#orrec cygnet

[themadauthorshatter]

I seriously need to write this part, for fans and stans of Cal.

If Cal had to marry Iris PART 5!

They catch the spy and have Elara and Samson mentally tear him to pieces.

He's not from Norta or the Lakelanders.

Turns out Piedmont isn't exactly happy with the alliance between Norta and the Lakelands, so the spy was sent to poison one of the kings so the two sides would battle again. It would've worked, too, had it not been for Coriane Jacos's idiot son.

That's when Tibe leaves the spy to Elara and her cousin.

Now that I bring up Cal, he's in the infirmary with Maven and Iris at his side, watchung him as he sleeps. Yes, he's breathing, he's still alive, don't worry.

Tibe and Orrec walk in and ask how he's doing.

The healer said he should wake up any minute now, as he threw up a lot of the poison and has been resting for a while now.

Orrec watches Cal and admits that he was brave in taking the poison for him, and probably owes him his life.

Tibe agrees, and asks Iris and Maven how Cal's doing.

He shouldn't have because Cal wakes up and says he feels terrible, like he just learned he was swishing hydrogen peroxide in his mouth at the dentist's office(don't ask why that's so specific).

Cal tries to sit up, but Tibe and Maven tell him to stat down and not push himself.

Iris almost hugs him, because she's glad he's alive, but fights the urge to smack him for being stupid enough to willingly drink poison.

All the same, Orrec does remark that Cal knew and asks why he did it and how he knew.

He saw the spy put in the poison with his own eyes while dancing with Iris, that's how he knew. As for why, he didn't want the war to start over, not after everything that's happened between Norta and the Lakelands.

Tibe informs him about the spy and how Piedmont's reacted, so now they have that on their plates.

Cal's about to get up to see the spy, but Maven stops him, saying that he should get some rest, unless he wants to make the healer mad. He'll even chain Cal to his bed and lock him in his room, if he has to.

Tibe tells him to cut it out and tells Cal to stay and rest, so a healer can fix him, should any new symptoms arise.

They talk a little more and leave Cal to recover, though Iris stays behind, watching as Cal lies back down and fights a grunt; guess that poison hit harder than expected.

Here is their conversation:

(Neither talk. That's the whole conversation. They just stare at each other until Cal stares at the ceiling instead.)

(Just kidding😁)

(Iris glares/scowls at Cal as he coughs in his mouth, looking back at Iris with very tired eyes.)

"What were you thinking?"

"I saw the servant poison your father's wine. I couldn't let him sleep with the fishes."

(While Cal smirks at his own joke, Iris swats him on the arm, not at all amused.)

"You almost died, you fool!"

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry."

(Iris calms down and takes a breath.) "Are you feeling alright?"

(Cal, somewhat loopy, only chuckles.) "Look who's the fool now."

(Iris smacks him again.) "Is this how you always are when you almost die!? What if a healer doesn't save you next time!?"

(Cal stops trying to alleviate the situation and sees just how serious Iris is being.)

"You were really that scared?"

(Iris takes Cal's hand and holds it in hers, holding on for dear life.) "Of course I was. And I still am."

After a moment of silence between the two, Cal slides over and lets Iris lie next to him, though they're both awkward and a little uneasy because of reasons I'm not explaining.

He tells Iris not to worry because he's probably not going to do this again, though he leaves out the 'probably' to keep her from getting worked up again.

Iris warns him that he'd better not or else she'll actually end him. Cal only chuckles and remarks that she had at least 6 montha to do that and never did, so he isn't worried.

Iris still tells him to watch his back, if he ever pulls a stunt like this again.

Cal agrees and holds on to her as he drifts off, falling asleep so his body can rest.

The next morning, Cal is well enough to leave the infirmary and let everyone know he's still alive.

Formalities be damned, Iris stays by his side in case he gets sick again and needs to be healed again.

Everyone's glad he's alright, especially Tibe and Julian, who tell him he should stay in bed to get some more rest.

Maven was extremely glad his brother didn't die in the night, honestly because he really didn't want him to die, though all he says is that Cal owed him a rematch in the game they were playing the other night, the game part he leaves out, but Cal gets it anyway.

Cal asks what happened to the would-be assassina and Orrec tells him that he died, having taken himself out, so to speak, an admittedly coward's move, but an understandable one because he would've been executed and put through much worse, which is more than what he deserves.

Cal tries not to show a reaction, but admits that Piedmont's going to be pissed that their attempt not only failed, but they're just going to have to deal with the newly formed alliance between Norta and the Lakelands.

Easier said than done because the spy was a Red from that was born in Piedmont, but worked for the Scarlet Guard, who also worked in the nation of Montfort, a so-called democratic republic where Silvers and Reds live as equals.

Guess they weren't pleased with two angry kings allying together.

Tibe admits he's heard of this Montfort, but never thought it was anything more than a rumor.

Orrec politely stares that Montfort's real, and they left a letter for the Kings.

The note is extremely diplomatic, congratulating the Kings in ending a war, but asking that they end another war as well, one that's going to begin between the Silver powers of Norta and the Lakelands anf Montfort and the Scarlet Guard. The writer admits he'd rather not slip more blood, but if it ends the forced labor, poverty, and death Reds are put through generation after generation, then so be it. Who's written this note? None other than Premier Dane Davidson, the leader of Montfort.

Just to clarify, Davidson had nothing to do with the assassination attempt on Orrec, but a Lakelander with a grudge sure as hell did. He sent a spy ordered to slip Orrec the note and this Lakelander sent a spy ordered to kill Orrec and let Norta and the Lakelands tear each other apart while the Scarlet Guard watches with snacks and beverages.

Back on track, evryone wonders what to do, though Elara heavily suggests that they send a bomb to Montfort, but Maven disagrees because they don't know how strong Montfort is, and this Davidson seems docile, at least.

Tibe has just about nothing of that because these Red bastards almost killed his son.

Orrec ignores the fact Tibe didn't bring up how the attempt actually wasn't on Cal's life, but agrees with what he's saying. Regardless of who sent the assassin, they shouldn't get cozy with someone who wants them all dead. And there's always going to be a need for Red labor.

Cal, who's been quiet this whole time this whole time, speaks up. Why shouldn't they, seeing how the new alliance between Norta and the Lakelands has developed?

Everyone's quiet, even Iris, but Cal doesn't change his mind.

Thought I forgot about Mare in all this? Think again. Cal still met her and asked for her to be hired as a servant. The difference here is that Shade, who was in the Guard and near Summerton, heard that the Crown Prince was marrying the younger of the two Lakelander princesses and pulled a seriously risky move in getting his family out of Norta and into Montfort as fast as he could, including Kilorn and even going to the front for Bree and Tramy. By the time Sentinels arrived to collect Mare, she and her entire family were gone with the wind. He got in a lot of trouble for it, but it was worth it for the huge family reunion they all had.

And that's part 5! This is probably going on a hiatus for a little bit until I can come up with anything new for it, but for now just know that Cal and Iris are in love(as terrible as that is).

Sorry to any fans of this AU. I'll pick up and finish this some day, when I have an idea or two on how to end this.

I hope you guys enjoyed this, and sorry again

#red queen #tiberias calore vii #cal calore #iris cygnet #maven calore #tiberias calore vi #orrec cygnet #elara merandus #mare barrow mention #shade barrow mention #attempted assassination tw #au #ua #hiatus

[elliemarchetti]

You know the question about Mare getting pregnant after king's cage? Other than being furious and possibly throwing a fit, do you think Maven would be scared and suddenly feel pressured to have an heir if Cal had a kid? Also how would Iris and her family react to this scenario? How would Volo and Larentia react? How would the silver nobility in Norta react?

