#kovus face

[thelittlespanielthatcould]

a spring in his step, a wag in his tail, and a smile on his face

#he always looks so happy because he always IS so happy #he acts exactly how he looks like he would act: very very sweet and good #joy is stored in the spaniel #kovus face #trails #kovu perfect #kovus greatest hits #kovus smile #ckcs #just a little guy

[disneyfanatic1993]

Studio Ghibli Reference

I hope at least one person gets the reference I’m making here, otherwise this will seem like a totally random piece of fanart…🤣

#disney #disney fanart #studio ghibli #studio ghibli fanart #spirited away #the lion king #the lion king 2 #the lion king ii: simba's pride #lion king 2 #lion king ii #kovu #lion king kovu #lilo and stitch #lilo pelekai #daveigh chase #jason marsden #soot sprites #no face

[doomspaniels]

Kovu: Best. Picture. Ever.

#kovu #ckcs #kovu — perfect #headwings #galumph #sidetongue #tail envy #that blurry tail #the faces #SpanielCon #birthday sleepover #joy is stored in the spaniel

[brobotsbro]

Devastating discovery. We just realized that if we had known our cat was pregnant, and had had time to plan names instead of coming up with names in a shocked afterthought, we could have named them after the Constructions and it would have been perfect 😭

Anyway now I'm renaming my cats (/j)

Meet:

Scrapper (previously known as Whitney)

Hook (previously known as Kovu)

Bonecrusher (previously known as Aslan)

Scavenger (previously known as Raphael)

Mixmaster (previously known as Bat aka Batthew)

Longhaul (previously known as Velcro, also something else probably. Current picture unavailable as he was the only kitty adopted out as a baby)

AND THEIR MOTHER, THE GREAT ONE, SHE FROM WHO ALL OTHERS CAME, ONCE KNOWN AS PATIENCE, NOW KNOWN AS

DEVASTATOR

#this is at least 50% an excuse to show off my babies #the other 50% is genuine regret at how cool this would have been #but fr im not about to change their names now. theyre almost 4 #my face is blurred out in 'mixmaster' bc I was making a dumb ass face #but its too good a picture of my boy to pass up #kovu whitney and obv Patience are the girls

[youngpettyqueen]

also realizing despite all my posting I havent actually talked much about what the senior staff of the Athena are like?? tragic. some short write ups under the cut so that people who are interested can have some basic idea of what these guys are like-

Captain Mamotha: Mamotha is Half-Romulan, Half-Human, and is one of the first Romulans to join Starfleet. she is also one of the youngest captains in Starfleet's history, getting her first command- the USS Athena- at age 26. Mamotha is incredibly ambitious and driven, quick as a whip and brilliant, but also short-tempered and desperate to prove herself. she's been reaching for the stars since she can remember, and since she can't reach them from the ground, she'll take a ship and fly to them

First Officer Commander Quincey Griffin: Quincey passes himself off as a Human male, but he's actually a Q. fairly young by Q standards, Quincey is curious about and inspired by mortals, and seeks to understand them better. he's bright and eager, but also naive and oftentimes reckless. he's gone through Starfleet and risen through the ranks the mortal way, eventually making a First Officer of himself under Mamotha.

Chief of Operations Commander Ruven Vahl: Ruven is an experienced and respected officer, who has served Starfleet for many years. as a Trill, he's usually been a family man in his previous lifetimes, Ruven has had to spend much of this lifetime in various wars, the last being the Dominion War. his parental instincts have carried over, and he's very wise, but he tends to be a bit overbearing. he wants a family, but at his age, he wonders if it's maybe too late

Chief Medical Officer Doctor Tarea Ellok: Tarea came up as a doctor during the Occupation of Bajor, and was a Cardassian defector who fled to Bajor to assist them as a rebel. she was captured and detained for years by the Cardassian government, before being released and exiled after the Occupation ended. she took her skills to Starfleet, and became one of the first Cardassians to join their ranks. haunted by her past, she struggles with making connections. but she's very compassionate, with a fierce sense of justice. bringing her younger brother, Zeros, with her to the Athena, Tarea hopes this will be a new start for them both

Chief Science Officer Commander Pan Belrose: Pan has wanted to be a Starfleet scientist since they were very young, and now they're living their lifelong dream. Pan is full of hope and determined, and you'd be hard pressed to find a harder worker, but they're also pretty distant from people, and struggle with insecurity. Pan is autistic, and proud of this. them and Mamotha came up through the academy together and are best friends- Mamotha insisted they be her Chief Science Officer

Chief of Security Lieutenant Keyara Drok: Keyara is a legacy child, both her parents having been Starfleet. but her parents were killed when she was very young, leading to her being taken in by friends of theirs- a Klingon couple. Keyara is extremely loyal and bold, but overprotective and quick to aggression. she always cut a strange figure, a Betazoid among Klingons, but she's as Klingon as any of them. she's particularly overprotective of her younger brother- Counsellor Bewroth

Ship's Counsellor Counsellor Bewroth: Bewroth was a respected war hero in the Klingon Empire, who joined Starfleet after he was severely injured in battle and had to retire from combat. his legs are biosynthetic prosthetics, and he uses a walker in his day to day life. he's courageous and passionate, but struggles with his own reputation, and socializing beyond work. he's soft, for a Klingon, and he takes prides in this. he joined Starfleet to make the example that Starfleet is good and honourable, and to assist other traumatized, disabled veterans like himself, and to keep an eye on his big sister- Lieutenant Keyara Drok

Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Larro: Larro was inspired to join Starfleet by her older sister, T'Strei. she was recently promoted, with the Athena being the first ship she's Chief Engineer for. she's eager to prove herself and endlessly curious, but she overestimates her own abilities, and has a hard time seeing past Vulcan logic when it comes to trying to make connections with her peers. as much as she was inspired by her sister, she also wants to step out from under her shadow, and prove she's something great, too

Helmsman Lieutenant Kovu Nalime: Kovu grew up in the Occupation of Bajor, and was a very young fighter in the Bajoran resistance the last few years of it. and then, only years later, she found herself in the Dominion War as a Starfleet cadet. Kovu is compassionate and fierce, but also suspicious and unable to relax. having spent most of her life at war, all she wants now is peace, but she can't stop looking over her shoulder, always preparing for the next fight

Navigator Ensign Wilos: Wilos is the odd one out, as he's not technically Starfleet, even though he wears the uniform. it was given to him as a courtesy- Wilos was sent to join the Athena's mission by the Changelings, as a symbol of good will towards Starfleet. Wilos didn't participate in the war himself, but he holds memories of his previous clones fighting in it, and it leaves him with a lot of conflicting emotions. being the first Vorta to truly work with Starfleet, Wilos is unsure of himself and insecure, but he's also curious, and eager to learn. he isn't sure what his place is, but he wants to find it, here among the stars

#queens originals #star trek oc #uss athena #mamotha #quincey griffin #ruven vahl #tarea ellok #pan belrose #keyara drok #bewroth #larro #kovu nalime #wilos #theyre an interesting group #lots of fresh faces and some with a lot more experience #I wanted a wide array of different species #but the main thing is the various ages and experiences #where even if some characters are close in age #they have very different experiences #though all of them did fight in the Dominion War #this story takes place not long after the events of DS9 #so its pretty fresh in everyone's heads #anyways yes! these are The Guys

[saffronwritesstuff]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐎𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐲

Summary: When your slight gift of prophesy shows you an ugly future you’re faced with an impossible choice;kill the man you love or watch your world burn. Which will you choose?

Pairing: Luke Castellan x Apollo!Reader (gn! I think)

W/C: 3.12k

Genre: Fluff + Angst

Warnings: blood? A little violence✨ Luke might be ooc. Lack of capitalization.

A/N: HI EVERYONE! Welcome to my debut fic! I hope you all like it! Please lmk your thoughts if you don’t mind! I’d love to know how I did🫶

As a child of Apollo you’d been both blessed,and cursed, with the gift to see a few minutes,hours,days or weeks into a person’s future just by touching them .you never knew which it was,just that it was their future. And from an early age,you'd learned to keep it a secret from your peers,claiming that you knew the questions on the pop quiz only because you'd done them on some quiz website and such. But the moment you'd come to Camp Half Blood and been claimed by the God of prophecy himself,it’d been harder to conceal your ability.Especially when the futures you'd seen weren’t particularly pleasant. There’d been multiple occasions where you’d bump shoulders with an unsuspecting ares kid only to see yourself and your team getting your asses absolutely hands to you in capture the flag.But Luckily you hadn’t seen anything life threatening yet.No deaths,No fatal injuries.Just Little (not so) Fun Facts About The Future.

But all your secret keeping had come to an end the moment you'd met Luke Castellan. Both you and the brown (blue) eyed son of Hermes had come to camp at around the same time and while spending time in the Hermes cabin,waiting to be claimed,you’d forged a strong friendship.Both you and he had come from similar backgrounds,what with your mother being a raging alchoholic and his being schizophrenic. You bonded over the experiences of having an unreliable parental figure and having to raise youselves.However the way in which your stories diverged was that while he ran away from home,you’d been kicked out for being a ‘leach on your mother’s resources’ you’d gladly left and although you struggled to survive alone,you had found your way to Camp with the help of a satyr who also became your close friend.

The day you’d been claimed was both the worst and best day of your life,You’d hit a bullseye on a moving target on your first try during archery practice and Luke has pointed to the glowing lyre floating above your head.The other kids of the Apollo cabin who’d been close enough to witness the event ran over to hug you and welcome you to your,rather extensive,family.You’d Moved your things the very same night and while you now spent a little more time with your half-siblings,you and Luke still spent your free time together,you shared your dreams and aspirations witrh each other,his being to go on a quest to prove himself to his father,Hermes, and yours being to be a world class archer.As weeks became months and months became years,the two of you grew closer and closer.

He eventually confessed to you after you’d just beaten him in one of your sparring sessions. At first you thought he was joking,but the longer you watched the look of slight hope in his eyes,you knew it wasn’t in fact a joke.You dropped your sword and helped him up,all the while watching as he seemed to deflate at the fact that you’d blatantly ignored his confession.You turned to leave and just when Luke has started making his way after you,you tackled him to the ground and kissed him saying, “look ya long enough scar”

you’d started calling him by that particular nickname after you’d both watched the lion king 2 together. You had remarked how you found kovu’s scar kinda hot. At the time he’d asked you if you found him hot for his scar and you merely shrugged it off,hitting him with the remote and it’d just become a sort of an inside joke. But you were the only one he ever let bring up the little trophy he’d earned on his quest,anyone else who even tried to comment on his scar only ever got a glare,which said enough about how he felt about it.

After you accepted his confession the two of you basically became the power couple of the camp,the best swordsman and the best archer,a deadly combo on the field and an adorable couple on the daily.

But the day a kid called percy Jackson had come to camp,you’d begun to see a subtle change in Luke’s behavior. Sure,to the untrained and unassuming eye,he seemed to be himself,just plain ‘ol friendly Hermes cabin counsellor Luke Castellan.But you noticed how he seemed to be just a little more jumpy,a little…scared? You were worried to say the least,but you didn’t really say anything.Your mind went to your ability…could you use it to see what was bothered him? “no…seeing his future probably wont tell me jack…” you’d told yourself while sitting in your usual spot under a tree near the strawberry fields.You were re-reading your copy of the odyssey,a present from Luke for your 1 year anniversary,how he’d gotten it,well you didn’t need to know. As you waited for him,the seconds turned to minutes and the sun had begun to set.Tonight was capture the flag and you figured he was just telling the new kid how it was all going to go down. So, closing your book you walked back to your cabin to get ready.

After you were fully decked out in your armor,you headed down to the pavilion and took your place beside Luke,ruffling Annabeth’s hair and saying hello to Percy in the process.Luke bent down to give you a kiss on the cheek,causing you to turn a slight shade of red, before placing his arm around your waist and pulling you closer. Thank the gods the Apollo and Hermes cabins had allied themselves with eachother this time,you hated having to fight against Luke although that didn’t mean you held back when you found him to be your opponent. As Chiron was explaining the rules you looked over to Percy, he looked a little nervous and you reassured him that he might not get that badly hurt,though you could make no promises. The game started and you and Luke took off in the direction of what you thought was the Ares flag. You wove through the forest,trying not to make a sound. And when you finally found the flag you silently disarmed the flag bearer using an arrow while Luke rushed in to grab the flag.You hi-fived eachother and sprinted back in the direction of friendly territory. As you followed luke,you were suddenly tackled by a burly Hephaestus kid.Luke turned to defend you but you stopped him. “GO! I’ll be fine!” He hesitated but nodded and kept on running. Jumping to your feet you pulled out your dagger and expertly fought your opponent,using your ability and hoping on your father that it showed you the kid’s upcoming moves and not his future life.Luckily,it worked and you were able to predict his attacks and push him to the ground. You silently thanked your father before turning and running in the direction in which you’d seen Luke go.

Upon your arrival you heard your team’s ruckus cheers. You all celebrated and when you turned to Luke to give him a sweet victory kiss,you were stopped by a loud howl ripping through the sounds of celebration . And suddenly,you were all firing arrows at a hellhound. “How’d that get in here!” you called over to your half-siblings who all shrugged and kept firing arrow after arrow. Eventually the hound fell dead but Percy was badly wounded,Luke was at his side in an instant and with him so were you. You watched as percy stepped back into the creek and his wounds just vanished. “there’s no way…” you said,your voice trailing off. You looked over to your boyfriend to see him looking just as surprised as you felt, “looks like there is.” He said. And when you turned back over to percy,sure enough there was a smokey green trident floating above his head. Chiron came forward and said aloud what you had all been suspecting,after which you all knelt before Percy Jackson;the Son of Poseidon.

After that day Luke seemed to be overly nervous.he fidgeted more and his mind drifted off more often,sure these were signs of his ADHD,hell you had them too,but something felt wrong.

When Percy,Annabeth and Grover got sent on their quest you and Luke sent them off,him giving Percy the winged converse his dad had given him,and you some extra mortal cash for their journey. You then sent them off with wishes of good luck and safe travels .

After that your lives just went back to normal.

One day,while under the tree in your regular spot,your head resting on Luke’s shoulder,you asked him the question that’d been running through your head for the past few days. “Hey Luke?” you began, he hummed in acknowledgement and you took it as your sign to go ahead. “has anything been bothering you lately?you've been kinda scattered…more than usual actually” at this he suddenly went stiff before relaxing and replying, “just stressed these days love,that’s it”

“wanna talk about it? You know I’m here for you if you need to talk right?”

“I know…it’s just that…ive been having nightmares again”

You sat up straight at this and looked him in the eye,concern painted all over your face

“again?? When did it start? What are they about? Are you okay? Are you in danger? Can I help???” you let the stream of questions leave your lips before you even had a second to process them.

He let out a little laugh,a sad look suddenly coming over his eyes. “don’t worry y/n,nothing I can't handle. '' he joked,squeezing your hand. You weren’t buying it.

“Come on Luke.you can tell me…” you cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes,searching for a clearer reason for his pain.

He placed his hand over yours and leaned into your touch,kissing your palm.

He sighed,“can we talk about this later? Please? ” he sounded pained but you gave him the space he needed. You trusted Luke with your life;you trusted him to tell you the truth “sure” you said.

When he was ready,you’d be there for him not matter what.

