we have a responsibility, and it is time you stop acting like a spoiled brat and own that responsibility.” Nariel’s face began turning red. She was at a loss for words and unable to think of a retort. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. “Enter!” the king said. The throne room doors swung open once again to reveal a young elf wearing all white leather armor, engraved with vines. He wore a rapier at the back of his waist and over his heart, he wore a glass rose. “Greetings King Ionan.” Said the stranger with a flourish of his arms. “Ah, is this my beloved bride to be?” He approached Nariel and fell to one knee, taking her hand in his. “I see she is already quite the blushing bride, no?” Nariel’s already red face, somehow, became more red. “My dear,” The man continued, “I do not think there is a single thing that I do not like about you.” He winked as he finished. Nariel shook his hand away and quickly ran to her own throne, never thinking that it would be a place she would go to for safety. “Father” She whispered. “Who is he?” “This,” Said Ionan, “Is Willow Sorber.” At the introduction, Willow bowed with a flourish. “At your service.” Nariel found him detestable. Even from the throne, she could smell the various perfumes wafting from him. He gave off an air of arrogance that made her sick to her stomach. And to top it all off, he was far too smothering. Before she had the opportunity to voice her concerns, the doors to the throne room opened once more to reveal Queen Lorien entering the hall. The queen’s arms were stretched out as she walked in, a smile on her face. “Ah, Nariel, I see you have met your future king. Quite the looker, isn’t he?” She nodded to Willow, who gave a suave wink in return. After the brief exchange, Nariel left her seat to speak with her mother, while Willow made his way to the throne to talk to the king, out of earshot of the queen and princess. The queen continued, “He will be a fantastic right hand for you. His knowledge of the finances of the kingdom will serve you well.” Nariel stared at her mother with wide eyes. “Mother, could it not be.” She paused for a quick glance at willow. “Anyone else?” She laughed and said, “My dear, he is a fine young man. Charismatic, smart, he even plays music. He is a fantastic candidate.” “Mother, I really don’t want to marry him.” Queen Lorien held up a hand to silence her daughter. However, her hand began to glow a faint green and she muttered a quick incantation. As soon as it started, her hand was no longer glowing. Nariel’s eyes glazed over. An air of calm was about her now. All the confusion and anger she had just been feeling suddenly left her body. She had known that her mother just cast a spell on her to calm her emotions, but the spell had made her too apathetic to even care about that. “Good.” Said the queen. “Now, let’s get you in your dress and prepare for the wedding.” Nariel softly nodded, her head barely even dipping. “Yes, mother.” Her voice sounded hollow. Like she was asleep, almost. “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll end the spell before the ceremony. Even I wouldn’t go that far.” “Thank you, mother.” “Of course, dear.” The two women left the throne room together to prepare Nariel for the wedding. Back at the throne itself, Willow was conversing with king Ionan. Willow was somewhat leaning against the throne and said, “I’m sorry, my lord, I haven’t been paying very good attention to it lately. Have there been any executions at the waterfall recently?” The king looked up at Willow, one eyebrow slightly raised. “Why do you ask? You do understand that Nariel will oversee all executions, correct?” Willow paced away. “Yes, I know that. I suppose I was just hoping to learn what is at the bottom of the falls behind the castle.” Willow was of course referring to the great waterfall behind the castle that fell over a large cliff. The falls were made of two rivers that converge behind the castle. The water itself came from the walls of the city at the front gate, which were enchanted by druids to produce clean drinking water. When someone within the city committed a terrible crime, they would be thrown over the waterfall as an execution. However, since none in the golden kingdom ever leave the mountain, none had ever gone to the bottom of the cliff to discover where the water led. The king shook his head and said, “I would tell you what is at the bottom if I could. Unfortunately, I don’t know. The knowledge of who enchanted the walls to produce water and created the falls are a mystery. It happened eons ago and that knowledge has been lost to time, I’m afraid.” Willow held his chin in his hand. “Would it not be a good idea to send an expedition to discover what is down there?” “Not as wise as you may think. Whoever we send is most likely to discover the falls going into another river, and a pile of dead bodies. It is simply a waterfall. No need to overthink it.” “Perhaps you are right, sire.” Time passed as Nariel prepared for her wedding, and the king prepped Willow for his new role. At one point, Nariel had managed to break free of the spell her mother had placed on her. She took her earliest opportunity and attempted to escape again, only to find all possible exits had preemptively been closed off. She had accidentally cornered herself and her mother placed the spell on her yet again. Once all preparations had been made. The king, queen, Nariel, and Willow walked to the front door of the castle, surrounded by guards and druids. They had lined up in pairs of two and were prepared to exit the castle. From outside, they heard horns begin to play a triumphant tune, and as the doors to the castle swung open, the queen snapped her fingers to release Nariel from the spell. Nariel blinked a few times and realized where she was and what was happening. Panic quickly set in. She was surrounded by guards and no possible way to escape. She understood what her mother said now. Of course, I’ll release the spell before the ceremony. Because at that point, she wouldn’t need it. Of course her mother would pull this. There was no choice now. She began walking down the stairs of the castle to the city square, her eyes darting rapidly, her mind racing trying to think of any possible course of action. In her panic, she believed she was hallucinating. She thought she saw her new friends she met in Waterdeep, but that couldn’t be true, how could they have found her? How did they get in? She tried to blink the mirage from her eyes, but they were still there. She realized she wasn’t just seeing things, and saw that Pumpeck, the brave little knight, was riding a top a dog, waving energetically.

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