Very likely, to the point that even without Cal having an heir, in WS Iris fears that Maven has joined her in her room to fulfill his marriage duties. Obviously I think the Cygnets had already considered that option when they gave their youngest daughter in marriage and although Iris would’ve hated the thing I think nobody would’ve made a big drama out of it. On the other hand, Larentia was already pressing Ptolemus to get Elane pregnant and I think she wouldn't have behaved differently once Evangeline married Cal. As you have rightly pointed out, an heir is a big deal not only for the crown but also and above all for the most influential subjects, who would more willingly follow a king who can leave someone a progeny to take his place on the throne once he dies. An heir would certainly have encouraged more houses to ally with Maven, but only if they had been healthy and possibly male.

#ask #rq #mare barrow #cal calore #maven calore #iris cygnet #ptolemus samos #elane haven #evangeline samos #volo samos #larentia viper #marecal #coriane calore-barrow #shade calore-barrow #cenra cygnet #orrec cygnet #war storm

[evangelineartemiasamos]

Unfriendly Reminder

The moment when you realize that Jon didn’t talk about the future here:

“I see lakes flooding their shores, swallowing men whole. I see a man with one eye, his coat blue, his gun smoking -”

Farley beats a fist against the table. “Enough!” (Glass Sword page 301)

but about how Farley’s mother and sister died:

“The king of the Lakelands punished us himself.  (...) My father and I were away when he raised the shores of the Hud, pulling water out of the bay to flood our village and wipe it from the face of his kingdom.”

“They drowned,” I murmur. (King’s Cage page 387)

Do you agree, @lilyharvord @dewydrael @the-little-lightning-queen ?

#king's cage spoilers #diana farley #king's cage #house cygnet #foreshadowing #red queen #unfriendly reminder #trust no prophets #orrec cygnet

[lucy-the-cat]

Lover's Curse Chapter Twenty Five - Small Mercies

Iris

I shouldn’t be here.

There’s no reason to be in her room if she’s not in it. I should be preparing for the meeting, devising ways to rid myself of Maven so Mother and I may speak alone. Follow her home, if I can.

And leave Mare at his mercy.

My hands brush the surface of her desk, snaring on something cold, something that chills my blood and dulls my senses. Silent stone manacles.

Don’t make me use these.

I shred the note without thinking, sweep the spiteful remains into the nearest bin. Everytime I think he can’t sink any lower, he digs another hole beneath his feet. Horrid little man.

What would he do if I took them?

They fit neatly within my satchel, a dark chill settling over my bones. He commissioned a throne of the stuff. How does he bear it?

It doesn’t matter. If he can withstand it, so shall I.

I’ll not have him best me.

Who put this man in charge of seating arrangements?

Every placement seems calculated for maximum discomfort. Shove the revolutionary between two Silver princes. Put four chairs between his brother and his grandmother. Ensure Mother and I cannot speak without him hearing every word.

And of course . . .

“Hi.” Mare peers at Tiberias like a trapped mouse. “I hope you’re doing well.”

Maven smirks.

My eyes drift to the hand he’s draped over her arm, as if he owns her, as if she’s a trophy to be displayed on his shelf, as if he has any right to be smug when she’s in such obvious distress.

I’m beginning to understand how Tiberias feels.

I turn away. I may be seated next to him, but that doesn’t make us aligned. If he wants my help, he’ll have to beg for it

He kissed her.

It shouldn’t surprise me. It shouldn’t anger me. It shouldn’t set my blood aflame and remind me of all the ways he might drown. They’ve kissed many times before, and they’ll continue kissing for days to come. And when they return to Whitefire, they’ll do much more than kiss.

“You look solemn.” Mother tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Is something on your mind?”

We’re finally alone. He didn’t want to endure her lecture on the dangerous ideas he might spread, the pointlessness of this display, how he ought to keep his concubine on a tighter leash.

Why do I feel empty?

“I’m exhausted.” That must be it. “Father is dead. I haven’t seen you in months, and Tiora . . . “ My eyes water. “She can’t leave the country.”

“No. She can’t.” Mother closes her eyes. “I wish Orrec had found another way to ensure the treaty. One that didn’t leave you so far away.” A sigh. “She mentions you all the time. If Iris were here, this document would be finished. If Iris were here, I wouldn’t have forgotten. If Iris were here, I’d have been on time. If Iris were here--” She laughs. “Your biggest fan.”

“I’ll be sure to give her an autograph.” I smile. Tiora always struggled with dates and times and finishing work placed directly in front of her. It happened so often, we joked of her abdicating out of boredom.

If I’m in Norta, I can’t help her.

I clench my fists. I am a Cygnet, regal and untouchable, humble only to the gods who rule the skies above. I choose my fate.

I am not powerless.

“Here.” Mother presses a small packet in my hands. “A gram should do. Plant the remains in a maid’s pocket. A Scarlet Guard attack.” Her lips tug. “It will be painless.”

She was always fond of small mercies.

“Better than he deserves.”

“He?”

Oh.

Oh no.

“I understand the temptation. Believe me, it was all I could do not to drag him into the nearest lake.” She sighs. “But we need him alive. We can’t have a united Norta.” She gestures to Tiberias, in deep conversation with his uncle across the room. “We’re not ready.”

I don’t like where this conversation is going.

“And we’re not ready for a Red to puppet Norta’s boy-king. Let’s take hold of his strings.” Her eyes gleam. “Would he fulfill his promises if she were dead? Or would he devote himself to hunting down her killers?” She tuts. “What a terrible trick for the Scarlet Guard to pull. Slaughtering a Red princess. They truly hate Silvers more than they love Reds.”

“No one would believe it.” Is this how it feels to drown? “She helps them. They shield her family.” A breath. “They like her.”

“Do they?” Mother points.

The general has squirreled away to a corner, one Mare can’t be happy to share. She mutters something I cannot hear, something which makes Mare’s expression go cold. The same cold I hid behind in the Rift. A cold that dissolves when she says something else, something that weakens her knees and I can’t catch her, can’t reach her, can’t do anything but watch and pray the gods have mercy on her.

He rescues her.

He shoos the general away.

He kisses her cheek.

If I didn’t know better, I’d find them adorable.

I watch Maven cage her in his arms, brush the hair from her eyes, mutter delicate lies in her ear as she stares into tearful space. What right does he have to comfort her? By what logic is he the hero of a situation he put her in?

If only I could save her.

“They don’t seem too fond of her.” Mother startles me from my pensivity. “He’ll be too enraged to focus on us. You can take over the duties he has no time for anymore, nudge him to abandon more and more until he has nothing left. Let him burn himself out.” She chuckles. “And let us rise from the ashes.”

Blood is a fact of life.

She brushes my hand. “You asked for justice. What better retribution than eliminating his only companion?”

“I did?”

“In your letter.” Mother tilts her head. “The one with the signal. You mentioned him in combination with a vengeance goddess that didn’t exist. Clever. Mail passes through many hands, and not all of them are trustworthy.”

“I’d remember sending a letter like that.”

Too late, I realize my mistake. Mother’s head snaps to Mare again. “Impersonating you . . .” A sigh. “We’ve too many variables to account for as it is. Eliminate her.”

“I need time to think.” My hands shake. “He’s attached to reality by a gossamer thread. What will he do if it snaps?”

She nods. “Take a breath. But know you must act soon.”

I must.

The edge of the island is silent and still, save for a few stray gulls. Waves lap at the sands, if they could be called waves. Ripples. A disturbance of what should have remained calm.

It will be painless.

Mother was always fond of small mercies.

She was not amiable to large ones.

I settle amidst the tall grass, blades bending with the breeze. At least with Maven, she was safe. He would humiliate her, degrade her, but he’d protect her from anyone else who dared. An uneasy sort of affection. But better than death.

Unless . . .

He wouldn’t aim to. If he could bear the thought, he’d have done it already. But one day, she might push him too far. One day, he might lose himself to his rage. One day, he might not be able to live with himself in the morning.