A few days later when you were sparring together he got an iris message from Annabeth,Percy and Grover, he accepted and you both said hi to the trio of kids they told him of their adventures and how they knew who the lightning thief was. At the sudden mention of that last fact,you saw him go slightly pale.Not much,but you noticed. You stayed silent watching their exchange,and when percy said it was Ares,Luke visibly deflated. ‘no…’ was all you could think. There was no way Luke had anything to do with Zeus’ Master-bolt going missing…you simply refused to believe it. Suddenly you couldn’t breathe and your head was spinning. It was suddenly hard to breathe and that’s when you noticed Luke was at your side,his hand on you back propping you up and asking you to lie down,asking you if you were okay and what happened.You just rushed to wrap your arms around him .You held onto him for dear life and started sobbing.he hugged you back but pulled away when he noticed you were crying. “hey..hey are you okay?? What happened? What did I say?” and for the first time you did it. You used your ability on Luke and what you saw confirmed your suspicions.

You saw him setting a pit scorpion on Percy. Admitting to stealing the bolt,admitting to summoning the hellhound.you saw him leaving Camp Half-Blood behind.You saw it all.

In that moment you knew that you should let him go. Push him away and kill him for being such a traitor not only to you but to the entirety of camp. But you just held him closer,tighter,impossibly so. You didn’t want to believe it.Your Luke,the only true family you had other than your Apollo siblings. The man you loved,was a traitor. But you said nothing. You put on a brave face and spent the next days with him as though nothing was wrong.you

You savoured the next few days,went on picnics,sparred together and when he inevitably asked you if you were okay, you just told him you hadn’t slept well.He dropped the subject pretty quickly. And when the night of his betrayal came,you were ready. You left your siblings to practice and made your way to where you knew he’d try to leave from. And sure enough he came running out of the forest with a sword different to the ones you'd seen in the armoury and the forges. This one was two-toned,one side seeming to be steel and the other the celestial bronze you knew well. The moment Luke saw you he looked almost relieved,but when he saw the arrow you had drawn,his smile quickly faded. “y/n,” he chuckled, “wha-what are you doing?” you kept a straight face,tears beginning to well up in your eyes.

“how could you luke! How could you betray us! Betray me?!” you choked through your tears and his face went completely blank.

“you don’t want to do this y/n..just put the arrow down and we can talk about this”

“like hell we can! I’m not letting you set a pit scorpion on me too!”

He looked almost hurt as you said those last words but he just sheathed his sword and held his hand out for you to take.

“come on y/n.do you really want to be a slave to the gods forever? They don’t even care about us.Join me.Join me, and Kronos will let us rule the new world together.we can make our parents pay for abandoning us,we can get justice”

You looked at his outstretched hand,it looked so tempting .You wanted nothing more than to drop your weapons and run to him. To say yes and rule the world with him.You didn’t care about the gods and about this world,all it had ever done was hurt you and you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t want to see Olympus burn sometimes,but you caught yourself . Just as you began lowering your bow,you remembered your siblings.your friends at camp.what would happen to them? Would they just be casualties to him? Would Luke spare them on your request?

You were many things but a traitor was not one them.

You dropped your bow to which luke smiled and made his way to you. He wrapped you in a warm hug and for a second you felt like everything was good in the world. You hugged him back,tight. “I love you” you said, giving him a teary kiss,which he returned.

Then,as quick as you could you unsheathed your dagger and stabbed him.

he grunted in pain as he was hit with the sudden realization of what you’d done. He staggered back,blood beginning to stain his shirt. You began to cry out. You didn’t want to do this. It felt like you'd been stabbed yourself and that’s when you looked down to see he was holding out his blade as well,and it’d cut you in your side,deeper than you’d gotten him.You fell to your knees and when you lifted your head,he was gone.You lay there on the grass,bleeding and crying.you shouted for help as loud as you could before your vision grew blurry and you passed out.

When you woke up you were met with the sight of the infirmary’s ceiling.

You tried to sit up but the searing pain in your side kept you down. You groaned in pain before turning your head to the patient in the bed next to you. It was Percy and he was passed out cold.

All you could manage was a strained,“Percy…” before a firm hand held you down.

“Rest.” You heard the familiar voice of one of your half-brothers,Tom.

“What happened?” you whispered out,but it was just loud enough.

“Luke happened. He set a pit scorpion on Percy and then he stabbed you” he said softly. He must have known how it’d affect you.

At this information you began to tear up again. “so it wasn’t just a bad nightmare?” you asked. Tom sighed before replying. “unfortunately not…” he squeezed your hand and asked you to rest.

You fell back asleep sobbing.

In your dreams you found yourself standing in a shallow pool of water,luke was standin in the distance and you,without thinking,just ran to him. You wrapped him in a hug and he did the same. You looked up to him with tear stained cheeks and teary eyes and kissed him. “Im sorry” you choked out.

He kissed you back before placing another kiss to the top of your head. “I know y/n…I am too”

“Will I ever see you again?”

“yes…”

“but we’ll be on,”

“on opposing sides…yeah”

you both sighed and just stood there,holding each other.

“Then this is goodbye isn’t it” you said this time more clearly,you were finally beginning to believe how real this all was.

“it is…good bye y/n. oh and, I love you,please rememeber that.”

you nodded and with that your dream faded to black and you woke in the infirmary once again.

Everything had changed so fast,but the one thing you were sure of was simple. There was a war coming. And you had to be ready to fight the love of your life.

You had to kill Luke castellan.

#🌾saffron writes #percy jackson #pjo #percy pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #luke castellan x apollo!reader #luke castellan x you

[drakaripykiros130ac]

The book version of Alicent Hightower had an actual spine. She was ruthless, cunning, she knew what she was doing, she was not sorry and she was ready to face the consequences.

Media today is so obsessed with promoting strong female characters on screen. So why wasn’t Alicent portrayed exactly as GRRM wanted her to be? What’s the point of going for a meek and whinny version who does nothing but complain about the consequences of her own actions?

So far, what the TV version of Alicent Hightower has shown is that she seems to have Paranoid Personality Disorder, Illusory Superiority and she also suffers from memory loss (since in episode 6, she was practically signing Zira’s lullaby to Kovu/Aegon like “One day when you’re big and strong, you will be a king.”, and then in episode 9, she has no recollection of plotting to put her son on the throne).

If this was the showrunners’ attempt at trying to make her “likable”, “approachable” or “relatable”, they seriously need to rethink their strategy.

#anti alicent hightower #anti team green #anti team green stans #anti greens #anti hotd #anti house of the dragon #asoiaf #canon asoiaf #fire and blood

[angelltheninth]

Kingmaker

Pairing: Leona Kingscholar x Fem!Reader

Tags: nsfw, smut, rough oral, scratching, biting, overstimulation, clit stimulation, throne sex, semi-public sex, rough sex, dirty talk, degradation and name-calling, porn without plot, submissive Reader, Leona is rough but also with a hint of sweetness

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: By now I don't think it's a secret that I love Leona to bits. I'm not gonna lie I lowkey hope he sounds similar to Kovu in the eng dub, don't judge me. The prompt for this one was 'power imbalance' with Leona. For more of my 5k event fics you can go to my wholesome version or to me darker version of the lists.

You'd heard stories of the ruthless King Leona. When you first came into the throne room and he'd ordered everyone to leave, you could definitely see the hint of that sharp nature of his. But his face, his eyes, they weren't cruel, they were hungry.

When he told you to step closer, you found yourself mesmerized by his voice, they way he sat on his throne, his vest open and showing his abs, his biceps, his head casually leaning on his hand, "Come closer, let me have a good look my new handmaiden." Even his voice was enticing.

The only thing that was ruthless about him was the pace at which his mouth and tongue currently worked between your legs.

"Put your legs on my shoulders beautiful, let me really get in there." His voice vibrated though you, hands tangled in his wild mane of hair, his sharp nails digging into the soft flesh of your thighs.

"My-my King! We shouldn't be doing this." You most definitely should be getting pleasure from your King's tongue probing and prodding your inner walls. You shouldn't lift your legs on his shoulders and bring him closer to you. You shouldn't be sitting on his throne, moaning as loudly as you were.

"Says who? Certainly not me. And is my word not law to you?" Your voice faltered before you could respond properly, trailing into a wonton whimper as he moved his head back and forth between your legs, "Tell me to stop then. Say you don't me to make you come and I'll stop. Do you want me to stop?"

At the very thought of him stopping now that you were so close your body revolted. Your thighs pressed tight around his head, "...No. Please don't stop, not yet." Heat flushed down your cheeks, the embarrassment only adding to the high pitch of your voice.

That fact only seemed to add to Leona's resolve, "Here I thought you were supposed to serve me, and here you are, panties on the floor, your bra tossed aside, your beautiful face hot with lust and shame, and loving every fucking second of your King taking what's his. Tell you what sweetheart, if you can come for me right now, I won't just make you my handmaiden, I'll make you my personal slut. I'll fuck you every night. Would you like that sweetheart?"

You could see it clearly in your head. Helping Leona with his daily duties during the day, and falling naked into his bed at night. Having to sneak around to not get caught, hiding the marks he leaves in you, yet relishing in them. Screaming his name in the safety of his bedroom while keeping your voice low whenever you have sex during the day, his hand over your mouth to help muffle your whimpers, his mouth hungry on yours before he lets you scream your pleasure out.

There was no holding back your orgasm, your hand clamping over your mouth, tears running down your face from the overstimulation you were experiencing at his hands.

"Good girl." His mischievous look sends further shivers down your spine, or maybe it was his tongue, still slick from you, licking up to your throbbing, pulsing clit, tapping and circling your the stiff bundle of nerves, "You'll keep my bed, and my cock, nice and warm from now."

You whimpered as he licked your clit again, this time pushing his head away, "Too much."

"What was that? Too much?" Leona leans his chin on your inner thigh spreading your slick as he gives you the cockiest grin you've ever seen before turning his head, his fangs scraping over your skin, "That won't do at all." You hissed in pain, Leona's fangs pressing into your thigh leaving behind a not at all subtle bite mark, "I see you need a little bit of stamina training."

"T-Training? What do you mean?" Leona rose from between your legs, pushing you further back, slotting his hips between your legs.

"I think you're smart enough to guess." His hand unbuckled his belt, undoing it just enough so he can slide his pants and underwear below his ass. Your eyes locked on the tip of his cock, a bead of thick cum pearling at the very top. "And I think, judging by that orgasm, that you're more than ready for my cock. You better hold on to me okay? Because I'm not gonna be gentle."

You gulp but despite his words find yourself drawing him closer and closer until you can comfortable wrap your arms around his shoulders. His lips move over your neck, slow and hot, unlike his cock which he pushes in all in one go.

The stretch wasn't that painful due to your arousal, plus the slick made it easier for him to move, to back up until only his tip is left in you. You only had but a taste of him, but your pussy already wants more, clinging onto his cock and wanting to draw him in deep once more.

Leona's hands held your hips still as he bottomed out again, "You're a little tight. Haven't had a cock like mine before huh? I'll make sure you get used to it soon. Just relax for me."

"I'm sorry." You apologized on instinct, eyes shutting tight.

"No need for that." His next kiss was surprisingly gentle, as was his thrust, calculated and slow, drawing out a shaky sigh from your lips, loosening you up.

Every thrust came with the addition spark of pleasure. It wasn't long until Leona started to hammer his hips against yours.

"That my good slut. Taking it so well for me." A wanton moan tears from your throat as he presses closer to you, "You sound delightful when you're getting fucked. I'm going to have so much fun with you sweetheart."

Your walls tighten around his cock, your nails run down his arms, bracing around his forearms as you arch your back further into him, the swell of your breast pressing against his muscular chest.

"Gonna come? Look at me. Look at your King while come from his cock." Leona's pace doubled, grunting, his eyes locked on yours, hungry and wild.

Your cunt clenched around him, fast like a spark of lightning. His smile was downright smug. Knowing that he drove you to this state, made you spread your legs in his throne room, craving his cock, making you let go so completely, he couldn't hold back either. Not anymore.

His hands tightened on your shaking hips, his pace getting more forceful, desperate, and almost a blur as his full balls finally emptied his cum deep into your womb, filling you up until his cum dripped from you.

Cupping the back of your head he hugged your close, kissing away your tears.

"You did well, I'm so proud of you." He rolled his hips a few more times, getting the last drops of cum out before he pulled out, his eyes locked on your cunt, swollen and so full of his seed that it spilled onto the throne room floor. "Hmm, next time we do it here I gotta remember to bring a towel with me. But don't worry, it's not like anything's gonna happen to you because of this. Especially because you're mine now, no one's gonna dare to even look at you wrong."

"I-Thank you my King." Leona tilted his head before chuckling, and bringing you into a deep kiss. He still tasted like you.

"You're my new handmaiden. It's my job to make sure you're content as well." His smile as as bright as the sun, "Speaking off, we should go wash up. Make sure you don't let too much of my cum drip down your thighs too much." The growl in his voice sent another bolt of arousal coursing through your body.

"Yes, my King." You had a feeling you'd be speaking those words a lot more in the future.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar #leona x reader #leona kingscholar x reader #leona twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar twisted wonderland #leona kingscholar smut #twisted wonderland smut #twst smut #twst x reader #twst imagines #twst leona

[peachhoneii]

If Cain exists and is a son of Lucifer, can you imagine his trial for killing Abel? It doesn’t need to be a trial. Just the moment Heaven decides he’s banished:

Deception…Disgraaaace…Evil as plain as the blush on his face.

Born in grief…raised in hate…helpless to defy his fate…

Let him run…let him live…BUT DO NOT FORGET WHAT WE CANNOT FORGIVE.

HE IS NOT ONE OF US. HE HAS NEVER BEEN ONE OF US.

Lucifer may witness all of this at a distance, unable to comfort or help his child. Because we know Heaven won’t let Cain into Hell. Nephilim weren’t seen in a positive light in The Bible anyways.

That adds on to his own smothering protectiveness of Charlie. Heaven already took a child from him and made it impossible for that child to return home. Cruel mercy indeed and plus Cain got marked.

Seeing what Hazbin is doing with Christian mythology, I can totally see Abel’s murder being a murder but having additional context/being complicated af/also neither knew what murder was.

Not justifying fratricide. Just saying it’s messy.

Gotta thank my friends for the idea, “Cain got some Kovu problems.” And it’s like YEAH. He does.

Deceptioooon.

#hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar #charlie morningstar #lilith morningstar #eve hazbin hotel #i love the idea of lucifer’s bros sentencing his son to exile #even tho abel instantly forgave his brother #since neither knew what would happen #how could they know one would die #murder didn’t exist yet

[mask-of-prime]

V/T and Even More Tiifu

Was horribly artblocked from writing the plot for the remainder of VG's storyline and had been overcome with sudden Tiifu brainrot out of nowhere at the same time, so I did the only thing that was making me feel better: Ship Art.

You know how Kiara and Kovu are known for their strictly round Pridelander features vs strictly angular Outsider features respectively, or how Simba and Nala seem to contrast with square features and saturated, reddish color scheme vs neutral/greenish colors and smooth, slanted features? Vitani and Tiifu's physical gimmick seems to be contrasting body types lol. From the way I design their definitive adult models, Vitani is underweight with a broad upper body while Tiifu is overweight with narrow shoulders and a curvy lower body.

A revelation I've had the past few days is that I seem to have an easier time drawing round Pridelander characters with a tablet rather than a mouse. I normally just use a mouse at home and only just started getting properly used to drawing with a tablet provided at my school. I'd better start getting used to using a tablet, it's a required industry standard.

Another thing I seem to be experimenting with is this kinda xeroxed look that Silver Age Disney films once had, like that sketchy, barely-erased lineart.

Top left is referenced from this lovely cat picture sent to me, and the bottom right takes inspiration from those videos of people squishing animals' faces when getting really into petting them lol (like this for example)

Other illustrations include sketches of expressions Tiifu is least likely to show, a fullbody sketch showing her (lowkey medicine cat-like) hunting party healer attire, with a quadruped-accessible pouch crafted by none other than Makini.

Lastly, on the top right is a cold-ridden Vitani (this one is a visual I often get -- no matter what comfort character -- when I feel immensely stressed or upset. Thinking about it now and I'm wondering if a hurt/comfort visual like that might stem from the fact that I wish stress was visible like being sick was, and secretly wishing for that attention and babying if someone were to notice)

#The Lion King #The Lion Guard #TLK #TLG #Vitani #Tiifu #My Art

[thelittlespanielthatcould]

I wanted to take a picture with this thing framing him but somehow forgot how tiny he was. Luckily, you can still spot him, if you look for his little tongue!

#he's so small how is he so goddamn little and small im crying #kovu #ckcs #kovus face #joy is stored in the spaniel #trails #just a little guy #kovu --- perfect

[australet789]

TLK: Breaking Traditions

"But, Queen Kiara..."

"I said no!" The golden lioness tried to contain her rage, but a growl managed to escape her throat. "My cubs have barely started going outside the cave, you are not deciding what they should be training on!"

"But it is time!" Replied the mandrill. "You and yer brother also start' yer training at dis age-"

"And our cubhood was robbed! I didn't have a say in the matter, not Kion. He was forced to be a soldier, I'm not repeating the same mistakes with my cubs".

Rafiki snorted. "It was not mistake. You were ready. Such is tradition. Such is da word of Da Lions of Da Past..."

Glaring at the old mjuzi, Kiara rolled her eyes. "I don't care what they say. I'm the Queen. This is my last word".

Something snapped on the mandrill. "How dare ya disrespect da ancestors! It was yer grandfather Mufasa who decided you and Kovu were together in da first place!"

It was too late for Rafiki to realize what he has revealed. He only regretted it when he had the sharp teeth of the Queen next to his face.

"... What did you just say?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since The Roar is not a superpower in my lore, i needed to explain those "clouds" in the painting where Kovu explains what happened to Kion about the second movie. So those clouds are Mufasa blessing Kiara, although Rafiki hid something the deceased King only shared with him...

#the lion king #tlk #tlk fanart #fanart #illustration #kiara #rafiki #the lion guard #my art #pictures arts #lions #mandrill

[doomspaniels]

Kovu is the most precious creature on this planet and we must preserve him at all costs.

Outtake! Silly baby face!

Do you see how my dogs look at @thelittlespanielthatcould? Are you folks seeing this? On second thought, @thelittlespanielthatcould also needs to be protected at all costs along with Kovu.

#tristan #guinevere #cocker spaniel #kovu #ckcs #kovu — perfect #SpanielCon #sploot #outtakes #the faces

[valeskafics]

National Targaryens Family Vacation: Chapter Eighteen (Jace, Aegon, Aemond x Reader)

Summary: second to last chapter here, im crying, one more chapter (19) till the ending (20) :')

Word Count: 2,231

Inspiration Credit: @tinfairies

TW: profanity, innuendo, suggestive material, references to drug use, references to alcohol consumption

Tag List (comment if you wish to be added/removed) bold means I was unable to tag you: @chevelledahuman @smileykiddie08 @ticci-isaack @zephyrinethedruid @julessworldd @bytchis-world @fallingleaves678 @svftsunflower @dearsnow @naomishief-blog @zverea @softlyshifting @tinykryptonitewerewolf @jbaby2 @babyblue-chaos @bat-revival @illuzold @regulusblackismycomfortcharacter @multiharlow @scratchietella @crownofdecit @ladystardvsts @m1ndbrand @rainbow-unicorn-pony @pockeymcmockey @princessmiaelicia @givemeeverything @justanotherkpopstanlol @momochiiiiiiii @mmmimilan @polireader @xcharlottemikaelsonx @psycheflame @haven-is-happy @wonder-harley @elle4404 @vilia8 @candypurplebutterfly @dankfarrikdin @r1dd1kulus @its-halleys-comet @linevondensternen @jamespotterismydaddy @myspotofcraziness @hedahobbit98 @fandoms-unite123 @forgottenbynature @midnightrqin @jessica295 @mawofmeraxes @whymyparentscheckmyphone @not-a-glad-gladiator

By now, it’s around 5PM. While you and Aegon wait for your friends after getting off of Indiana Jones, and of course, making out a little more, you play a rousing rendition of everyone’s favorite game: Fuck/Marry/Kill.

“Uh,” you think for a second, “Cera, Ducky, and Grandma Longneck.”

He looks at you weirdly, “The fuckin’ dinosaurs from The Land Before Time?”

You nod, “Yeah. You gave me fuckin’ Scar, Kovu, and Simba. This is yours.”

“Kinda weird how fast you said you’d marry Kovu,” he lets out a low whistle, “A little sus, Y/N, I have to tell you.”

“Shut up.”

“Well, I’m definitely killing Cera,” he sighs, that bitch is annoying.”

“Okay, what about Ducky?”

“Marry.”

You bust out laughing, “Oh my fucking God, you’re gonna fuck Grandma Longneck?”

His eyes widen, “Wait, no! Wait, un-kill Cera!”

“Too late, that bitch is dead. RIP Cera. You gonna be fuckin’ Littlefoot’s grandma, my friend.”

He groans, burying his face in his hands. Luke, Helaena, Jace, and Aemond arrive to see you laughing hysterically and Aegon whining like a bitch.

“Erm,” Aemond asks, “What happened here, exactly?”

You stand up, patting him on the shoulder, “Your brother wants to fuck Littlefoot’s Grandma.”

“NO!”

“Mommy issues,” Luke mumbles under his breath.

You all laugh at Aegon’s expense. You turn to Jace and ask where he wants to go next, considering it’s still your guys’ decision on where to go and what to do. He suggests you finish off any rides you haven’t done in Tomorrowland, then Fantasyland, have dinner, and then head over to watch World of Color. Everyone agrees and you head over to Tomorrowland to ride the Astro Orbitor.

It’s a short, cheesy kid’s ride, but you can’t help enjoying it. All of you are in different rockets and waving to each other, enjoying the feel of the early evening warmth. Then, you do your last ride in Tomorrowland, Astro Blasters.

“Ope, guess Captain Masturbation is about to win again,” Jace snickers at Aegon’s expense, making Aemond let out a laugh and high five him.

“Ha, you guys are so funny.” Aegon rolls his eyes, “When I get that Galactic Hero sticker and you bitches are sitting out here, crying, without any stickers, we’ll see who has the last laugh.”

You ride with Helaena and both of you are too busy listening to Aegon and Aemond bicker to focus on shooting the targets. Also, Helaena keeps swerving the car around because it’s fun. The two of you are just giggling at some of the things you hear the brothers say to each other, as are Aemond and Jace.

“Hey, Aemond, do you think maybe if you masturbated more, you wouldn’t be so shitty at this?”

“Hey, Aegon, do you think maybe if you shut your mouth more, less people would think you’re an annoying asshole?”

“…Touch.”

“Do… Do you mean ‘touche’?”

“Oh, is that how you say it?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, brother.”

After getting off of Astro Blasters, you all see Aegon has indeed been made a Galactic Hero, much to all of your chagrin. He shoves the sticker in all of your faces, saying how he has been proven the greatest out of all of you and will now take his rightful place as your leader.

“Because of a sticker,” Helaena raises an eyebrow, “Okay, big brother.”

Jace shakes his head, “I think you’ve actually lost your mind, bro.”

You all walk back over to Fantasyland next. You decide the next ride is Alice in Wonderland, followed by walking through Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, the Storybook Land Canal Boats, a quick dinner, and then take the Disneyland Railroad back to the front of the park.

As you get in line for Alice in Wonderland, Aegon starts telling you all about how every character in the movie is actually based on drugs.

“The White Rabbit is, like, cocaine right? Mad Hatter’s LSD. The mouse is sleeping pills, King of Hearts is heroin,” he looks at you, making sure that you’re still listening to him as you and Aemond stand behind him in line.

You already knew all of this, of course, but you’re quite happy to let him feel like he’s telling you all something very interesting.

“Wow, that’s really cool, Aegon, I never knew that,” you smile, which makes him beam at you with pride.

He turns back around to ask Jace something and Aemond leans down to whisper to you, “I know you already knew that. That was very sweet of you to pretend that you didn’t.”

You protest, “No, I didn’t know! What’re you talking about? That was brand new, fascinating information!”

He leans down and kisses the top of your head, “Don’t ever change, Y/N.”

“Ewww, emotions,” you complain, but still lean into his embrace, “Feelings! Gross!”

He laughs and takes your hand in his as you continue walking to the ride. You board your caterpillar, which Aegon turns around to tell you is a metaphor for hookah, still hand in hand. Luke asks if any of you want to go on the teacups, and absolutely everyone says no. He pouts.

“It’s like, vomit central,” Helaena gags, “And Aegon gets motion sickness. He’ll barf all over us.”

“Jace,” Luke whines, “Aemond, Y/N, someone! Come on, guys! I don’t wanna go on the stupid boats!”

Jace rolls his eyes, “Fine, everyone else can go on the boats after this. I’ll take you to your stupid fucking teacups.”

“Yay!”

“I don’t really wanna go on the boats, they look fuckin’ boring,” Aegon complains, “Can whoever wants to go just go and I can, like, get a snack or something?”

“I’m kind of hungry too,” Helaena sighs, “I need a snack before dinner.”

You and Aemond look at each other and shrug, him speaking, “Okay. We’ll go on it.”

After Alice in Wonderland is done, and Aegon has turned around from his seat in front of you to point out every character represented by a drug, which granted was still pretty adorable, you all go inside Sleeping Beauty’s Castle to walk around and explore. Luke makes sure you all see absolutely everything. The storybook motif they have going on throughout it is adorable, and you stop to take a picture of each and every one.

“I thought you hated Sleeping Beauty,” Helaena teases, linking arms with you, “What did you call her?”

“Useless Nap Queen Bitch,” Jace grins, coming up on your other side, “Those were your exact words.”

“You shrug, “It’s the prettiest movie, though. Plus, Maleficent was a bad bitch. She just fucked them all up for no reason. You ain’t inviting me to your party? I’ma curse your baby. An icon.”

“Prince Phillip is so dreamy too,” Helaena swoons, “He’s one of my favorites.”

You nod in agreement, “He’s so brave! You’re so right for that. When he fuckin’ throws the sword at Maleficent.”

Helaena sighs, “That’s a man.”

The two of you giggle to each other, continuing to walk around.

“What I don’t understand,” Aemond speaks up, “Is why they didn’t bring Aurora home the day after her birthday. Surely, having her out and about the day she’s supposed to be cursed is a bad idea?”

You hum, “That’s a good point. Her stupid ass could’ve stayed home and been Briar Rose one more day and none of this shit would’ve happened.”

You exit the castle and break off into three different groups. Aegon and Helaena are hungry and go off to grab snacks, meanwhile Jace begrudgingly takes Luke to go on the spinning teacups of death.

Or at least that’s what he calls them as he walks away, whining and bitching that the boats have a shorter line.

The sun is about to set so there’s a gorgeous pinkish orange sky above the two of you as you board the canal boats. Aemond enters first and extends his hand to you, like some sort of old-timey prince. You take it, smiling as you sit down next to him.

“I hope that was reminiscent enough of Prince Phillip for you,” he teases.

“You jerk,” you laugh, “I like you much better than Prince Phillip, don’t worry.”

“I like you better than Aurora too, though that’s not saying much.”

You gasp in faux offense and slap his hand, making him let out a loud laugh.

“You two make a cute couple,” the old lady in front of you smiles, “How long have you been together?”

Aemond freezes and so you answer, “We’ve been best friends since we were kids.”

She smiles, “I thought so.”

You pass through Monstro the whale’s mouth and on the other side, there are a bunch of really cute miniature scenes of Disney movies, their respective soundtracks playing with them. Aemond moves and wraps his arm around your shoulders, pulling you in closer to him. He’s resting his head on top of yours and it feels really nice.

The next part is a bunch of arches decorated with fairy lights and it is absolutely magical. You turn your head to look at him. The way the lights shine on his face almost make him look like an angel.

No, scratch that. They do make him look like an angel. He turns to look at you and smiles.

“You’re really pretty,” you grin up at him, making him blush.

“Thanks,” he laughs, “So are you.”

Before this part of the ride is over and the moment is gone, you lean up and peck him on the lips, giggling to yourself at how surprised he is.

He helps you out of the boat and you return to the rest of your friends. And not once does he let go of your hand.

“So, dinner?” you ask, “There’s a couple of restaurants around here.”

“Actually,” Aegon says, chomping on his Mickey ice cream bar that’s already melting all over his hands, “Luke said there’s a bowling alley in Downtown Disney that’s open till late. We can go there after the fireworks if you guys want and eat there. They have good food.”

You shrug, “Yeah, I’m down with that. It’s our last night, we should have fun anyway.”

Everyone seems happy with that as you board the Disneyland Railroad to head over to World of Color.

“I’m gonna kick all of your asses-”

“Shut up, Jace,” all of you groan.

“…I mean, sure, I’ll shut up, but I still will.”

You sit between Aegon and Aemond, both of whom rest their heads on your shoulders. You watch as by It’s A Small World, all of you giggling when Aegon makes yet another gross joke about Chucky coming in there and having an orgy.

“Don’t disrespect my queen Tiffany like this,” you laugh.

Next, you see get to see the diorama of the Grand Canyon, which Luke was the most excited for. There are a bunch of really cool dinosaur models. When a brachiosaurus who resembles Littlefoot’s grandmother shows up, you turn to grin wickedly at Aegon.

“It’s your girlfriend, Aegon, go give her a big old smooch.”

He pokes you in your side, making you shriek the ticklish sensation.

When you get to Main Street, you all disembark and head over to the other side to watch World of Color.

“It’s a really cool projection show,” Luke informs all of you, “You’ll all like it, I promise!”

“Luke, did you design it?” Jace sighs, “Why is it so important to you that we like it? Chill, dude.”

He kicks Jace literally on the ass, “You chill!”

They start smacking each other and none of you make any move to separate them.

Just let them fight it out.

However, you get dragged in when Luke runs and hides behind you, “Y/N! My protector! Do your job.”

You sigh and turn to Jace, shrugging, “Sorry. I’m his protector. You want him, you’ll have to go through me.”

He shrugs, “Okay.”

And he starts tickling you, making you shriek and jump towards Helaena, “I’m sorry, Luke, your brother is a dick!”

Jace is laughing as he pulls Luke into a headlock, ruffling his hair and making the younger boy grumble in annoyance.