And she won’t be alive to grieve him.

I shake. She will die, whether by his hand or in his arms, and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Nothing but watch.

Can’t stay with him. Can’t leave her behind. Can’t let Mother grow impatient and finish the job herself. Can’t smile and nod like a good little wife. Can’t summon a tidal wave and destroy everyone for some peace and quiet.

I slam my satchel into the nearest tree, and the world shifts. Colors seem brighter, more vibrant, the air fresher, the atmosphere warmer and less punishing. The manacles. I’d forgotten I had them.

Forgotten “eliminate” could be softened to “neutralize.”

It’s a terrible idea. A terrible, terrible idea a better soul would never consider. But it’s a better terrible than the one she knows. And it won’t be forever. If Mother speaks with her as I have, sees her as an asset instead of a threat . . . she could be happy.

It'll be good for her, in the end.

The key slides into the lock with unnatural ease, a click cracking the cuffs in two like a traitorous egg. I told Maven I would take what was his.

Did he think I was bluffing?

#Lover's Curse #red queen fanfiction #red queen fanfic #red queen #red #queen #fanfic #fanfiction #king's cage #alternate timeline #glass sword #war storm #mareven #maven #maven calore #mare #mare barrow #iris #iris cygnet #cal #cal calore #mare x iris

[evangeline-of-montfort]

DIVERSITY IN RED QUEEN

everyone I just need a moment to like. sit down and appreciate the world we got with Red Queen because it’s pretty fucking amazing.

BLACK CHARACTERS

- cameron cole, fifteen years old and terrified, but stands up for her own beliefs and doesn’t shut up no matter who tells her to. liberates her people! has a great relationship with her brother! has a happy ending and a complete character arc!

- prince bracken, silver king, secondary villain, but NUANCED, cares about his children like a good father should

- carmadon. fucking gay. sense of humor is amazing. sense of style is amazing. excellent gardener and chef and does not hesitate to call evangeline on her bullshit. 

- wren skonos. can literally regrow hands. probably has saved everyone’s ass at one point or another. joined the montfort medics and is the breadwinner for her family (ptolemus, you lazy bum). awesome, i love her. 

LATINX CHARACTERS

- mare. fucking. barrow. is CANONICALLY latina or brown. ladies and gentlethem we have FINALLY gotten a popular book series about overthrowing oppressive systems and the main character isn’t white i adore this. 

- rafe!! electricon badass that sticks by his friends and is a really good fighter! god i adore him

- ada wallace has golden skin in canon so i think she’s latina, personally. (evidence: gisa barrow is also described as having golden skin and she’s latina.) and ada is also canonically one of THE kindest characters, and in glass sword she was integral to mare’s cause. incredibly intelligent and later goes on to represent the ENTIRE nortan states in government and at international coalition meetings. go her. 

- actually i’ve blanked please reblog with more i’m sure there were more

ASIAN CHARACTERS

- evangeline samos what a fucking queen. i can’t believe we got an asian character who wasn’t defined by introversion and math skills in ya lit. can’t BELIEVE it. the strict parents are still there, but that’s a universal experience if i’m completely honest. but evangeline gets a happy ending with a loving support group! cut off all the toxicity from her life we stan one (1) queen.

- ptolemus!! i actually love that he and evangeline are characterized as warriors. honestly ptolemus might even classify as a Brute (temper control 0, able-to-kill-you 100, shoulder width 500, has a soft spot). i never NEVER see this for east asian male characters, so this is incredibly important. 

on top of that, tolly is also a stay at home husband, which is something you hardly ever see either. especially with a character that’s been introduced as a warrior-type and was literally the king of an entire nation. 

- all of house viper, by extension. an entire noble house of east asian descent!! i adore it. 

- DANE FUCKING DAVIDSON IS CANONICALLY EAST ASIAN. VAVEYARD CONFIRMED IT. the LEADER of an ENTIRE COUNTRY who is INCREDIBLE and basically spearheaded a movement for red equality across the ENTIRE CONTINENT and is in a loving relationship with his unproblematic husband. 

BROWN/FIRST NATION CHARACTERS

- iris cygnet. orrec cygnet. cenra and tiora. we have canadian FIRST NATION PEOPLE as rulers of an INCREDIBLY powerful country. iris can hold her own against maven. she and her mother basically reversed the flow of the entire archeon river. she practically flooded an entire city until it was nothing but rubble. 

and even though they’re villains, they’re shown to care for one another deeply. again, more nuance in poc characters. fuck yeah. 

- house iral. another royal house of poc! and they’re a POWERFUL house, too. the best spies in all of norta are iral. tiberias v’s prince consort was an iral. the head of their house was literally nicknamed the fucking PANTHER that’s how good they were.

- lyrisa from broken throne (skin like cold copper). badass strongarm piedmont princess. unapologetic about her past, willing to do what it takes to save herself, but she still cares for other people. again, i LOVE that we have poc characters in positions of power. also, lyri is a great example of what to do with a stalker ex: physically rip his head off his shoulders. 

LGBTQ+ CHARACTERS

- gisa barrow. her relationship with a montfort shopgirl is brought up totally casually, with complete acceptance. that is SO important to me, that in red queen some of our gay characters can just... exist. gisa doesn’t have to fight for acceptance or love, and that’s such an important example of how the lgbt community should be treated in real life.

- davidson and carmadon. fuck. tell me they literally aren’t parent gays to evangeline and elane. that scene where davidson introduces them all to his husband, and evangeline practically cries because she realizes she can love openly?? i can’t even articulate how important that is to me.  

- evangeline and elane. let’s get one thing straight right here. if evangeline wasn’t willing to go to such huge lengths for her girlfriend, i don’t know what state norta would be in. eve shoved marecal back together to be with elane, and we owe her big for that one. also, if she’d married cal, a union of norta and the rift might’ve been too big for red revolution to take hold in. thank god, evangeline. 

(however it would have been nice if elane had more of a personality in war storm. that was a flaw that struck me.)

- how could I forget about maven calore? this one is a little more in the gray zone. first, i do appreciate that maven is bi/pan. second, while it would be problematic if maven were the ONLY gay character and his relationship with thomas was the Tragic Backstory, that is not the case. we have an entire cast of lgbt protagonists in healthy relationships. I personally think that maven shows that lgbtq representation can have nuance and villains and still be done well. 

- gay royalty: tiberias v took a prince consort. leonora calore took a queen consort, mariane nolle (broken throne). thank you victoria for giving us a HISTORY of lgbt figures in this universe.

long post, but how else could I properly appreciate well-written diversity in YA lit?? god bless victoria aveyard for existing. i would die for her, no cap. reblog with more if you can think of them! 

#red queen #mare barrow #evangeline samos #maven calore #diversity #poc representation #victoria aveyard #long post #rq fandom #evangelane #evangeline of montfort

[elane-in-the-shadows]

Red Queen Fan Fiction - Red Huntress Epilogue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Find this on Wattpad and on AO3

A/N: Finally, it is done. Hope you like it. It’s implied in the text but to make it clear from the start, this takes place about 4,5 years after War Storm/Broken Throne. Light smut ensues.

It was pure instinct that made her jump over the root before stumbling. Farley realized it only in passing hindsight, just in time to prepare for the next root. Her heart raced; fear sweat broke out on her back as she thought on what a Silver greeny tracker could do with the roots – with her. She wanted to run faster, despite her body weakened from weeks in lakelander captivity and all the obstacles in the path. The darkness deepening in the twilight forest with its roots, uneven ground, frequent stones and her thin slippers unsuitable for of all of that. She panted in exasperation. The general called Huntress had become a hunted – an irony she’d chewed on throughout her whole captivity.