“You’re such a bad protector, Y/N,” Luke whines as you finally enter the park, “I’m going to demote you.”

“Pft,” you elbow him, “Honey, who’s going to protect you out of them? I’m your only option.”

He pouts, “Fine.”

When you reach the seating area for World of Color, you sit between Helaena and Luke, leaning against your best friend, “Dude, we have to figure out a way to beat Jace at bowling.”

“Oh my God, I know,” she nods, “If he wins, he’ll be insufferable.”

“Hey!” Jace complains, “I can hear you!”

You both shrug and give an unapologetic, “Oops, sorry.”

“Hey,” Aegon suggests, “Have you guys ever done a Dare Night?”

“No?” you ask, leaning over Helaena, “What’s that?”

“Well, here, whoever gets the lowest score when we’re bowling has to do a dare the person with the highest score comes up with.”

You look at Jace, who’s grinning, “Jace is just gonna get to pick them all!”

“Aw, babe, you do think I’ll win!”

“Shut up,” you scoff, “No, you know what? Let’s do this. Me, Hel, and Luke versus the three of you.”

Aegon grins, “You got yourself a deal, Princess.”

“Oh good Lord,” Aemond sighs.

#jace velaryon x reader #jacaerys velaryon #jace velaryon #jacaerys velaryon x reader #jacaerys x reader #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon ii #aegon ii x reader #aegon x reader #aegon targaryen #modern hotd #house of the dragon fic #hotd x reader #hotd fic #hotd #house of the dragon #ntfv fic #national targaryens fic

[sleuth-draws]

LOVESICK (part 4) - Close to You < prev | next >

Vitani has been acting strange.

Well, she always acts strange; that's kind of her thing sometimes. But stranger than usual.

Kiara has noticed that her friend can't quite keep eye contact anymore, often darting away quickly. When Kiara comes close to nuzzle her, groom her, even just to chat, she's been insistent on keeping more distance than usual, scooching away with an awkward and very unsubtle clearing her throat. On top of that, she's being leaving the den at night more and more to pace and grumble. Vitani might think she's being discrete but Kiara knows her enough to be able to tell when something's wrong. She's started to worry that her dear friend has started to lose sleep.

She's more than familiar with the old Vitani -- the quiet broody lioness who most times couldn't stand to stick around the pride, more out of habit than preference. She's reminded now of that Vitani.

There's no one she's enjoyed seeing come out of her shell more than Vitani. Except Kovu, of course. But she loves getting Vitani to crack that crooked smile of hers, getting her to loosen up and see that there's no immediate threat to look out for anymore. Kiara never bore witness to the atrocities Scar inflicted upon the Pridelands but she thinks witnessing how her new friends have been affected by Zira's tyrannical reign is the closest thing to it. The lack of food, the lack of support, the lack of love. She can't imagine what that's like.

Kiara does realize her privileged position; she's the Princess of the Pridelands for gods' sake. She knows she could never come close to knowing what it's like to suffer this greatly or to feel the after-effects of cruelty. But it's all she can do to check in on those who have.

So when her training lets out at the first sign of sunset, she spares Kovu a halfhearted nuzzle before going off in search of Vitani as she always does.

She's not at the watering hole, nor the fields, nor in the shady spot where they play-fought just a few days ago.

Hm. The Guard must have finished late today.

Kiara heads back to the Rock to visit the lair and approaches just in time to see Vitani exit with Imara at her side. The two are speaking with hushed tones and standing rather close. Vitani ducks her head in laughter and Imara nuzzles her side.

A pit forms in Kiara's gut. Huh. She must be hungrier than she thought. Yeah. That must be it.

Before she knows it, she's trotting towards them, calling, "Hey, Vitani!"

Her friend perks up instantly, those big ears of hers at attention. She looks hesitant but smiles at her nonetheless. Kiara grins as she makes her way over.

Imara nudges Vitani with her shoulder almost smugly, before bidding her goodbye and offering a respectful nod in Kiara's direction just as she comes face-to-face.

"Hi," Kiara breathes, only a little winded from her hurried journey over.

"Hi," Vitani breathes back, though she doesn't look tired at all.

Kiara tilts her head at her tall friend. "How was patrolling today?"

"Eh, it was fine. Imara just left to report to your old man. Had to chase off some mangy rogue who thought he could flirt with me and the Guard. Unfortunately, he was stubborn enough to let things get violent."

"Ugh, he sounds awful."

"Oh, he was," Vitani barks out an amused laugh, "But I knocked him flat and he ran away scared."

"Ha! You sure showed him," Kiara chuckles, finding herself circling around Vitani. She does things like this sometimes, stalking around Vitani as if hunting -- and at one point, Kovu as well -- and she doesn't quite know why. At this point, she's reasoned it's simply a natural habit. "How lucky we are to have you to protect us." She leans in to brush their sides together, nuzzling her cheek to Vitani's. "I missed you, y'know."

Vitani tenses but that's never been atypical. Touch has always been something her friend found hard to get used. "Oh, I, uh --" She clears her throat, thrown off her game. "I-I missed you too." She shakes her head. "But you just saw me yesterday, Princess!"

"I can still miss you!"

A snort. "Yeah, right."

Kiara is about to shoot a retort back when her nose starts to itch and a loud sneeze interrupts her, startling them both.

"Yeegh," Kiara exclaims, shaking her head and licking her nose, "Vitani!"

"What?"

"There's so much dust in your fur! No doubt from that fight. You seriously need a bath."

Vitani bristles. "Ugh, no way." She shakes herself out, ears flapping almost aggressively. "Look, I'm totally fi--" When she takes a step forward, her foreleg buckles and she stumbles, catching herself with the other foreleg.

"Vitani!" Immediately, Kiara is moving in to assist her.

"I'm fine, Kiara." Vitani grits. "It's just a sprain, nothin' I can't handle."

Kiara looks back towards the fields. Her mother won't be back with food a little while. "Come follow me."

"But --"

"Don't argue with me. Come on." Kiara headbutts Vitani's shoulder and though Vitani grumbles the whole way, they walk up Pride Rock together. There, several lionesses are resting out at the entrance of the den, grooming themselves and each other and sunbathing while they still have a sun to bathe in.

There's a round of greetings when the pair ascend, including Tiifu, Zuri and, surprisingly, Kasi, who are dozing in a pile together. Vitani stares as they pass; Kasi looks away in slight embarrassment.

They find a spot somewhere nearby, still warm from the sun, and Kiara gives a look that makes Vitani sigh loudly and plop down. Kiara settles in beside her.

"Hmph, good. Now..." Kiara leans in and starts grooming the fur on Vitani's neck; immediately Vitani jerks away. "Oh, come on, Vitani."

"I-I-I really think I can do this myself!" Vitani stutters.

"Don't be ridiculous," Kiara huffs. "You couldn't reach that neck of yours if you tried!" She leans in again and when Vitani dodges once more, she reaches with both paws to ensnare her head and hold it securely to her. Vitani struggles but doesn't go so far as to kick at her with her hind legs -- a great sign. "Ha. Good girl."

Vitani goes ramrod straight. Kiara pays her no mind and starts to groom the tuft on her head. Slowly, her friend starts to relax, though she maintains the tension in her shoulders, claws digging into the dirt. Eventually, that too leaves her, pressure rolling off her shoulders till even her claws, trained to be out at all times in attack position, start to sheathe themselves. She breathes a sigh and closes her eyes.

Delight fills Kiara's chest. There's something precious about this. Being able to just lie here in peace with someone once considered her enemy and relax together. To see her realize there's nothing to fear, at long last. Vitani has been scared for so long. She might not like to admit, but Kiara knows. Kovu has told her the hardships they all had to face at Zira's paws, Vitani in particular. He'd been blind to it, at first, giving in to Zira's hate-filled rhetoric and training. But the months after the war had allowed the siblings to open up to one another, where they'd previously been emotionally standoffish.

Vitani was the one keeping their family together. Her closeness to their older brother as both of Zira's neglected children and her admittedly enforced love for Kovu was bridged by her need to do right by her mother. She amplified the admiration for her younger brother among the Outsiders, she kept her older brother in line, and, greatest of all, she was the perfect soldier. Savage and wild and bloodthirsty, eager to fight and, lucky for Zira, eager to please. Because, however small, that was the closest she would get to actual love from Zira.

A transactional, militaristic relationship.

And when at last she defied her mother, she was quickly cast aside.

Where Vitani had loved Kovu superficially, as taught by Zira, there was also the real love of being the only sibling who truly cared for him. They're twins, after all, as easy it is to forget, uniquely linked. That love was smaller, unfostered, buried away, but it was there. Her betraying Zira was what made Kovu realize there was more that needed to be talked about. How could they leave things the way they were? After they'd lost their only mother and Nuka, after not even knowing their supposedly shared father, how could they go on not truly knowing one another?

The months of healing did them well. While Vitani had been reclusive at first, there were times where she was seen with Kovu and she looked truly happy. Now, they're closer than they'd ever been, and Kovu happily recounts their visits together to Kiara.

It makes Kiara wonder: does Vitani fear being cast out again? Is that why she's been so aloof? Is she afraid that the peace is delicate, that it'll all fall apart one day and her value will be reduced to nothing once again?

Kiara will do anything to keep her from feeling that way.

An easy rumble in Vitani's throat draws her from her thoughts. She's nearly clean now, her usually unruly tuft smoothed into a funny-looking cowlick, but Kiara is reluctant to let her go.

"Something's been bugging you lately, hasn't it?"

Vitani's eyes open and, regrettably, a small amount of tension comes back to her. She's quiet for a long time, as if calculating her response.

"It's nothing you gotta worry about, Princess. I'll be fine."

Perfectly calculated, in fact. Something that says she shouldn't press or pry, even jokingly. Something Vitani wants to sort out herself. And as much as Kiara wants to help with this, to get her sleep and ease again, she has to respect it.

"Okay," Kiara settles on, "But if you want to talk, or need help in any way, you know I'm here for you, right? I always will be."

Vitani tilts her head and looks earnestly at her. Her violet eyes are soft, softer than she's ever seen them. A thumping erupts in Kiara's chest.

"Yeah. I know, Ki."

"I-I really care about you," Kiara finds herself blurting, "You're my best friend."

"What? But I thought Tiifu and Zuri were your best friends," Vitani says, surprised, "Or, Kovu? I can never keep track."

"No -- I mean, well, yes, they are -- but I can have multiple!" Kiara sputters, suddenly nervous and not knowing why. "The point is, I...I feel so close to you. I couldn't stand it if you were hurting a-and there was something I could do to help you."

The whole exchange gives Vitani pause and she's quiet for a long moment.

Then, miraculously, terrifically, magnificently, Vitani allows herself to nuzzle the side of her face into Kiara's chest.

"You're my best friend too, Kiara." Vitani smiles that lovely, crooked smile. "I...really care about you too."

It feels as though a storm cracks through her.

She's shaken, almost vibrating in her pelt. Her fur is warm, her mouth is dry -- what is this? She prays -- oh gods, she prays -- that Vitani can't hear her thunderous heartbeat. It would be awful of her to ruin this moment.

But what is it that's afflicted her?

And where did the air in her lungs go?

#the lion king #tlk #the lion king simba's pride #tlk2 #tlksp #tlg #the lion guard #kiara #vitani #kitani #art #fics #series #lovesick #post canon #canon compliant #furry #sapphic #lesbian #disney #simba

[dragonwritersblog]

Royally Screwed!

Read on AO3

1/2/3/4/5

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, there was a lot of issues going on and it took out a lot of energy from me. But it's here now and I hope its worth the wait. Hope you guys enjoy! Also I tried to edit it as much as I can but I'll go back is there's any spelling mistakes, but other than that, here's chapter 2!

2. Irish Eyes

Kaufmo groaned as he pressed a hand to his lower back, tonight’s show hadn’t been kind to him in the slightest. The ringmaster has suggested a few new stunts for his act to make the audience go crazy. Now usually that would be fine…if the ringmaster hadn’t announced it while performing. It gave Kaufmo no time to warm up or prepare before he saw an anvil failing for the sky and aiming right at him. He managed to dodge it just in time and had earned him some good reception, but he had twisted his body the wrong way while ducking, leaving a pretty bad sore spot on his back.

He sighed, at least it was over now and he could have a better chance tomorrow morning to prepare for that new trick (and anything else the ringmaster hadn’t told him about yet). He was going to head to his tent for the tight when he heard light sniffling from the lion cages. He turned and tried to peak through the shadows to see who was inside of Ragatha’s lion’s cage…oh, it was Pomni.

The child was the newest member of the cast, and the youngest. Now that Kaufmo thought about it, no one had joined the circus at her age before, so the experience must have been so much more jarring for a young girl. And she was only five years old, the poor thing.

The girl was patting each lion’s mane as she tried to control her tears, the large animals providing as much comfort as they could. She had been quite nervous around the two felines when she first met them, but after seeing how tame they were, they were a great source of security for her in times like this. Times when she felt overwhelmingly homesick.

Kaufmo tapped one of the bars, alerting everyone of his presence. The lions let out a growl when Pomni let out a startled gasp, only to calm down once they saw the clown. “Easy, it’s just me,” he said reassuringly as Pomni gripped tighter to one of the lions. “Hey kiddo, sorry for scaring you.”

Pomni wiped her eyes as the clown climbed in, sitting on the wall opposite her with one of the lions between her. The other lion came back to sit beside her, nudging her hand for more scratches.

“Huh, Simba and Kovu seemed to have taking a liking to you,” Kaufmo mused. Despite their large size, both of the large felines were rather friendly to the rest of the circus. Give them a snack and scratch their favourite spot and you were practically their best friend.

“Yeah, they’re nice,” Pomni whispered, harshly rubbing her the tears off her cheeks to hide the fact that she had been crying. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, the show just finished up and I was gonna get back to my tent,” he explained, “But, then I heard someone wasn’t feeling that great.”

Pomni paled, hiding her face in Simba’s mane. “It’s nothing!” she mumbled into the fur, “I just had something in my eyes, I’m fine!”

Kaufmo hummed. Pomni seemed to be quite a particularly panicky child, one wrong move and she’ll be shaking like a leaf, in fear for her life. He had to approach her carefully, she had already been through enough. “Here,” he pulled out a handkerchief. Pomni stared at it cautiously. “Don’t worry, it’s joke free. Clown’s honour.” He put a hand to his chest with a mock serious expression.

The child smiled, taking the little white fabric and wiped her cheeks.

“I know you’re scared,” Kaufmo said, “I understand. We’ve never had anyone as young as you join. Well, ‘join’ might be a might of a strong word. And you have every right to be scared, upset, angry. It isn’t fair what the ringmaster did. If you need to scream, scream.”

“Maybe not scream,” she muttered, “But the ringmaster said we’re not allowed to get upset.”

“That’s because he’s void of any emotion and doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he placed the tips of his fingers on her hand just in case she wanted to pull it away. “Pomni, you’re five. Cry if you have to cry.”

Suddenly, a wall had crumbled and the dams were loose. The child latched herself onto the clown, muffled cries escaping her and tears soaking his costume. He instantly wrapped his arms around her. “Shh, there, there,” he whispered, “It’s gonna be okay kiddo, I got you.”

“I want my Ma and Pa!” she wailed as he stroked her hair. “I wanna go home!”