She couldn’t stop, had to get away with the chance given her by Scarlet Guard operatives before the Cygnets and their lackeys caught up on her – speed and cunning were essential. But she was on their terrain, a favoured park on the way to a palace where Princess Iris expected to interrogate Farley.

Or so she’d thought. Yet her planning retorts to her captor suddenly had to change to escape tactics. Maybe her due reward for slightly hoping to be ransomed at the meeting – even a highly ranked general like Farley wasn’t worth paying every price for to the Guard; perhaps her talents were precisely why better was expected of her.

That would just smell of the colonel, she concluded. She snorted and gasped as she leaped over another hole in the track.

She considered eschewing the paths completely but her trail would stay visible as much if she went through the bushes growing in patterns deceptively wild. The path and the surrounding woods seemed so peaceful, quiet apart from the birdsongs. Well, that was a relief, to not hear from any trackers yet. They shouldn’t even know she was gone at this point. From the map her helper had showed her briefly, she couldn’t be far from the river where a boat waited for her. For now, she didn’t hear the water’s waves.

A part of her was flustered at the idea of travelling water when a Cygnet could be near. Now her pulse throbbed louder and louder in her ears, dimming the sounds of the landscape along with her ragged breaths. She couldn’t keep up this pace for much longer but she accelerated for a last sprint. The next slope, she’d risk to throw herself down and roll off to gain a few precious seconds. She jumped.

The impact hurt, still, but that pain she could deal with. Harder it was to get up at all, making her rue the stupid move. She wasn’t thinking straight. She rose with a groan, biting her lips raw until she reached the denser trees she’d seen on the map and which promised the river mere meters away –

Stepping into the boat and starting its motor came almost close to a loved one’s – Clara’s! – embrace.

The boat trip was a well-needed break still dominated by creeping anxiety. Farley’s fingers tapped nervously, her legs shivered from exhaustion, cold, and hunger. Her prison clothes weren’t made to withstand a spring night outside. Too bad she was alone on the boat, unable to hide and leave another to steer. At least the area grew somewhat familiar; she could navigate through difficult and into defensive spots, right into the bog in a forest close by.

She didn’t like to step off there; because she feared what a nymph could do with a bog, but also for the reason why the place was familiar, and the memories it woke.

Fingernails cut into palms. She would keep running, wouldn’t she? She had no time for sad memories.

When the river flowed into the bog’s lake, she was ready. She prepared to let the boat sink and dove into the water, to hide her tracks before she’d cross the bog to the village beyond.

Her helper, a Guard operative dressed as a lakelander escort, had not given her detailed instructions. Awed by his mission to free the general, he’d flashed the map to Farley and mentioned some keywords of the plan before wishing her luck as she sneaked out of the running transport.

Farley hoped he’d escape, too, as she shuddered in a ditch. Wet and dirty, her only comfort was to be hidden this way as she waited for another Guard operative to come and save her. It amused her, oddly, to be saved and picked up like this, but she couldn’t run anymore this night, not in her state. She needed a transport and those were – still – rare in this area of the northern Lakelands.

She knew this very well. She’d grown up around here.

Though not in this pretty, newer village. There could be wealthier farmers in possessions of vehicles. She wasn’t sure she was able to steal one but she could look and try at least. Better to move than freeze in the ditch.

It took another five minutes before she’d gathered the strength to rise despite the fresh wave of pain.

Closer to civilisation, she approached slowly and carefully under the traitorous moonlight. It was a different kind of peaceful than the park, apart from more dangers to herself. She’d crawl before someone saw her but she noticed no one, not even lights in the houses. Could she be so lucky to find an empty village?

Reaching a house with an orchard, she made a decision to search for food and maybe clothes as well. She rushed a few paces, then held on to a tree blooming white.

Bloom meant no fruit, she concluded with regret.

The next second, she heard steps.

She shifted against the tree and glimpsed for the person. Ten meters away, there was a woman, moonlight illuminating the curves of her face.

Farley’s heart ached in a way that, in this moment, had nothing to do with escape, fear, or war. She saw a ghost from the past and longed for nothing but to go to her to fall into her arms.

How could she? Her fingers pinched into tree bark. This detour was a mistake, and now the woman came closer while she, Farley, should run –

It was too late. Even though it was but a sigh, she heard Giselle’s whispered “Diana” all too well.

Giselle knocked on the bathroom door, entering after a muttered “’kay”. Inside, she leaned against the door, as if startled by Diana sitting on the edge of the bathtub. She’d known Diana would be here. And yet. It was her demeanour, so unlike from Giselle’s expectations and assumptions. Clad in a borrowed nightgown, Diana barely looked up. She was weary, almost scared, and sunk into herself as if petrified by a weight on her shoulders.

Giselle swallowed, her heart fluttering. Diana resembled the girl from ten years ago but also not – she was the Red General, the huntress of Silvers, the hero of justice. An image full of confidence that Giselle had glimpsed in broadcasts and newspapers, strange and stunning but ultimately leaving an impression superimposing the memories of the girl Giselle had loved.

The Diana in her mind had become both, the same and not the same, a true, yet also warped reflection. The same applied to the woman sitting before her.

Giselle didn’t know her but wanted to. She also doubted she ever could know her. Confused in this storm of emotions, “how?” was the only word she managed to utter.

Diana’s lips moved, her shoulders lifting and sagging again, too exhausted to reply without preparing herself.

“… I … I was captured,” she said at last. “By lakelander soldiers. This night, I’ve escaped during a transfer.” She swallowed, haunted by the memory. Or to give Giselle a moment to let that sink in, a moment Giselle definitely needed. She could only think how that explained the mess Diana was in right now.

“Someone helped me,” Diana went on, “but they could only offer me a chance to run.” She raised a hand to gesture yet soon lowered it again as she began to sway. “So I ran, through the park, to the river. A boat was provided and then I came to the bog.”

“Our bog.” Giselle stated. The words stuck her breath in her throat when Diana looked up and met her eyes for the first time since Giselle joined her in the room.

“Yes,” Diana breathed. Pain burned in her eyes, probably from her recent ordeals, possibly from the meaning of the bog bordering the forest with the lake that grew after the late King Orrec flooded Sieverling, their former home village.

“I found my way through, barely. Thus, I’m glad you let me clean somewhat. I don’t want to bother – endanger – you further. They’ll search for me, my enemies, I mean. My allies too.”

She paused as Giselle sidled away from her post at the door, her skirts swinging, and sat down in front of her. Giselle could feel how Diana drank in her sight and rejoiced in it. Now it was her who captivated Diana with a glance.

“You aren’t a bother,” Giselle said. Diana lifted her eyebrows, but Giselle meant it. It was like fate, a dream, and Diana an apparition on a feast day. It was one, actually, and while her parents and brother went to celebrate with the congregation in the next village, Giselle stayed back to take care of the farm and animals. It’d fitted her to be alone, to avoid Ushio, the woman with whom Giselle didn’t know where she stood.

When she’d seen Diana on the edge of the orchard, under the trees blooming white in the moonlight, she thought Diana wasn’t real at first. She’d been frozen at the sight of her love from the past. She could’ve gone away, doing nothing and leaving Diana to her own devices, like people long divided. But yearning boiled in her blood. So long. It’d been so long, and so often she’d asked herself, what had torn them apart? Diana had been gone like a flash; would she ever return? Giselle hadn’t dared believe it, even more so as she learned of Diana’s shocking career in the Scarlet Guard – until the Red General stood before her and Giselle both wanted to touch her and to scream at her. 

That feeling hadn't vanished one bit, even as she suppressed either option. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said with earnest.