Kaufmo sighed. She was way too young for this. Curse the ringmaster and his void heart. “I know kiddo,” he hugged her tighter. “I know.”

They remained like that for a moment, Kaufmo letting Pomni cried while he stroked her hair before the child pulled away, her cheeks tear stained. “Sorry,” she sniffed.

“There’s nothing to apologise for,” he reassured her. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself, would that cheer you up?”

“Um, okay,” Pomni nodded. “I…I like to sing a little bit, my ma used to teach me.”

“Huh,” Kaufmo lit up, an idea forming. “You know, I like to play guitar, I used to play it a lot.”

Pomni beamed, crawling closer to him, “Really?!”

“Heck yeah,” Kaufmo chuckled, “How about I go get it and I can show you what I can do?”

“Yeah!” Pomni cheered, giggling and falling back, a lion catching her with the side of his body.

“Okay kiddo,” Kaufmo grinned, “You just wait there. I’ll be right back.”

The clown had never run so fast in his life. He couldn’t recall the last time he played his guitar, but he remembered how much he loved it. Once he made it to his tent, he picked up the instrument from the side of his bed and ran straight back to Pomni, the little girl was playing with Kovu’s mane before gasping with excitement when she saw the guitar.

“Okay, it’s been a while,” Kaufmo told her while tuning it, “But I think I remember this.”

He began playing a simple chord, rummaging through his mind before landing on a song he hadn’t sung for anyone.

You can't take my past

You can't take my history

You could take my Pa

But his name’s a mystery

Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

Oh nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping

“Wow!” Pomni looked absolutely awestruck, it was the cutest thing in the world. “That’s so cool!”

“It’s not finished yet,” he admitted bashfully. “I haven’t really had the time to.”

“I can help finish it?” Pomni suggested shyly, “And maybe…you could teach me too?”

Kaufmo’s eyes widened, not only had he not played for someone in so long, but it was the first time a person asked him to teach them. For the first time, someone didn’t want to now the clown that Kaufmo played, but rather the part of a person that the ringmaster had forced him to bury so long ago. “Yeah,” he nodded, “I think that can be arranged kiddo.”

He carefully placed the guitar on her lap, the instrument was comically big for her little body, but she managed to hold it properly. She giggled with excitement as her guided her hands on where to go. “So, if you put your fingers here, it makes a makes a C chord,” he told her, her fingers making the shape and strummed the strings, her face brightening after playing her first ever note. “Atta girl, and just make this shape and you’ll get a G chord.” He shifted them again, grinning as she played the second note.

“I’m doing it!” she exclaimed.

“You’re doing great kiddo,” he grinned, “Now, have you got any ideas for lyrics?”

The child nodded so fast that he was afraid she’d hurt herself. With a gentle voice, she began to sing.

You can't take my charm!

You can't take my humour…

.

.

.

Twenty Years Later

Kaufmo hummed cheerily as he walked through the inn the rest of the cast and himself were staying in. They were here for the rest of the week to perform, but everyone had really wanted to explore the rest of the town. And who was he to stop them?

Ragatha had wanted to see if they had any good treats for her lions, Zooble wanted to buy some flowers for Gangle, and Moon and Sun had wanted to wander with everyone and see the sights. Kaufmo decided to stay, wanting to take the day to rest. However, there was one person who didn’t say anything about wanting to go or stay.

Pomni.

Despite last night’s fiasco with the prince, she seemed to be in a good mood. He was heading to her room, just to check up on her and see if she wanted to go out as well. He was about to knock when he heard the faint strums of a guitar and a female voice singing along with the tune.

My mother says I have Irish eyes

Irish eyes, Irish eyes

My mother says I have Irish eyes

They go ever so blue under stormy skies

But they're never so blue as when I let them cry

Kaufmo smiled, Pomni’s voice was always so heavenly whenever she sang. Every song she wrote, he would always be excited to hear. He cracked the door open a little, seeing her standing with her guitar in hand as she sang. She wore a simple shift with brown stays adorned with pink stitched flowers and a light green skirt that reached her black boots. She looked a little bit like spring itself.

My father says I have English hair

English hair, English hair

Brown like the bark of an oak somewhere

Like the bed of a lake where the hemlock grows

Like the thorn in the stem of an English rose

She began to twirl happily, dancing along with her song without a care in the world.

I'm a map of the world and the ones before

One foot in sea and one on shore

Every step, every hope flung high

I'm a map of them all with my Irish eyes

She jumped, whipping round when she heard the sound of clapping, only to soften when she saw that it was Kaufmo standing at the door. “Don’t scare me like that,” she giggled, putting her guitar away.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you kiddo,” he said, “Is that a new song?”

“Yeah, I began to write it when we were on the road,” she confirmed, “Decided to give it a whirl before I went out to town.”

“You’re going out?” Kaufmo asked hopefully. Pomni wasn’t normally someone who liked to be out in busy places when she wasn’t performing but seeing her actively wanting to go out was quite a big step for her. While it left him protective, it left him proud of her as well.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “Gangle wanted to go look and see the dresses here so I wanted to go with her as well. Ragatha and Moon should be with us as well.”

“I’ll come too,” Kaufmo said, “Just in case you want to leave early and come back.”

“Kaufmo,” she sighed, “I’ll be fine.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Kaufmo reassured her, “It’s just, you know…It’s always going to be my instinct to protect you.”

Pomni smiled, walking over and wrapping her arms around the clown, with Kaufmo doing the same. “I understand, what we went through was…its over now,” Pomni said, “I wanna be able to go into towns without being terrified of who I run into, enjoy my time with my family. With my Pa.”

Kaufmo patted her cheek, she never failed to amaze him. “Well then, what are we waiting for?” he asked, “Let’s go have some fun.”

Pomni patted his hand back before Kaufmo let it fall to his side, both of them leaving the room and heading downstairs to greet everyone else before going into town.

.

.

.

Jax paced back and forth in the dining room, dressed in a simple white blouse, blue waistcoat and black slacks. The room had been cleared earlier after breakfast, but he needed the space to pace and think about his plan to woo Pomni. She was going to be tricky – if her outburst was anything to go by – so he had to tread carefully about this. Motley watched the prince go back and forth, the kitten perched on the table experiencing the most brainstorming that Prince Jax had ever done in his life.

How would one win over the heart of a spitfire? A being so beautiful and entrances you with its song and dance but can easily scorch you if you make one wrong move. But it was that danger that pulled him closer to her. Only a woman like her deserved the best when it came to courting. But where to start, what should he do?

Queenie and Kinger watched their son’s pacing from the slightly ajar door. The staff had alerted them of the prince’s peculiar behaviour, so they wanted to investigate it for themselves – from afar of course.

“I still can’t believe it,” Kinger muttered, “Never would I have though the day would come where Jax would be so entranced by a girl.”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Queenie mused, “I’m not surprised it was the jester that stole his heart. She does seem to be such a darling. Although, I will admit, I am slightly concerned with what Jax has up his sleeve with this one. His mind is quite…devious after all.”

Kinger hummed in agreement, “That is true. He always has these great plans when it comes to playing tricks on the servants or his escape attempts. Part of me doesn’t want to know what type of plan he comes up with for courting her.”

“Yes,” Queenie nodded, thinking to herself for a moment. The jester, Pomni was her name she believed, seemed like such a sweet young woman. While she was glad her son was in love, Queenie was completely aware of Pomni’s outburst with him they other day (after all she was outside tent when it happened, and was able to hear every single word). “How about you let me handle this Kinger dear? I’ve had my experience when it comes to men falling to a woman’s feet before. I could help correct him with the proper ways of how to win a girl’s heart.”

Kinger blushed, memories of himself as a young prince falling for a lord’s daughter many moons ago flooding back to him like a tidal wave. “Uh, y-yes darling,” he stuttered slightly, “I believe that would be for the best. The last person he needs advice from is his old man who laned face first into mud when trying to court the person he admired.”

“But I fell in love with you because of that dearest,” Queenie teased, giggling at Kinger’s flustered expression. “Now, if you excuse me. I have a son to steer away from making a fool of himself.”

“Good luck,” Kinger gave her reassuring thumbs up. Truth be told, when it came to Jax (especially since he was in love) she probably needed that luck.

Queenie took a breath, opening the door further and entering the dining room, though it seemed that Jax didn’t notice her presence, still caught up in his planning and muttering. Motley did though, letting out a happy mewl and ran over to her, climbing up her cloak and settling himself in her arms. The queen let out a small laugh, running a finger over his head as she walked up to her son.

Jax jumped as soon as he heard the sound of a throat clearing, exhaling when he saw that it was only Queenie. “Holy shit!” he cursed, placing a hand on his chest, “You scared me!”

“Language young man,” Queenie reprimanded him, “I just wanted to see if you were alright, the servants said that you haven’t left this room since breakfast.”

Jax sighed, the moment word about anything happening to him got out, his mother would instantly be by his side to make sure he way okay. It was one of Queenie’s most admirable qualities. “Yes, I’m fine mother. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“I see,” Queenie hummed, her eyes giving off a teasing glint. “It’s definitely not the jester from last night’s performance.”

Jax was so sure that his fur had changed from a periwinkle purple to a cherry red as he whipped round to face his mother, a smug look curved upon her features as she eyed her son knowingly. “M-mom!” he nearly choked on his words.

“Careful now dear,” Queenie chuckled, “The last thing we need is for our heir to suffocate on himself. Besides it was quite obvious, you immediately trailed after her like a loyal pet the moment her performance ended and are still infatuated with the girl despite her verbal lashing with you. Yes I’ve heard it, I’m sure most of the kingdom did too.”

“I can’t help it,” Jax rubbed the back of his neck. “The moment I heard her singing, my soul was bewitched. I had to listen to her song, her voice was telling a story and I wanted to learn it word for word until she’s ingrained into my memory. And her beauty, I don’t think I’ve met another person who radiated starlight just as much as she did. She’s a book that I can’t put down, I need to know more about her! I have to let her know that she’s the one for me!”

Never in all her years did Queenie think her son was capable of being bashful. Everything about Jax, from the way he spoke to the way he strutted down the hall screamed nothing but self-righteous confidence. What type of magic tricks did Pomni possess to reveal this new side of the prince? “Well, well,” Queenie breathed, “It seems that you’re very taken with this girl.”

“Oh, she definitely stole my heart and run off with it,” Jax sighed, “I just need to know what to do that will make her realise just how perfect I am for her!”

Queenie cringed, she had a feeling this was coming. The last thing Jax needed was his ego sabotaging any chance of Pomni liking at least a quarter of him back. After all, it was his arrogance that made him receive her angry and biting tone with him, if he continued down this road he would ending up kissing any plans of courting her goodbye. “Now Jax, I understand the butterflies that come with meeting someone that has you ‘bewitched’,” she spoke carefully, hoping that her son’s head wasn’t already full of outlandish plans already. “However, Pomni has already made her opinion of you quite clear. I will support you if you want to make amends with her, however I will put a cease to that if you try and force her to become yours.”

“Force her?!” Jax gasped, flabbergasted at his mother’s suggestion. Women would throw themselves at him without Jax doing nothing more that blink, how on earth did she think he was going to force Pomni to be his? “She’ll come running to me when I show her how charming I can be, before she leaves she will practically be begging me to marry her. It’s just as easy as that.”

“Jax,” Queenie shook her head with a disappointed frown, “Are you even listening to yourself? You barely know anything about having these types of feelings, how on earth do you plan on courting a girl if you don’t take them time to access yourself first?”

“Well judging how you and father say sappy crap to each other all the time and don’t end up gagging by how overly sweet it is, it’s probably not that hard,” Jax shrugged. His heart sunk at Queenie’s crestfallen expression. He went too far there. Motley gently purred into the queen’s chest, providing comfort for her hurt state.

Despite the saccharine display his parents put on, Jax could tell how much they treasured their love for one another. To insult their bond was an insult to his mother as well, and he hated making her feel awful. “I…mother forgive me,” Jax exhaled slowly, “I got caught up there, I didn’t mean that-”

The door burst open as a guard entered into the dining room, “Your highnesses. The markets have new products after the recent shipment. Would you care to be escorted into town today, or shall I have the servants search for something that you need?”

“I, I suppose it would be nice to go into town today,” Queenie turned to her son, her eyes giving a soft forgiving shine. “What do you think Jax?”

They were okay, Jax nearly sighed with relief. Seeing his mother upset was his own personal torture, and he hated every bit of it.

“I also wanted to inform you that the circus cast from last night are also in town today,” The guard informed them, “In case you have any words to say to them for their performance.”

Jax practically beamed at that, his grin nearly splitting his face. He cleared his throat, putting on a suave look and straightened his back. After all, he had a jester to court. “Well there’s no harm in saying hi to them, now is there?” he smirked, “I think a little trip sounds just delightful.”

Queenie paled. She recognised that smirk, Jax always wore that smirk when he was up to no good. “Jax…” Queenie drawled warningly.

“Go alert my father that we plan to leave as soon as possible, in case he wants to join,” Jax commanded the guard.

The soldier in question raised a brow at that, familiar with the young prince and his antics, before turning to the queen for her verdict.

Queenie sighed, once Jax’s mind was set that was no point in trying to change it. Besides, she really wanted to go out today. “Inform Kinger that we plan to leave soon,” she said, “I would hate for him to miss out on this.”

“Yes, your majesty,” the guard bowed, turning on his heel and walking out the door.

Queenie gave Jax a glare, a silent threat to not do anything stupid.

The prince gulped, whenever Queenie sent him that look it gave him nothing but sinking dread in the pit of his gut. He had a lot on the line today, not only risking it all to win Pomni’s affection, but also to make sure he didn’t suffer from his mother’s angered wrath as well. “D-don’t worry m-mother,” he stammered, “I promise that I have nothing but good intentions going forward.”

Queenie raised a brow as Motley let out a meow – Jax swore the little shit was mocking him. “As for you,” He picked up Motley and set him on the floor, “You’re staying here. The last thing we need for you is to get lost and become someone else’s pet.” Motley mewled, pawing at Jax’s leg with a pleading look on his face. “Nope, I’ve made up my mind. Your tricks aren’t working on me today.”

He turned to his mother, offering his arm out to her, “Shall we?”

Queenie sighed, letting out a little laugh at her son’s outlandish behaviour, “I suppose. But you better behave, got it young man?” She nearly growled.

“…Yes ma’am,” Jax whimpered pathetically.

Queenie patted his cheek, “Good. Now then, let’s go find your father before he chases after another butterfly for his collection. We don’t need a repeat of…last time.”

Jax shuddered at the memory, despite his own bug-like pranks, he certainly didn’t want to do what his father was capable of. “You and me both mother,” he nodded.

He hid the dopey grin that stretched on his features the more he thought about the jester, how he was going to spoil her, give her everything she could ever hope for and more, to do anything to make her his and his alone. He couldn’t wait to see her again.

.

.

.

To tell the truth, Pomni was nothing but nerves when to came to public situations. It was different whenever she was performing, she knew that by the end of the day – as long as she put on a smile and a good show – everything would turn out according to plan. When it came to actually being in a crowd full of people, she always felt like she was going to be sick. It wasn’t easy to put on a façade when there was no pre-planned performance. The thought of being around so many people, not knowing what they were like or what they would say, she could make one slight mistake and everything could go wrong.