Diana startled, reading as much in Giselle as she’d intended. How well Diana understood her. With time, Giselle had grasped in turn. The rumours of rebels, the Cygnets’ brutal revenge. Diana alive, yet away, while her home was destroyed. The young woman wanted for insurrection in Norta who soon stood right next to Mare Barrow, the Calore princes and the leaders of foreign nations. Diana had chosen her path and she hadn’t trusted Giselle to follow, no, not even to tell her about it, and so broke their hearts instead.

It was also what angered Giselle, what a part of her resented to this day: Diana had been right. Giselle would never have joined her in the Scarlet Guard or any other rebellion and Diana hadn’t even needed to ask or hear an answer. Already back then, she’d anticipated Giselle’s position with the same calculation that brought her to the top of Scarlet Guard’s revolution.

Diana grimaced to produce a pained smile. “You must hate me.”

“Hate? Please.”

“But you aren’t happy.”

Giselle bit her lip. “I haven’t felt much of your deals and victories.” She shrugged. “It’s the same, really. People are conscripted while the lords and lieges feed on their cruel whims. Your Scarlet Guard may have started here, your successes are elsewhere.”

Diana shifted, reaching out for Giselle’s shoulder with her gaze pinning Giselle’s face. “I came to change that.”

By getting caught? The remark got lost under the focus of the blue eyes piercing her. “Then I wish you luck,” Giselle replied instead, rolling her shoulder to shake Diana’s hand off, out of reflex rather than aversion as the rush through her, caused by Diana’s touch, spoke of a very different reaction. Hot blood flowed into her head and she gathered her fingers in her lap, kneading them to stop the tingling urge to reach for Diana.

She looked away, Diana did too.

“That’s good to know,” said Diana. “That my – the Guard’s – actions wouldn’t be unwanted.”

Giselle snorted. “If you only know this now, you would’ve done it anyway.”

The fleeting moment of calm vanished as Diana’s head spun to her once more. No need to meet her eyes, mere awareness of Diana’s watch set her on edge. “Yes, we would,” Diana began. “We … it isn’t an option to leave the Lakelands as they are, not while the developments are so uncertain, and things could swing back any time. Montfort learned this the hard way. We need to create a new situation everywhere – “

“Because your plan includes more chaos until everyone follows your lead?”

“What, do you prefer the lead that is now?” Diana snapped.

“Show me better.” Unfazed, Giselle stared up at Diana, returning the feeling of bathing in her looks as her throat bobbed, her chest heaved. She wanted to rile her up. To challenge Diana and get under her skin, because steering her into heated talking seemed the best way to lead her out of the frozen stupor, to break the cocky shell of protection against lingering pain and fear.

Diana’s quivering lips, fumbling for words, and her lids fighting not to blink betrayed how true the jab hit. Deep down, Diana had to have doubts, questioning how her strategies could tip over into overbearing. Until she swallowed, reshaping her face into a mask of conviction. “We were quite successful so far.”

 A harsh laugh escaped Giselle’s throat, a laugh shifting into true amusement as Diana fell in. “You’re rude,” said Giselle, trying to stop herself.

Diana cackled deeper, an audible relaxing. When she found Giselle’s eyes, a sudden spark lit her up that gave Giselle a rush of relief.

She’ll get up again.

“I guess that’s my job,” said Diana, still looking at her. “When someone needs to be barked at, threatened, or … worse, General Farley is called.” She quieted, growing serious again.

Averting her eyes, Giselle inclined her head. It was the obvious, almost infamous attribute of Red General, but to hear it stated, spoken of in a joking manner, was a different thing entirely. It came too close to the rift between them, the rift of now and the past.

Giselle balled her fists in her lap. See in which dangers those calls brought you, she thought. You’ve barely escaped captivity. She lifted her gaze to find Diana’s, unintendedly. She blinked, and blood rushed to her cheeks. Flustered, she said, “then your Guard could’ve returned the favour. Made a better plan to save you.”

Diana tilted her head as if puzzled by the idea. Then she laughed out loud. “I suppose you’re right,” she muttered. “I thought the same.”

Giselle was unsure whether to be angered or amused as well. Diana’s life, filled with dark humour to get by, was really beyond her.

Diana cleared her throat with a smirk and straightened herself. “That’s why I should be on the move already,” she said. “It’s enough if a bad plan endangers me –”

Putting a hand on her knees, Giselle stopped her from rising. Eyes met and locked, both shy and determined. “No,” Giselle insisted quietly. Her pulse fastened. Louder, she said, “what’s the point? So you can sleep in a ditch?”

“Giselle –”

“Is there anybody waiting for you, out there? Now? Because I am –”

I’ve been waiting for you. She swallowed before repeating the words that threatened to rise with quite a different intonation, quite a different meaning right now.

Typically, Diana seemed to hear the unsaid words nonetheless. Her mien softened which, added to the marks of her recent ordeals, revealed a vulnerability that had little to do with a rebel general and more with the girl from ten years ago. A sight for Giselle alone?

“One could almost think,” Diana said carefully, “you don’t want me to go.” She covered Giselle’s hand with her own and then, as if pulled by strings that were in truth inside of her, impossibly slow, Giselle sat up into a kneeling position so their faces met at the same level.

Her hand burned under Diana’s touch while the other … in no time at all, it was up to brush Diana’s scarred cheek ever-so-slightly.

Her lips opened, millimeters away from Diana’s. She couldn’t ask, couldn’t put the desire in words for fear to break the spell and so the moment lasted an eternity, her body speaking for her, until Diana answered, letting go of her armour to lean into Giselle’s cupped hand.

Giselle’s eyelashes fluttered one last time before she was kissing her. At first, there was only the chapped skin of Diana’s lips, and the softness beneath giving in, a softness that felt like a hit as it blurred every thought but leaning closer, wanting to get closer still. Yet while yearning flooded her, she unravelled the deepest parts of Diana’s rigidness only bit by bit.

Diana’s reciprocation woke slowly. A hand squeezing Giselle’s. The other reaching for her waist. Her mouth moving in synch with every small shift of Giselle’s as if they relied on each other to breathe.

It wasn’t air that enlivened Giselle though it was as much energizing, rushing wildly into her face, her cheeks, down her neck and into her upper body. Desire tingled in her arms as her fingers travelled from Diana’s cheek to her jawline into her hair, short but curly, still tangled but mostly clean now. It shivered in her kneeling legs, bracketing Diana’s, and throbbed between her thighs.

She felt goose bumps on Diana’s skin as she stroked her thigh, shoving up the nightgown; she shuddered as Diana deepened the kiss with a moan of pure hunger. Diana pulled her closer and Giselle cried out of joy. With a sharp breath, her mouth left Diana’s to nuzzle her jawline. She tried to speak, to murmur a propose to go on but she didn’t know how; nor did she grasped how they finally rose from the rim of the bathtub.

They stood, hugging, kissing, tucking at hair and clothes. Diana’s hands moved to her sides, her fingers drawing circles into the skin between waist and hips. Instantly, Giselle let her hips sway and felt for Diana’s waist in turn. She loved the dips of a woman’s waist, no matter her size, loved touching there and being touched there herself.

This night really was a dream, wasn’t it? A twist of fate in the person of a gorgeous woman.

It made her pause, to break away and stroke Diana’s short curls. She was in need of help, probably in shock. Would she even think of sex?

Diana blinked in question.

Giselle swallowed. “Do you want … more?” she managed at last, her fingers in Diana’s hair twitching nervously.

Diana lowered her eyes and closed them. In the dim light, Giselle believed she was blushing, and that it would end here, with her ruing ever bringing it up. The lack of reply was embarrassing – until a low sound rose, both sigh and chuckle. Diana’s eyes shone in the dark, like a flash, before another kiss grabbed all her attention.

Now, that was enough of an answer and still Diana hugged her tighter and whispered an almost inaudible “absolutely” into Giselle’s ear.