She was a bit glad that Kaufmo insisted to come along, to read the signs on her face in case she had to get out of here. But another part of her felt guilty for doing that. She wanted to enjoy herself put in public, to not fear the next person coming here way, to not fear if they had any other ulterior motives. Why did her mind have to be like this? And she hated how she always dragged Kaufmo down with her, he deserved to have one day where he wasn’t constantly worrying over her, how did he not see her as a burden? She just wished could be…normal. But someone like her could never be normal, not in this lifetime anyway.

Still, she wasn’t going to waste her time dwelling on misery, life was too short for that. She remained glued by Moon and Ragatha’s sides, Kaufmo trailing behind them like a guard dog (a rather colourful guard dog but the intention was clear). She wanted to have fun, have a day to just be Pomni, not worrying about the performance for tonight and if it was perfect enough. That was for later, this was now.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Sun marvelling over cakes at the window of a bakery, his mouth watering at each flavour presented through the glass. Gangle and Zooble were at a flower stall, with the latter buying a rose the same colour as the ribboned woman and gifting it to her, making Gangle blush. Pomni smiled at the couple, maybe one day she would find someone to share a bond with like Zooble and Gangle.

She heard a small gasp, turning she noticed two young girls pointing at her while whispering excitedly. Pomni shook her head fondly, they must have recognised her from the show the other night. She gave them a small curtsy, the children become even more excited before bounding over to her. She was a little bit nervous with the sudden closeness and enthusiasm from the children, but Moon and Ragatha were behind her, making sure she was alright.

She was fine, all she got was a fright. “Hello,” she waved at the two girls, “Hope can I help you?”

“Hi miss!” The first girl squealed, “You were so pretty last night!”

“Why thank you,” Pomni cooed, “Did you two enjoy the show?”

“Yeah!” the second girl cheered, “You were my favourite! You were so sparkly and twisty!”

Pomni giggled, they must have been referring to her costumes and her dance flexibility on the aerial silks. It was the main highlights of her performance and what boosted audience numbers. She wasn’t surprised that the girls liked it so much. “I’m so glad you two had fun,” she grinned, her chest fluttering at the girl’s collective beaming faces.

“What you like one of our flower crowns?” the first girl asked, “It has pretty daises!”

Pomni placed both hands to her chest in a flattered manner, “I would love to have one of your flowers crowns.”

The girls jumped with glee, fishing into one of their satchels and pulling out a delicate daisy chain tied into a circle. Pomni lowered her head as they placed it on her hair, the whole interaction made her feel giddy and warm. After all, who didn’t love flower crowns? She never got to do that at their age, so there was something bittersweet having a chance to do this now. She was about to open her mouth to thank the girls for their gift, when a loud and brash voice made her flinch.

“I knew a crown would look good on you,” Prince Jax’s voice made her wince, “Just have it in gold and you’ll look like a real princess.”

Pomni took a breath, plastering on a face of fake kindness and concealed annoyance as she turned to the prince – Moon and Ragatha were protectively standing on each side of her as Kaufmo stood from a distance, ready to intervene in case anything happened. “Prince Jax,” she spoke through gritted teeth, “To what do I owe the pleasure.”

“Your presence is enough for that little lady,” he grinned as she bristled at the nickname, “I was just making my way through town and decided to stop bye and say hi.”

“Well, now you did, so you can go now,” Pomni rolled her eyes and turned to face the girls again. Moon and Ragatha smirked while Kaufmo’s chest puffed proudly.

Jax faltered a bit, he didn’t want this conversation to end so soon! He ran up to her, dodging the ragdoll and Moon, ignoring Kaufmo’s icy glare and shoved himself in front of Pomni’s eyeline. “If you like, I could get you a little souvenir,” he offered suavely, “After all, daisies die pretty fast. Kind of a pathetic gift if you ask me. A little gold chain with a diamond would like nice around that pretty neck of yours.”

Pomni scowled at him, her anger growing more as she heard the two little girls’ sniffle at his insult. They were young, yes, but she knew about much effort must have gone into making this crown. And the fact that she never got to do this as a child only added fuel to the fire. “You have some nerve insulting the talents of your people,” she poked him harshly in the chest as a look of fear spread across the prince’s face. “This is a gift made from the gentle hands of the next generation of your kingdom, don’t you dare degrade this is present in front of them. And even if it were to die quickly, it only means I must cherish it more before that happens.”

“I-um,” Jax stammered, he was barely a minute into talking with her and he was already screwing up. He had to try a new tactic. With quick thinking, he ran over to the flower stall, blindly picked up a bouquet, slammed a few coins down and ran back over to Pomni. “Here,” he shoved the flowers into her face, making her splutter. “As an apology.”

After Pomni regained her bearings, she took a proper look at what was shoved in her face. Taking a note of the flowers in his hand, she gave him a deadpanned look, “Orange lilies and yellow carnations?”

Jax gave her a smug grin, looking as though he won the lottery, “From Prince Jax himself. You’re welcome.”

“They literally symbolise hatred and rejection,” said Pomni. Jax’s face fell, as though lightening struck through him at the realisation. “I think I’ll stick with my daisies.”

With that, she gave him a tight-lipped smile and walked away – but not before giving the two girls a warm hug and reassuring them that she loved her new flower crown.

Jax was about to go after her, until he was stopped by the death glares of Ragatha and Moon, as well and a tight grip on his shoulder. His eyes followed the hand attached to the arm, all the way to the furious gaze of Kaufmo. “I don’t give a damn if you’re royalty or not,” the clown growled, “But you will not disrespect my kid in front of me. Do I make myself clear?”

Jax gulped, the last thing he needed today was to be murdered by an overprotective clown, “Yes sir.”

“Good,” Kaufmo took his hand off, brushing it on his suit and walked away to find Pomni, Ragatha and Moon in tow.

Jax let out a breath, he never knew clowns could be that scary. He froze at the sound of a throat clearing, he groaned as he looked at Kinger and Queenie, disappointment etched on their faces with the royal guards standing behind them. “I ask for one thing Jax,” Queenie muttered, “One thing. For you to behave, and this is what you do?!”

“To be fair…this is me we’re talking about,” Jax gave them a nervous chuckle.

The couple’s expression didn’t change. “Come on,” Kinger sighed, “You’re sticking with us for the rest of the day.”

Jax whined, crossing his arms as he followed his parents and the guards. Queenie stuck by his side though, leaning up to whisper in his ear, “You know, the next time you want to impress a girl, keep the snide comments about simple gifts from children to yourself. You aren’t going to get anywhere if you keep up that attitude.”

Jax grumbled under his breath. But his mother did have a point though, they were just kids, he didn’t have to stoop so low. His stomach churned, hearing those whimpers from those little girls struck him in the heart, how could he be so cold-hearted? “You’re right mother, that wasn’t the best choice of words,” he admitted. Queenie’s eyes sparked a little bit, perhaps her son was finally taking the right step- “That’s why I’m going to spend so much fortune on Pomni and gift her anything she could ever ask for without commenting on the boring stuff she likes!”

Queenie’s face fell. Nope, Jax was still up his own ass.

.

.

.

The minute Jax was back in his room, he started writing a list. He wrote down everything he knew about how to woo a woman, and as someone who was quite popular with the ladies, he felt pretty confident with his abilities. Truly, he was a master of his craft. Once he was satisfied with his plan, he got to work, with Motley watching the trainwreck preparing itself from afar.

Firstly, he went to the best broker he could find and purchased the most beautiful, one-of-a-kind diamond that he had ever seen in his life. It was just as striking as Pomni’s perfect eyes. He had a servant deliver it to her, content that within a day’s time she would be coming to the castle to visit him. However, the servant had come back and instead of his jester, he returned with news that Pomni had sold the diamond to a local jewellery shop, where it was smashed to pieces and turned into lovely necklaces for the other women of the village.

Okay, so she wasn’t a fan of shiny things. It doesn’t matter, he still had a few plans up his sleeve.

Next, he took out a deposit of his spendings (it was at least enough to buy ten castles) and requested it to be sent to Pomni in her name for her to do what she pleased with it. His heart skipped a beat when he found out she accepted it, only for him to choke on his tongue when he found out that she had donated it all to the orphanage of the village. The only thing he received from her was a note telling him to ‘do something beneficial with his spendings since he had so much of it’.

He swooned over the fact that his little jester was so charitable, but he couldn’t ignore the irritation that came with it! He was going further beyond for her, yet she wouldn’t even spare a glance at him. What else did he have to do to make her notice him?!

It continued like that, he would send her the most lavish, expensive gifts that would make any man or woman swoon, and every single time she either gave it away or returned it. Jax was starting to get on his last nerve, she was going to notice his affections one way or another. He still had one more plan, and if this didn’t work (which it would!) then he was truly at a loss.

The next day, he gave instructions to the royal announcer. A royal banquet was going to be held at the castle tonight, with Jax wanting nothing more than to have Pomni to be his plus one for the evening. Maybe it was a bit of a jerk move to announce this publicly, but he was just so desperate to see her again, he was willing to do anything just to catch a glimpse of her lovely face.

He awaited patiently, so sure that his plan was going to work. When the announcer came back, there was a smug grin on the prince’s lips, expecting for him to say that his jester would be attending tonight. However, the situation was much more different than the prince had hoped. When the news went out to the public that Prince Jax wanted to invite Pomni to the banquet, she had merely given the announcer a simple bow and replied:

“I appreciate the invitation, but I will have to decline the prince’s offer and his lack of planning ahead.”

Jax felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach.

She rejected his invite! In public no less! It was one thing to reject an invite to such a regal occasion, but to reject a royal? That was the biggest humiliation that anyone could ever do to royalty! It would leave a mark on his reputation! The only prince known in all the lands to be rejected for all the kingdom to see.

And this is where it left him now, alone at the banquet, swirling a glass of wine as he mumbled to himself. “It was the diamond, I should’ve gotten her the ruby,” he muttered under his breath, “Diamonds are overrated anyways. I don’t understand, I’m great with courting, how could anyone-”

“You know, you can tap a cocoon as many times as you want, the butterfly still won’t come out,” he jumped at the sound of his mother’s voice as she walked up to him.

“Mother,” he gasped, “You can’t keep surprising me like that!”

“Just like how you can’t keep pushing this girl to be with you,” Queenie crossed her arms over her chest, “Honestly Jax. Out of all the ideas you have had in your entire life, announcing to the public to make Pomni join you for tonight has got to be your most ridiculous one yet! Honestly, I don’t blame her for rejecting you, someone had to hit you with common sense eventually!”

“I-I, but!” Jax stammered, but deep down he knew his mother was right. Karma had to hit him eventually, and it hit him with the most alluring, beautiful, one-of-a-kind songbird that fluttered into his heart, only for her to be completely out of his reach. He sighed, “I just… I never felt this way for anyone before.”

“Really?! I couldn’t tell with the way you were constantly making a fool of yourself!” she ignored Jax’s gaping mouth towards her, continuing her speech. “She has expressed to you multiple times that she isn’t interested with what you have to offer Jax! Either you cease these attempts or you actually find something that will let her see you in a different light!”

“How?! If this is all that I can offer her, then it’s already too late for me. You know it, you see it! I’m nothing but a reckless prince who keeps ruining things for myself,” Jax’s shoulder’s tensed, taking a breath while feeling his heart twist in his chest as his eyes drifted down to the ground. “For the first time something finally good came my way and I already messed it up. But I don’t want to let her go.”

Queenie’s shoulders sagged, her face twisting somberly, “You already have so many good things Jax. I wish you could see it too.”

Jax was about to open his mouth to ask what she meant, but Queenie was already walking away. He stared at the wine in his cup, watching the bubbles rise to the top. Through the glass, he could see the other guests spying on him, whispering to one another while pointing at him.

He knew they were talking about his most recent blunder with Pomni, and as much as it hurt, it wasn’t the first time the upper class had gossiped about him. Even before his pranks, before his reputation as the ‘disaster heir of Laphria’, ever since he was a child every lord, duke and count always had their opinions and comments about of him, none of them friendly.

Jax scoffed at them, he didn’t care. At least now that he was older he had a reason for them to talk nothing but rubbish about him, instead of simply being a child.

He took a swig of his wine, it was going to be a long night.

.

.

.

My nana says I have travelling feet

Travelling feet, travelling feet

Slippers for princesses don't fit me

But I dance to my own drum, bright and bold

And my travelling feet always get me home

Pomni strummed her guitar in the dressing room, fully decked in her costume and waiting for the performance to start later. She always got nervous before a show (especially after the public invite she received from the prince) but her music always calmed her down.

My sister says I've a restless soul

Restless soul, restless soul

Easy to catch, but I'm hard to hold

Like a song on the wind that you caught one day

I get under your skin, then I slip away

Gangle, Zooble, Moon and Ragatha were in there as well, adding the last touches to their costumes while listening to Pomni’s song. The girl had come a long way, for better and for worse, but her music was one of the things that gave the circus members hope. After what they went though, they could all use it.

I'm a map of the world and the ones before

One foot in sea and one on shore

Every step, every hope flung high

I'm a map of them all with my Irish eyes

“That’s coming along really well Pomni!” Gangle clapped as Pomni finished up.

The jester smiled, resting her head on the side of her guitar as she faced the rest of the group, “It still has some polishing but it’s becoming a new favourite of mine.”

“I’m glad you have something to focus on after that whole mess earlier,” Moon sneered at the memory of the announcer, feeling nothing but fury at the prince for trying to pressure Pomni to join him. “It took bravery to decline such a heavy offer Pomni.”

Pomni cringed, “I don’t understand, what on earth does the prince see in me for him to keep running back! I mean, you’d think he’d take a hint after what I said to him the first time I saw him! But no, he just wants to keep being annoying. Ugh, men are the worst thing in this realm.”

“Agreed,” Ragatha nodded, “Men are only born with half a brain with not a lot going on in there.”

“I don’t know,” Zooble shrugged, “Granted, women are better. But you seem pretty passionate about someone you find annoying Pomni.”

“W-what?!” Pomni stuttered, nearly dropping the guitar, “What is that supposed to mean?!”

“You know, if you really hate him Pomni you wouldn’t be talking about him this much,” Zooble grinned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gangle gasped, an excited grin gracing her mask, “It’s true! Pomni, you can say you like him, we won’t judge!”

“I-I, no! I don’t ­like him! That’s absurd!” Pomni stuck her tongue out in disgust.

“Exactly, there’s no way that prince even deserves Pomni,” Ragatha nodded.

“Honestly, you and Zooble might be so head over heels with one another that you both are making up stories in your head!” Moon frowned, shaking her head.

“Or maybe we’re able to see the obvious,” Zooble chuckled.

“No! No! You don’t see anything!” Pomni squeaked. “Besides, Jax is not my type at all! He’s so loud and rude. And has a terrible sense of humour. And struts as if he owns the place. And he has untamed, wild eyes…that shine. And he’s always smiling no matter what’s thrown his way. And his smile, its so…” She trailed off, whipping her head up when she noticed Zooble’s shit eating grin, Gangle’s giddy face and the shocked looks that Ragatha and Moon shared. “…It’s so annoying! I mean come on!”

Her eyes darted between everyone, no one was buying her excuse. “I’m getting some air!” she huffed, setting her guitar down and running out of the dressing room.