If Giselle’s desire had sobered slightly, Diana’s made up for it. That Giselle wore more clothes than her became suddenly unbearable and Diana urged to remove them. Four hands fumbled to get rid of Giselle’s bodice so Diana could keep squeezing into her flesh, fingers travelling from waist to navel to breasts.

The last of their clothes were gone, shed on the floor, as they stumbled into Giselle’s bedroom. It still smelled of fire though the coals had long burned down, so only the same pale moonlight that made the blooming cherry trees shine illuminated the room and the two women. The smell of lilac bouquets and the wooden roof filled the air, along with the scent of their bodies holding close. Diana had used their good soap, Giselle noticed, but she had her own smell as well, one Giselle was unable to describe yet found all the more enticing, the mixed fragrances of home, nature and the strange-but-not woman in her arms, in her bed, under her.

Bare to each other, they could only look, very much like the first time they’d made out. Eleven years had passed and left their marks. They’d become adults and changed and while they couldn’t see each other’s souls and shadows lay between them, there was plenty to read. Giselle had grown out of the delicate girl and filled out, rounded by curves and lean muscles; Diana’s body revealed her life as a soldier. Scars in more places than Giselle dared to count, broad and strong in shoulders, back and arms; yet also soft, with a curve to her tummy, large breasts, wide hips and big thighs.

Thighs Giselle moved for first when she was unsure where to start, checking the firm top side, then grinning as her hand travelled to the softer inside and coaxed a deep moan from Diana with a squeeze. She laughed, bending over to brush quick kisses over Diana’s lips, collarbone, nipples and stomach, before taking one last breathe, before going down on her.

As usual, Giselle woke at dawn. To her, the red sky of sunrise wasn’t a symbol for the fight for equality but marked the beginning of her farm duties. She yawned, and yet, instead of getting up, she lingered, hugging Diana from behind, marvelling at how the coppery light, both warm and cold, illuminated Diana’s back, accentuating the sharp lines of her shoulders and bringing out new shades in her hair.

Giselle chewed on her lip with longing. She wished this moment to last. She knew the dream was over. Sighing, her fingers glided over Diana’s skin, then she leaned forward and kissed a dimple in her shoulder before she sat up. Those would be her only tries to wake Diana, she decided. She didn’t like to leave her behind, but Diana appeared so peaceful, so much in need of rest Giselle didn’t want to interrupt it. If Diana scolded her for that later on – she wasn’t exactly scared of it. Without trying to stay especially quiet, she rose to pick up her clothes, washed and dressed herself, and then went out to look after the animals.

An hour later, hair pinned up and humming a tune, Giselle prepared breakfast and tea, considering which brew Diana would enjoy or if she should use the last bit of cocoa powder, saved as it was so expensive and hard to get. Her family would brunch over in the next village after helping out there, to arrive home at lunch, probably. Finishing the cocoa in their absence left her with a tad of guilt but this was the special occasion she’d saved it for, wasn’t it? Yet what if Diana didn’t even like –

Giselle lost the thought as loud steps approached the kitchen, just to stop at the door. “Morning!” Giselle greeted over her shoulder. And startled as she beheld Diana.

She’d cut her hair – buzzed it all off to millimeters of yellow stubble. She must’ve found the shaver along with the baggy knitted jacket of Giselle’s father she wore now. Together with the rumpled clothes from last night, her outfit stood at odds with the rather military demeanour Diana displayed as she strode into the kitchen.

A grin got stuck in Giselle’s throat. It was too confusing, a façade. The buzzcut didn’t make her look like a soldier, it stressed the raw state she tried to hide.

“Good morning too,” Diana said with smile as she sat down. She rubbed her head and winked. “Surprised? Just been fed up with the hair mess lately”.

Because it reminded her of her prison. Giselle was aghast as Diana’s smile widened, only to look even more fake as fuck. Diana wouldn’t give in to pity herself, but would she acknowledge when she needed to give in for a break? Yet if Diana wanted to appear good-humoured, who was Giselle to pull her down? Maybe that worked best for her.

Giselle cleared her throat, forcing her own smile and asked which food and tea Diana would like. Though answering gratefully and decidedly, as well as inquiring about Giselle’s family in turn, Diana picked at her plate as they faced each other at the table.

Giselle tried not to watch her, letting Diana take her time – to get accustomed to or rejoice in homemade food after whatever she was granted in captivity –, but she also couldn’t help glimpsing at her, the fingers both nimble and shaky, her face so intense in its details.

It didn’t work. Diana noticed, of course, catching her glances and pinning Giselle with stares of her own. Giselle breathed heavily, tucking at hair still in perfect order. It was all so awkward. Deep down, she hadn’t expected otherwise; it was the nature of one-night-stands, and whatever they’d been once, Diana and Giselle had been estranged for ten years.

Diana put down her knife with a loud clack, startling Giselle. Quickly recovered, Giselle chuckled. “You don’t have to stab anyone here,” she jested.

“You don’t know that,” retorted Diana, taking Giselle aback. Diana faltered. Her gaze, burning one moment, dimmed the next. “I’m … sorry. I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have stayed so you might have to stab one of my trackers …” She trailed off, losing focus.

Was she talking about more than leading Silvers here? Did she ... regret their night together? Giselle grinded her teeth, not wanting to believe it. Diana had wanted it, craved it, as if to overwrite the weeks in captivity and reclaim herself. At least, that was how Giselle understood her. If Diana needed that, she wouldn’t feel used for it when she could hardly keep her eyes and hands off her.

Still, desire could never bridge the unchanged gulfs between them – or could it?

She balled her fists, nails pressing sharply into her flesh. Was distance all that defined them? If so, their intimacy didn’t matter – had not, and never would - and Giselle found she couldn’t stand that thought. She couldn’t see Diana as a stranger about to leave and to be forgotten like their meeting had no impact and they no feelings to share.

She loosened her fists and reached for Diana’s hand, grasping trembling fingers that calmed at the union.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Giselle said softly. “Glad that you’ve escaped, glad to see you again … and happy to be there for you.” She paused to catch a few breaths. “We’re not exchanging gifts in a bargain, Diana, we’re …” But she didn’t know what they were. Friends or lovers, those terms were past and potential but not the truth. She gulped. “I’m with you,” she said instead, though it still felt like too much when Giselle didn’t fight at her side.

Diana seemed not to register that detail. She looked like she’d cry, her pretends gone for good. Giselle squeezed her hand, only to let go as Diana pulled her hand back to cover her face. Sure, Diana might look like would cry or was about to break, but she would do neither.

After a long moment, Diana’s hands met in front of her face, forming a triangle, like a shield – or a blade? – holding her apart from Giselle while revealing her red-rimmed, shiny eyes. “I want to see my daughter again,” she muttered, choking on the words layered with a yearning vaster than she could articulate. It was so strong. It swallowed her. It was a sea Giselle couldn’t even begin to grasp.

She needed more than a few seconds to understand. A daughter. Diana had a child. Was that the reason why she rued last night? Another parent to her child? A lover she’d betrayed?

Giselle felt slightly sick. There it was, the proof of the oceans between her and Diana’s life. Giselle hadn’t considered Diana having a child, having hardly considered having one herself. Children would be such a conscious choice for her, and the partner she might have one day, she’d delayed the idea until she would meet that woman and might know whether they wanted a child together.

Had Diana thought long about this? Or did it “happen” to her? Did she have a partner? How was it like? How and why did she hide the fact of her daughter from the public? The questions urged to be asked but she shut down their needling and cleared her throat. “How old is your daughter?” she said instead, carefully polite, not over-curious.

Yet Diana appeared even more aghast. Fuck.

“I … don’t know.” Diana cackled once and harshly, then covered her face with her hands again. “What day is it? If it’s May … she could be four … or already five …”

It was May 17th. Giselle swallowed a sigh. Diana had missed her own birthday as well, but it wasn’t the one she cared for. Of course she didn’t. Giselle imagined the child looking forward to the birthday, wishing for her mother to spend it with her, or maybe just her mother returning to her would’ve been the greatest present.