Once she was at a good distance, she climbed the nearest rope connected to the ceiling, balancing and swinging on it slightly before jumping onto a nearby trapeze swing. She sighed with relief, despite her anxiety, the vertigo from being up so high was enough to distract her. She smiled a little bit, from up here she could see half of behind the tent and the audience were starting to flood the seats.

Her mind went back to what Zooble said, more so what they said about Jax. Her?! Like him?! How could she ever like him?! They were so different and he oozed nothing but a ‘higher than thou’ attitude, something she despised. She hated him, yup that was her final verdict, she hated him.

But unfortunately Gangle was right, she couldn’t get him out of here head.

She groaned, why couldn’t the rabbit prince get out of her head?!

“Did you hear about Prince Jax?”

Pomni perked up, looking down at the crowd. There was a group of young adults around her age, from the fine fabrics and jewels they wore that had to be belonging to quite prestigious families.

There were two young women and men, each one of them wearing vicious smirks. “This has to be his most embarrassing blunder yet.”

Pomni frowned, she didn’t like their tones at all.

“As if he wasn’t an embarrassment enough,” the first man sneered, “Honestly, I can’t believe that the crown will be going to him.”

“Marriage into the crown is the only saving quality of that man,” the first woman giggled, “That and his parties.”

“Imagine how low you have to sink to be like that,” the second man cackled, “Only being good for parties and nights in the sheets.”

The second woman whacked his arm with her fan, “Don’t talk about such topics in public!”

“He isn’t wrong though,” the first woman pointed out, “He was so desperate to lose his virtue, such a pig!”

Pomni’s heart sank. She only heard the village talk about the prince, his recklessness and pranks and all that, but was this how the upper crust talked about him? He probably had to spend every day with these types of people coming into the castle, did he hear every bit of it in the hallways?

“What else do we expect from an orphan bastard,” the second man sneered, “Only taken in because the royal family felt pity for him. Only one with peasant blood could act so foolishly.”

Pomni saw red. That was the final straw. To think so lowly of someone just because they had no blood relation to royalty, out of all the things to not like about the prince, that was what they hated the most?! He couldn’t control not being born into status! And each comment that they made was an indirect insult to the king and queen taking in a child from the kindness of their hearts!

In fact, having this knowledge made her understand Jax a little bit more, was this why he acted out the way he did? From hearing these comments all the time? After all, she knew better than anyone about being taken care of by someone with no blood connected to them, she didn’t know if she would even be here today if it wasn’t for Kaufmo.

She glared at the ignorant cluster below her, she wasn’t going to let them get away with this.  

She looked up, on the platform next to Moon and Sun’s tightrope, she could see the bucket of water that was typically dumped onto Kaufmo’s head at the beginning of his act. She titled the swing, giving it a bit of momentum before swing over onto the tightrope. She jumped, balancing carefully before tiptoeing over to the platform. She picked up the bucket of water, searched for the group again before dumping the water over them, soaking their clothes and makeup.

They let out ear-piercing screeches, demanding who did this. Pomni jumped back onto her swing, hidden in the shadows as she bit back a giggle. That would teach them a lesson for their vile little words.

She froze when she heard a throat clear, looking back behind the tent, she saw Kaufmo with his arms crossed while frowning. Damn it, he saw what she did.

“Uh…the water was dirty?” she gave him a nervous laugh.

His face didn’t move a muscle. Oh I’m in big trouble “I’m sorry Pa.”

.

.

.

There was so much smoke.

So much fire.

She couldn’t breathe, the smoke was too much.

There was no one there.

Where did everyone go?

She couldn’t be alone.

She can’t be alone.

“Ma!”

There was no answer.

No body

No life.

“Ma where are you?!”

Pomni woke in a cold sweat. She took in her surroundings, she was in the inn, sleeping after another show. She wasn’t a five-year-old girl anymore, she wasn’t stuck in a burning town with faded memories. She was here, she was safe.

She rubbed her face, the nightmares would always change, but they would never become dreams and they would never go away. There had been nights while she was more than willing to sacrifice her sleep, but it only resulted in passing out during the middle of the day. Nothing but a viscous cycle that she couldn’t escape from.

She contemplated getting her guitar out, but she didn’t want to risk waking anyone. She hated it when she got like this, she was nothing but a burden that everyone else was forced to carry. She was weak and stupid and a coward and-

Smash!

She screamed when the glass of her window smashed, a hooded figure climbing in with a knife and rope.

Pomni’s stomach sank. No, no I can’t go back.

She reached under her pillow, pulling out a knife of her own. The hooded man came forward to hit her, she blocked his attack and kicked him away. He let out a yell as he was pushed back. Pomni jumped off the bed as he began to stand back up, slashing her knife on her arms every time he lunged to her.

She raised her knife again, only for her door to be kicked down by another figure. They grabbed her arms, forcing her to drop the knife. The first stranger handed the rope to his associate as they reached into their pockets for something else. “Thought you had her under control,” the second figure spat.

“Don’t blame me,” the first one retorted, “Caine didn’t say how much of a spitfire she was.”

The name sent a shiver down Pomni’s spine. “Help! Somebody hel-” her cries were cut off when the first figure wrapped a gag around her mouth, muffling her screams.

“The pay before make up for this,” the second growled, “I got every mind to cut this little bitch’s fingers off.”

“Easy, Caine said he wanted her in one piece,” the first told him, “Just keep your eyes on the prize and we’ll be fine.”

Pomni heard more screams and crashes coming from outside her room. The others, they were in danger to. She tried to escape from her captor’s hold, but they were too strong as they wrapped the rope around her wrists and dragged out of the room.

She paled as she saw the rest of the circus crew being dragged out of their rooms, with staff members of the inn trying to stop them. In the midst of the ruckus, her captors managed to drag her away and outside into the pouring rain. The first figure pulled him onto his horse, with the second one hoisting Pomni behind him.

“Remember,” the second one spoke, “Meet Caine in the middle of the woods, that’s where he’s doing the pick-up.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice,” the first nodded, whipping his reigns and taking off.

Pomni could only struggle as she watched the inn grow smaller and smaller, while her heart spiked and panic washed over her.

She can’t be a prisoner again.

She can’t let that happen.

She won’t let that happen.

.

.

.

The royal family was awoken in the middle of the night, an emergency was afoot and it needed their full attention.

Jax rubbed sleep from his eyes as he followed his parents into the throne room. This had better be good if he was rudely awoken.

“Your majesties,” a guard bowed, “The innkeeper has requested immediate help, her inn is under attack.”

The fur on Jax’s neck stood, that’s where Pomni was.

“Word has it that they call themselves the gloinks, a group of bounty hunters that has raided many kingdoms before,” the guard continued, “We managed to send over as many as we could to arrest them and they managed to intervene before anyone was hurt. But one already got away with a victim.”

No, no, no, no, no, no. Please don’t tell me its-

“They took the jester from the circus.”

Jax was numb, the rest of the world falling silent.

From the corner of his eye, he could see his parents worrying and giving out instructions of what to do. But Jax? He already had a plan. Get Pomni back.

And so, he ran.

“Jax!” Kinger yelled out to him, “Jax!”

“Jax where are you going?!” Queenie shouted.

He ignored them, he had to. Someone kidnapped Pomni, and they were going to pay.

He ran all the way to the stables, pulling a nearby coat off the rack as he took out his horse. He didn’t bother with a saddle, he had ridden plenty of times without one. Maybe he would get in trouble for disobeying his parents later, but he didn’t care. What mattered right now was Pomni’s safety.

He took hold off his horse’s mane as he took off, running out of the stables and towards the gate.

“Open the gate!” he shouted to whoever was there.

At his command, they opened.

“Come on boy,” he told his horse, “We gotta go!”

The horse galloped faster and faster, running past the gates and into the town.

He had to pick up the pace, Pomni’s captor was probably reaching the edge of the village. There was one thing he knew, tonight, he was getting Pomni back.

.

.

.

Pomni struggled with her binds, her kidnapper’s horse was starting to near the forest. She couldn’t go back to Caine, not when freedom was at her grasp. She closed her eyes and focused, blue mist levitating from her hands. She focused on the knot on the rope, letting the mist carefully pull it out. It took time and patience, but she managed to get it to slip out.

She pulled the rope off, taking the gag off and was about to jump off the horse when an arm grabbed her. “Oh no you don’t!” her captor growled, “You ain’t getting away that easily!”

“I’m not going back!” she screamed, “You can tell Caine to go fuck himself!”

She raised a hand, scratching him in the face, leaving behind three bleeding streaks across his skin. “You stupid cunt!” he screamed.

He struck Pomni across the face. The momentum sending her off the horse, hitting the back of her head on a rock. “Fuck!” he jumped off, going over to her, “Shit, Caine’s gonna kill me!”

“Not before I kill you first.”

A fist grabbed the back of the captor’s hood, and he met the striking yellow and furious eyes of Prince Jax. He swore death was staring right back at him.

Jax used his other hand to grab the captor by the throat, lifting him above the ground. Jax grinned as he watched writhe in pain, scratching at his hands for air. He felt no mercy for this son of a bitch, he put his filthy hands on Pomni. He was going to pay. He slammed the captor against a tree, his head collecting with the trunk as he passed out. Jax threw him to the ground, he would deal with him later. There were more important matters at hand.

“Pomni!” he rushed over to her, kneeling to the ground and putting her head on his lap. When he pulled his hand away, his heart twisted as the sight of blood on his fingertips. Carefully lifting her head, he saw a nasty gash bleeding in the back of her head. He had to get her to a healer and fast. He pulled his jacket off, tearing off a sleeve and wrapped it round her add, making sure it applied pressure to the wound and ceased the bleeding.

He slid his arms under her waist and back, pulling her into his embrace and let her head rest on his shoulder as he stood. He carried her over to his horse, lifting them both up as he cradled her. He could see the rest of the guards coming, they could deal with her captor. For now, Pomni needed medical attention.

Without missing a beat, his horse tore off back to the castle, Jax keeping one hand on his mane and the other wrapped around Pomni to steady her. “Come on boy, come on!” he grunted, the horse snorting back as he ran as fast as he could.

Relief flooded him the moment the castle gates were in sight, opening at the first sight of the prince. Jax jumped off the horse as he slowed to a spot, keeping Pomni in his arms as he ran to the doors of the castle.

The guards positioned outside immediately opening the doors once they saw the royal and the injured jester, not wasting a moment so he could get her inside.

“Medic! I need a medic!” Jax yelled out, running up the marbled stairs.

The servants rushed out at the sound of the prince’s voice, gasping at the sight of Pomni and led them both quickly to a guest room.

Jax gently lay her on the plush bed, a few maids rushing over with bowls of water and towels. “She hit her head,” he told them, “I tried to add pressure to stop the blood but I’m not sure if it did enough.”

He unwrapped the makeshift bandage, tossing it aside before grabbing one of the wet towels to press it against the wound. A maid took it from him, pressing against it instead. He didn’t want to stand there doing nothing, Pomni was hurt and he was hanging around like a useless fly. “Blankets, do we have blankets?!” he turned to another servant, fear and desperation in his eyes.

They must’ve noticed, for they didn’t waste time pointing to a nearby cupboard. Jax rushed over, pulling out every blanket he could find and placed it on Pomni’s shivering body. “Hang in there Pomni,” his hands began to shake, there was more blood. He couldn’t lose her, not after treating her the way he did. His mother was right, now he was paying the price.

A doctor rushed in, medical bag in hand and ready to get to work. Jax’s stomach flipped when he heard Pomni letting out a whimper in her unconscious state. “Be careful with her!” he growled.

He felt a hand pulling him back by the shoulder, he flinched, shoving it away, only to soften that it was his father with his mother behind him. “Pomni is in good with hands with the doctor,” Kinger placed his hand back on Jax’s shoulder, “You got her here in time, let him do his work.”

“I can’t do nothing,” Jax interrupted, “Not when she’s hurt like this! I have to, I need to-”

“Ma,”

Everyone turned to the voice. Pomni wasn’t awake, but a tear slid down her cheek as she shifted in her slumber. “Ma,” her voice cracked, “Ma I’m stuck. Where are you?”

Jax’s heart shattered into a million pieces. Seeing and hearing Pomni so vulnerable, stripped of the glam and sass she wore, leaving behind a broken and frightened person instead. It made the guilt ten times worse. He felt himself sway, his head was pounding and his heart was threatening to burst out of his chest from how hard it was beating. Queenie immediately noticed, already wrapping her arms around her son and led him to a cushioned chair in the corner of the room.

“Pomni, she needs my help, she…” he murmured.

“Shh, it’s okay, you’ve done enough,” Queenie reassured him, running a hand over his ears, “Rest, she’s going to be okay.”

Jax wanted to protest, to insist that he was fine, to be by Pomni’s side. But the promise of sleep was too strong to ignore. And so, he shut his eyes. He’d wake up later, then he would help Pomni.

.

.

.

Kaufmo couldn’t stop trembling. When the inn was under attack, he was roughly grabbed out of his bed and shoved against a wall, leaving him with a bleeding forehead and a black eye. The blood was ringing in his ears and his vision was blurred, but what he did notice was Pomni screaming and tied up as she was dragged away.

He wanted to reach out for her, to give hell to those who hurt his kid, but the pain was too much and his attacker was too strong to escape from. Just hearing the cries of his family, and the fear of…him finding them. It was too much.

He thanked whatever god was up there when the palace guards came, saving them from the gloinks. But it was short-lived, with Pomni being the first thing on his mind. Out of everyone in the circus, it was his kid who had the highest bounty on her head.

He nearly cried when the news of Pomni being safe at the castle arrived to him, but what shocked him was who saved her. Prince Jax. Never in all his days did he think that the arrogant prince would care for anyone’s wellbeing other than his own. Nevertheless, Pomni was Kaufmo’s first priority, he wanted to get to the castle as soon as possible.

And this was where he stood now, in the throne room with the rest of the circus behind him, all praying for Pomni to be okay. The king and queen trekked into the room, Kaufmo running as soon as he saw them. “Where’s Pomni? What happened to her? Is she okay?” tears were streaming down his face, but he didn’t care, his kid was all that mattered.

“It’s okay,” Queenie spoke, “Pomni is safe, she hit her head but we had a doctor attend to her and she is recovering in a guest room.”

Kaufmo let out a giant sigh of relief. All tension leaving him the second the news was told to him. Pomni was okay, they got to her in time.

“However it does leave a question,” Kinger said, his tone serious and avoid of any other emotion, “Why were the gloinks targeting Pomni directly? What’s going on with you all?”

Kaufmo paled, the rest of the circus matching his expression. They had a feeling that after what happened, this question would arise. After all, this wasn’t a normal attack. The gloinks were infamous for their bounty hunting, always demanding the highest pay for whoever that had to go after. So why go after a simple jester?

“Kaufmo?” Ragatha walked towards him, placing a hand on his back, a silent question if he really wanted to get into this mess.

“It’s okay, they have to know,” Kaufmo took a breath to prepare himself, he could so this. “Our circus wasn’t always like this, and I wasn’t always the ringmaster. Many years ago, I wanted to be a clown for my whole life. Performing in a circus was always my dream. But no matter who I went to, they would never hire me. I was going to give up until I met a man named Caine. He was starting a circus of his own and he had everything, except a clown. He practically hired me on the spot, I was so excited that I was willing to look past any warning that were blaring.