Diana, obviously, hadn’t intended to break her daughter’s heart like that.

Giselle reached out for Diana’s hand on her face. It shivered, even as Giselle held on tighter and tighter, like a buoy. She felt the tears on Diana’s face as Diana suppressed sobs and finally squeezed back.

They lingered in the moment. Giselle wished to keep cupping Diana’s cheek. To be close and intimate, physically and in their hearts, so at last, Diana would trust Giselle to be there for her.

But she had been there for her ten years ago, hadn’t she? She hadn’t done anything wrong; they were just too different.

Just minutes after deciding to find common ground, it showed itself to be a hard, difficult search.

“Hey,” she said softly, caressing Diana’s cheek. “It’s okay now. You’ll meet soon, I’m sure.”

Though appearing less sure, Diana calmed.

Why doesn’t she agree? Giselle thought. Would the Scarlet Guard tell her to do something ‘more important’ than seeing her child?

Irked by the idea in the face of Diana’s sorrow, she asked, “so, do you recommend it to me?” Her tone was decidedly cheerful. “Having a child?”

According to the abrupt change of topic, Diana’s eyes widened in utter confusion, making Giselle successful in lifting her spirit. Soon, Diana’s featured softened again, almost into another person’s. “Yes,” she breathed dreamily. “It’s … wonderful.” She sounded surprised by her own awe. “I didn’t know how much I’d love her. It’s incredible. To see Clara grow and become this cool person and imagine we’d made her … but we didn’t, not really. She’s making herself, and …” She paused, kneading her fingers with Giselle’s.

A whiff of sadness flashed as Diana looked down for a second, all serious when she lifted her gaze again. “I didn’t know how afraid she’d make me either. Every day, sometimes more, sometimes less. I fear failing her. I fear losing her, and nothing could break me but that.” She slapped on the table for emphasis. “Nothing.”

Not even losing her war, she meant.

Diana blinked, her eyes examining the room for the first time like she only woke up this moment for real. “Because I’ve lost everyone else,” she added. “She’s the only love I’ve left.”

Her head spun, now straight on Giselle, just staring at her. Her fingers moved slowly towards Giselle’s other hand, taking it at last. “Apart from you,” Diana said. “You’re still there.”

After you left me, Giselle thought, a sob rising in her throat.

Diana inched closer until their foreheads touched. “Or not,” Diana whispered. “I am the one coming back this time. To you. To Clara. Even to Mare and Calore.” She chuckled at the last two.

Now Giselle sobbed for real. Reading between the lines, it didn’t sound like Clara had another parent. And “Clara” itself – it was Diana’s mother’s name, another person they’d lost.

Back when King Orrec flooded Sieverling, Giselle had also lost friends and a home. She’s left the village, but not for forever as Diana had – she’d wanted to visit and stay close to the people who had welcomed and helped her family. Instead, everyone was killed, leaving nothing but ruins and a boggy forest.

Where the tragedy had motivated Diana to fight, it had been all the reminder Giselle had needed to be grateful for her new home and to stay in line.

Giselle grabbed Diana’s hand tightly. So hard they both winced. She pulled away to find Diana’s eyes. “So do come back,” Giselle urged her. “First to your daughter, to Clara, and then … to me.” She breathed heavily. Diana, with her cropped hair, her blushed face and sparkling blue eyes, still looked so young, not like a nightmare to Silvers. Yet she was all that, and more.

Giselle let go their joined hands, brushing Diana’s cheek once again. Quieter now, she said, “come back with Clara. Show her where you come from.”

She yearned to kiss Diana again, pull her close and never let go. It shouldn’t be. When Diana would go, these hours would truly seem like a dream, with her shorn hair left in the bin the only proof of her visit. Giselle couldn’t ask for more, but she could ask this.

Diana nodded and kissed Giselle’s brow. “I promise you,” she whispered and these three words were maybe even more intimate than the night before. “I’ll come back. To you, and for the rest of the Lakelands.”

A/N 2: Okay but while Farley was a captive, Mare and Cal took care of Clara which may or may not have played a role in them having children too. A possible future spin-off.

@elliemarchetti @lilyharvord @evangeline-of-montfort @goldfincheli @percelain-doll @gamer670 @sxfik @yjlover @scxrletguardsdawn @maudthebookeater @mareshmallow @petergrantkavinsky @farleydiana

#red queen #victoria aveyard #diana farley #clara farley-barrow #red queen fan fiction #red queen fanfiction #war storm #broken throne spoilers #Broken Throne #glass sword #king's cage #lgbt+ #farley #general farley #captain farley #red huntress #red huntress epilogue #landscape is again based on areas i've been to #wasn't sure if is should explain the hair thing #in the end i decided explaining would make it more angsty >__<

[paperblairplanes]

So a stroke of inspiration hit me in the middle of French class today, so consider this Red Queen AU:

At the end of Red Queen, Maven convinces Mare into being his Red Queen. Or, if you want to take it one step further, throughout Red Queen, Maven lures Mare onto his side rather than posing as Scarlet Guard. Either way, Mare joins Maven and Cal flees with the Guard.

Farley doesn't trust him one bit, but he's good for ransom or boosting the image. If a silver prince sides with the SG, it'll look way better to sympathetic Silvers.

Evangeline poses as a dutiful daughter like she does in King's Cage until Volo's plans regarding the Kingdom of the Rift are found out. He and his supporters have to leave the court or else they'll be killed. This forces them into an alliance with Monfort and the Scarlet Guard.

A radical faction of the Guard assassinates Orrec and Tiora Cygnet. Attempts were made on Iris and her mom. Iris steps in as queen, ends the war with Norta, and allies with Maven and Mare to get revenge on the Scarlet Guard.

If this scenario were to unfold, that would mean we'd get:

Antagonist Mare, and probably antagonist Mare's POV

Two high Silvers who never imagined themselves in the Scarlet Guard, being forced to work with them out of necessity (Evangeline and Cal)

All sorts of fun, angry interactions between Farley and those two Silvers

The three pronged angst trident Cal has to deal with after being forced to behead his father, his brother betraying him, and Mare having played him

Evangeline bickering constantly with Cal

New Iris and Mare brotp

Farley and Evangeline's relationship slowly developing into a brotp

The Barrows and Kilorn dealing with the idea of Mare's betrayal

Queen Iris

Queen Mare

Some extra blood divide warring because on one hand, now the country knows Mare is a Newblood and has married Maven, but on the other, Cal and Evangeline are Silver and are fighting for the Reds.

Evil Mare's reaction to learning about Clara's birth

So much angst

I'm not saying this is at all plausible, but it's fun to think about :)

#red queen #glass sword #kings cage #war storm #maven calore #mare barrow #cal calore #diana farley #shade barrow #evangeline samos #kilorn warren #iris cygnet

[baserpgredqueen-blog]

1.4 Localidades

- Norta:

O Reino de Norta, conhecido como apenas Norta, um país localizado no Nordeste. Sua capital é Archeon e seu governo é liderado por uma monarquia formada pelas Casas Prateadas, tendo como a Casa da família real sendo a Casa Calore cujo poder é de manipular o fogo.

“O país de Norta foi forjado por reinos e senhorias menores, variando em tamanho do Reino de Rift para a cidade estado Delphie. Caesar Calore, um senhor prateado de Archeon e um talentoso tático uniu Norta contra a ameaça iminente de invasão de Piedmont e de Lakeland. Uma vez que Caesar se coroou rei, ele casou sua filha Juliana com Garion Savanna, o principal príncipe governante de Piedmont. Esse ato cimento uma aliança duradoura entre a Casa Calore e os príncipes de Piedmont. Muitos filhos de Calore e Piedmont continuaram a aliança matrimonial durante os séculos seguintes. O rei Caesar trouxe uma era de prosperidade para Norta e, como tal, os calendários de Norta consideraram o início do seu reinado a demarcação de Nova Era, ou NE.”  