It was fine at first, the audience liked my jokes, it was good pay and I got to travel all over the land. However, after a year of being there, I was ready to go home and see my family. But when I tried to leave, that was when I saw Caine’s true colours. The moment I stepped out of that tent, I was attacked by Caine’s hunters. It was then when I learned that no one could leave, and even if you tried, Caine would send his men after you. Either you get attacked, but if you attempted to leave multiple times…I know many members who chose death rather than stay.”

“That’s how Caine tricks people,” Moon spoke up, “He offered me a home for me and my brother. I even fell in love with him. But when I saw what he was doing, I tried to get help. I made it about three feet before his hunters came after me.”

“He said he would help my family,” Ragatha rubbed her arm nervously, “We were poor and he said he would pay for anything as long as I stayed in the circus. I haven’t seen my family in five years.”

“I wanted to run away with the circus, escape from the harm that was in my town,” Gangle sniffed, Zooble wrapped an arm around her, “I never thought how much worse it could get.”

“It went on like that for so long,” Kaufmo continued. “For years we were nothing but puppets for Caine as he fed off our talents. If we weren’t sleeping, we were either rehearsing or performing. And if we showed the slightest sign of fatigue, he’d unleash his fury on us. It only got worse when Pomni arrived. Pomni…I’ll let her tell her story. But she was the youngest out of all of us. She was five when Caine stole her. I took her under my wing, protecting her from Caine. But Pomni was different than the rest of us, her talents are…unique to say the least. It was what attracted audiences however, and as long as Pomni had that power, there was no way Caine was ever going to let her go.

“That was where I came in,” Zooble spoke up. “When the circus arrived in my area, I already had my suspicions. That was when I met Gangle, she told me what happened and I knew I couldn’t do nothing. So I came up with a plan to get them out. I would pretend that I wanted to be in Caine’s show while trying to get everyone out. It took a few buddies of mine and some help from my village, but it worked.”

“We managed to get the enforcers of the town and alert them of what was happening and then managed to detain Caine…at least for a while,” Kaufmo’s face fell. “A while ago, we heard news that Caine had managed to escape, but what really scared us the most was that he didn’t want any of us. Just Pomni. She was irreplaceable, so we’ve been on the run ever since. As long as Caine’s out there, none of us are free.”

Queenie and Kinger stood there, shellshock keeping them frozen in place. How could anyone react any differently to that information?! They wanted to so badly to ask about Pomni, but they knew that they shouldn’t pry her story from others. It was hers and only hers to share. “I appreciate you telling us this, I can’t imagine what you all have gone through,” Queenie told them, nothing but kindness and sincerity in her tone.

“Rest assured,” Kinger straightened up, “We will do everything in our power to make sure Caine doesn’t come near you ever again.”

“But how?!” Kaufmo cried out, “We’ve done everything in our power to get rid of him and he still manages a way to find us! We’re lucky to be alive at this point!”

“Believe my husband and I when I say that Caine will not get away with these crimes,” Queenie informed them. “For your safety, including Pomni’s, we advise you to stay within the castle walls under Caine is no longer a threat. Our soldiers are highly trained to deal with these types of threats. Worry not, your freedom is going to be granted soon.”

Kaufmo opened his mouth and closed it. Freedom? Was it really that possible for him? Would his daughter finally be rid of that monster? Maybe he was getting his hopes up, but by the end of the day, it was still hope. And as long as Pomni was safe, he would take it. “Thank you, your majesties, thank you,” Kaufmo shuddered, feeling a sense of happiness he hadn’t felt in a long time.”

“Of course,” Kinger nodded, “Once Pomni has arisen, we’ll let you see her. As for now, we’ll have your belongings transferred over to the castle. Please, breathe, you are all safe here.”

The circus members looked to one another, was it really possible? Would they finally have a life without fear? All they knew was one thing, as long as Caine didn’t get his hands on Pomni, then they could all finally breathe.

.

.

.

Pomni stirred lightly, her head thundering with pain. She was half tempted to go back to sleep, this bed was the softest she had ever slept in. She eyes shot open, the bed at the inn wasn’t normally this soft. When the bleariness cleared, she could see that she was laid upon the most luxurious sheets she had ever slept in, along with sleek silky pillows that cooled the heat rising upon her flushed skin. As her eyes travelled, they landed upon red wallpaper with embroidered gold stems and leaves, her gaze drifted to the side as she spied some type of curtains tied to each side of the bed.

She lifted herself up into a sitting position, ignoring her throbbing head as she took in more of her surroundings. She was still wondering how she got here, in fact, her memories were just as fuzzy in her. Then, in a flash, it came back to her.

The nightmares.

The break in.

The cries of her family.

The fear of seeing Caine.

The agony of her head hitting the rock…

And then Jax was there. His touch soft and his voice gentle as he lifted her and carried her back to the castle. Jax…saved me.

Pomni turned, gasping faintly as she saw the prince in a chair next to her. The castle she realised to herself I’m in the castle. Jax’s head was resting on the side of the bed as his breathing evenly flowed in and out. She smiled a bit, he looked so innocent like this. Stripped of his brashness and confidence, a small glimpse of Jax was peeking out to her. She was half tempted to brush her fingers through the fur of his ears, but quickly decided against that. He was a prince for goodness’ sake, how improper would that be.

She flinched at the sound of small pattering feet. She had a feeling she was safe due to the heavy protection surrounding the castle, but even that couldn’t keep the nerves at bay. She held the blankets closer to her, as though they would act as some sort of shield. All that worry melted away into awe once she saw the sweet brown eyes of a kitten starting up at her as he wandered into the room.

“Aw!” she cooed, “Hi little kitty!”

The kitten meowed, his tail wagging slowly as he made his way over to the jester. Pomni patted the bed, gesturing for the feline to come up. His claws caught into the sheets, making his way up until he joined Pomni on the mattress. Unable to resist, she scooped his up into her arms, with the little kitten rubbing his head against her cheek as he purred. “You’re just the sweetest little thing, aren’t you?” she scratched behind his ears.

Mew

She pressed a small kiss on his nose, he was just so cute!

Unbeknownst to the duo, the movement and noise that they were making made the prince stir a bit.  

Jax let out a low grumble, the back of his neck aching after sleeping in this horrible position. But he didn’t want to leave Pomni’s side for a moment. Just in case she woke up or something happened to her in her sleep. No, he had to be here. Even if he resigned himself to sleep in a terrible way, Pomni mattered more.

He could feel something move next to him, along with the sound of coos and tiny meows. Wait a minute, he recognised those meows. He straightened up immediately, ignoring the neck ache. Pomni jumped at how quickly got up, hugging Motley closer to her.

“You’re awake!” Jax’s mouth split into a relieved grin, “Are you okay, nothing hurts does it? Do you need anything? Another blanket, water?”

Pomni blinked with confusion at the prince’s many questions. He seemed so…sweet? He did save her life, but still, seeing this side of him was so jarring. “Um, I’m fine thanks,” she smiled awkwardly.

He ran to the door, not wanting to waste a single moment longer, “Doctor! She’s awake!”

It wasn’t long before the doctor came in, checking her over and making sure she was alright, informing her about her extended stay in the castle and the search for Caine. However, all her focus seemed to be on Jax. When the doctor asked for a cool towel for her flushed face, Jax was eager to fetch it. When a breeze through the window made her shiver, he was quick to close it. And when the maid was setting up a tray of breakfast for her, Jax dropped everything to help her. Even the servants and doctors seemed perplexed by his behaviour. What happened to the mischievous prince who made sure to make his crudeness his reputation?

When the buzz died down, the doctor informed Pomni to stay in bed and that he would fetch her family.

Her family. They were safe, it relieved some tension that she didn’t even know she had. It was when Jax turned to leave that she did something that puzzled both of them. “Wait!” she called out. The prince turned back, did she want him to stay? “I-I just…why did you save me?”

Jax was taken aback by that question, staring at her as though the answer was obvious, “I couldn’t just let them take you. Bounty hunters invaded my kingdom and kidnapped one of our visitors. Besides, you hold value to your family and circus. They need you in their lives.”

“R-right, well what I wanted to say was…thank you,” her smile made his heart turn to melted gold. So soft yet so delicate and beautiful. It was burned into the prince’s memory.

“Y-you’re welcome Pomni,” Jax stuttered, sitting himself back down on the chair. He gulped, not once in his life did he get so tongue-tied over another person. It was certainly an interesting feeling to say the least. “And I should apologise for sending you those gifts and the announcement in the town square. Please believe me when I say that I didn’t aim to make you uncomfortable. How does my mother put it? My heart can be bigger than my brain sometimes. But I’m sorry that you had to witness it.”

It was Pomni’s turn to be taken aback. She had never heard words so genuine and sincere, especially with it coming from someone she always saw as pompous and crude. She cleared her throat, “I appreciate the apology your highness. It may take me a while to fully forgive you, but you’ve made a good start already.”

“Jax,” he said.

She hummed questioningly.

“Call me Jax,” he clarified.

“Oh! Well, thank you Jax,” she ran her fingers along the kitten’s fur, listening to him purr to fill the pleasant silence.

“Ah, I see you met Motley,” Jax poked the feline’s nose.

“Motley?” Pomni tilted her head.

“My cat,” he clarified.

Pomni let out a gasp, excitement washing over her. “This is your cat?!” she beamed, holding the kitten up to her face, “He’s adorable.” She pressed little kisses over his small face, Motley purring louder at the affection.

Jax grumbled, ignoring the twinge of jealously, “He’s an obnoxious little shit.”

Pomni scoffed at him, “No he’s not! He’s a sweet little gentleman.”

“He broke in here and decided that this place was gonna be his home,” Jax retorted back, “I didn’t get a say in the matter.”

“But how could you say no to this cute face?” Pomni held Motley closer to Jax’s face, the kitten pressing a paw to the prince’s nose.”

“He’s quite…persuading. But you won’t like him when he’s taking a bath, trust me,” Jax said.

Pomni rolled her eyes, cuddling the kitten again. Jax smiled softly, it was sweet to see her bonding with Motley, after what happened she could use this little interaction to help lift her spirits.

They paused for a moment, Jax letting Pomni take small bites of her breakfast while he prepared some tea for her. He had requested chamomile from the maids, it was what helped him for whenever he had a sick day and he hoped it would help Pomni as well. Once Pomni’s plate was cleared, he gently put the mug in her hands and took away the breakfast tray. She hummed appreciatively at the warm drink, watching Jax’s carefully stack everything together and taking it to the door. It was quite the sight to see, a prince waiting beck and call for a commoner. But she wasn’t complaining, it was rather comforting to be taken care of.

Throughout the silence, simple questions being traded back and forth between the two. “So tell me, how do you know so much about flowers?” Jax asked, “You know, after my abysmal attempt of trying to give some to you.”

Pomni laughed, it was quite funny looking back at it now, “My ma-…my family always loved flowers, they taught me everything there was to know about them. My favourite was always roses, it might be cliché but there are so many meanings to come out of one flower depending on the colour.”

“I see,” Jax murmured, even the smallest thing about Pomni meant the world to him. She was just so fascinating.

“And you,” Pomni spoke, “What is your favourite pastime?”

“Well…I have a passion for reading,” he told her, “Ever since I was young I’ve always had a fondness for books about adventures and swashbuckling pirates! Every page was a new journey and I wanted to devour it all! I wanted to live that life more than ever.”

“That does sound amazing,” she mused, “I haven’t been to a library in so long…” she trailed off. Jax’s face fell slightly, reaching his hand out to her. Pomni noticed the sudden change in mood and smiled again, “But it’s alright, I’m sure I will one day.”

Jax nodded, keeping her sentence locked in his mind. He’d have to come back to that later.

Pomni bit her lip, another question had been burning at the back of her mind and it had made her more curious than she thought she should be. She turned to Jax, “I have to ask, why did you want to see me so badly? What did I do that made you so infatuated?”

Jax blinked, resting his arms on his legs as he clasped his hands together. He took a breath, his face serious as he answered her, “I know it might sound ridiculous, and you’re allowed to laugh. But in all honesty, it was your voice.”

Pomni perked up, her eyes wide, “My voice?”

“Yeah,” Jax nodded, “The moment you started singing, I just wanted to know more about you. You were telling a story simply through song, but you were only telling the first chapter. I got impatient and wanted to read more. From the first note, I knew that there was more to you that I had to know. I just…didn’t go about it the right way at first.” He let out a nervous chuckled, only to freeze when he saw a tear slide down her cheek. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you!”

“No, no, you didn’t,” she let out a choked laugh, wiping the tear away, “In fact, you said exactly what I needed to hear.”

Motley rubbed his head against her arm, offering as much comfort as possible. Jax placed his hand on hers, “Pomni, if I act or say anything stupid just say the word. I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m a massive idiot.”

Pomni giggled, her face twisting into one of mock surprise, “Really, I had no idea!”

Jax rolled his eyes fondly, “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up short stack.”

She snorted, about to say another word when the room was suddenly flooded by the circus members. Each one of them fretting over her and checking if she was okay. “Guys! I’m fine!” she reassured them, Motley scrambling out of the crowd and ran over to Jax.

The rabbit picked him up, giving the circus cast their space as they reunited with Pomni. “You scared me to death kiddo!” Kaufmo squeezed her, “I thought they got you!”

“I’m okay Pa,” she rested her head on his shoulder, “I gave them a piece of my mind before Jax saved me.”

Kaufmo froze, slowly turning to the prince. “You saved my kid?” he asked.

Jax gulped, he still hadn’t forgotten the clown’s terrifying threat, “Yes?”

Kaufmo hummed in thought, it seemed that he judged the prince a bit too harshly. But only a little bit, he didn’t regret chewing him out. “Thank you, your highness,” he gave Jax a simple bow, “It’s good to know that our safety is taken seriously by you.”

“O-of course,” Jax stuttered. He had fought and won battles against much more frightening opponents, how did a clown seem worse than that?

Kaufmo turned his attention back to Pomni, running his hand over her wound and cringing at the sight. He sat on the bed next to Pomni, the girl leaning into her father’s hug as the rest of the circus members watched over them.

Jax decided to take this as a que to leave and give them their privacy. He was just about to head out the room when he was stopped by Pomni’s voice, “Jax!”

He paused, turning back to her.

“Thank you, again,” Pomni smiled at him, “For what you did.”

Jax grinned, feeling a sense of pride fill him. But it wasn’t the usual arrogance he’d come to expect, there was a warmth to it, and a flutter of butterflies in his stomach. Holding Motley in one arm, he gave the jester a bow, “Always. If you’d like, once you’ve recovered, I could give you a tour of the castle?”

“I’d like that,” Pomni nodded.

And with that, Jax took his leave, fully aware of the stabbing glares of Kaufmo, Moon and Ragatha on his back, never did he expect to feel such danger from a circus crew.

Pomni bit her lip shyly, fisting the sheets below her hands before looking up to meet Gangle’s giddy smile and Zooble’s teasing gaze. “So, you got yourself a date with the prince huh?” Zooble chortled.

“S-shut up!” Pomni threw a pillow at him, making them laugh harder. She sighed, that prince really wormed himself into her heart, didn’t he?

Song Credit: Irish Eyes by Rose Betts

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