Norta foi chamada de “Luz do mundo” pelos seus cidadãos devido a sua tecnologia e poder.

A língua oficial de Norta é chamada de Common.

Sua aparência é rochosa cheia de colinas arborizadas, contem vários rios pontilhados com moinhos de água e um mar. As cidades prateadas são cercadas por paredes de vidro de diamantes, enquanto as aldeias vermelhas carregam uma aparência mal cuidada.

A maioria das cidades e aldeias de Norta são baseadas em ruínas de cidades da Nova Inglaterra e dos Estados do Atlântico Médio.

- Archeon: 

É a capital de Norta e detém a residência permanente da família real. Todos os planos de guerra são feitos em Archeon e todos os nobres moram nessa localidade.

O oeste de Archeon é o tribunal do rei, todos os nobres prateados tem uma moradia para estarem perto do governante, muitos edifícios governamentais se localizam no oeste. Maven afirma que, se necessário, todo o país poderia ser governado a partir desse local. 

O leste de Archeon é onde os prateados residem. Isso inclui comerciantes, empresários, oficiais, donos de lojas, políticos, barões de terras, artistas e intelectuais. 

 Archeon pode ser baseado em uma cidade ao Norte da cidade de Nova York. 

- Delphie:

É uma cidade localizada na região sul de Norta. É um aeródromo e uma das bases da força aérea de Norta.

Delphie foi incluída em um dos bombardeios feitos pela Guarda Escarlate. A Coronel Macanthos a citou durante uma grande reunião na sala de jantar pessoal da rainha Elara, mas foi de ombros pela Rainha, afirmando que era um incidente de treinamento.

Delphie é baseado em Filadélfia.

- Harbor Bay:

Harbor Bay é uma cidade localizada na região leste de Norta. 

Harbor Bay foi incluída em um dos vários ataques feitos pela Guarda Escarlate. Foi citado pela Coronel Macanthos durante uma grande reunião na sala de jantar pessoal da Rainha Elara, no entanto, foi dito que a explosão foi causada por um vazamento de gás na Baía. 

Harbor Bay é baseado em Boston.

- Naercey:

Naercey, também conhecida como Cidade das Ruínas ou Ruínas, é a base secreta da Guarda Escarlata. Os prateadoss acreditavam que era uma cidade cheia de radiação devido aos dispositivos fabricados por técnicos. A Guarda Escarlate é forçada a deixar o lugar depois de Maven revelar a localização para a elite prateada. 

Naercey é o nome curto para a cidade de Nova York.

- Stilts:

Os Stilts, oficialmente chamados Albanus, são uma vila vermelha localizada nas margens do Rio Capital. São dez milhas abaixo do rio da cidade de Summerton e a cidade natal de Mare Barrow e sua família. A vila tem um mercado onde vendedores vendem suas mercadorias e mercadorias de barracas. Os aldeões são obrigados a participar de um evento obrigatório de Feitos da Primeira Sexta a cada mês. 

Os Stilts são nomeados pelos edifícios altos da aldeia que se elevam sobre palafitas a dez pés do chão. Na primavera, o banco mais baixo está debaixo de água, e no verão, é como Texas quente. 

Os Stilts são baseados em Albany, Nova York.  

Os Stilts estão localizados em uma área governada pela Casa Greenwarden.

- Summerton:

Summerton é uma cidade em Norta, onde a família real e todos os nobres viajam para viver e participar de festas e eventos no Salão do Sol. É usado apenas para o verão e se torna abandonado antes da primeira queda de geada. 

A cidade está cercada por uma parede de vidro de diamante, como a maioria das outras cidades prateadas, e o Salão do Palácio é feito inteiramente de vidro de diamante e mármore. O Grande Jardim, o mercado, é pontilhado de flores, árvores e fontes, bem como inúmeras lojas que atendem às necessidades dos prateados.  

Locais notáveis: Salão do Sol, Grande Jardim, Jardim espiral.

- Wash:

Sem informações notáveis.

- Corvium:

Corvium é uma cidade feita para suportar a batalha, com grandes torres de pedra na cidade. Vários dos ataques da Guarda Escarlate foram mantidos lá. Um vermelho foi visto uma vez por Mare Barrow sendo jogado fora de uma das torres por dois soldados prateados. Você deve passar por esta cidade no caminho para o Choke*.

*Choke: É o lugar onde muitos soldados são enviados para lutar. A maioria dos soldados são vermelhos, forçados a lutar devido ao recrutamento. O lugar é destruído de forma irremediável depois de séculos de luta contínua na Guerra de Lakeland. 

  - Rocasta:

Rocasta é uma cidade militar nas regiões de Westlake e situada a poucos quilômetros de distância do Choke. Empalhada pela metade pela estrada de ferro, a metade contém o lado rico dos prateados e os vermelhos. Ao contrário de muitas outras cidades, Rocasta não tem portões da cidade, e os edifícios ficam mais próximos da cidade.

- Lakeland:

Os Lakelands são uma nação ao norte de Norta. As duas nações estiveram em guerra há cem anos, denominadas A Agressão na cultura Lakelander. Lakeland é governado pela Dinastia Cygnet, uma família de ninfas prateadas liderada por Orrec Cygnet. 

A Guarda Escarlate tinha um ramo em uma cidade desconhecida em Lakeland. A Guarda Escarlate não era tão cuidadosa, então, um dos agentes foi preso sabendo demais. Como resultado, quando Farley e seu pai estavam ausentes, Orrec Cygnet levantou as águas de uma baía próxima chamada Hud e afogou toda a aldeia como uma demonstração de poder. Entre aqueles que se afogaram estavam Clara e Madeline Farley, a mãe e a irmã de Farley. “Os vermelhos em todo o país foram inflamados pelo Afogamento dos Territórios do Norte. Meu pai contou nossa história para cima e para baixo dos lagos, em muitas aldeias e cidades, e a Guarda floresceu”. 

A Guarda Escarlate começou em Lakeland, Willis e Diana Farley sendo papéis fundamentais para ajudar a estender a Guarda para Norta. 

A língua oficial de Lakeland é chamada de Common. 

A região de Lakeland é baseada nos Estados do meio-oeste da América. 

- Piedmont: 

Piedmont é um país localizado ao sul. Ao contrário de Norta, que foi descrita como a “luz do mundo”, Piedmont e suas pessoas vivem na escuridão, possivelmente aludindo à sua tecnologia menor que a Norta. O símbolo do Piedmont é um selo com listras amarelas e brancas, e uma estrela roxa no meio.  

É um dos aliados da Norta, ajudando-se durante a guerra contra Lakeland. A língua no Piedmont, como Norta e Lakeland, é Common. Um dos produtos bem conhecidos de Piedmont é o algodão, que é considerado muito bom e a alternativa à seda. É reservado para funcionários de alto escalão, oficiais de segurança e Sentinelas. Prateados geralmente compram algodão feito de Piedmont. Tem invernos selvagens e verões pantanosos, e seus habitantes não são incomodados pelo calor. Estrangeiros de Norta e Lakeland não são utilizados para o sol do Piedmont.  

Shade Barrow refere-se ao povo do Piedmont como “Southie”.  

Piedmont é governado por um grupo de príncipes, nomeadamente o Príncipe Bracken, o Príncipe Daraeus e o Príncipe Alexandret. O jovem príncipe e a princesa de Piedmont são Michael e Charlotta, filhos do Príncipe Bracken. O embaixador de Norta é Belicos Lerolan.  

Piedmont está na localização do Sul americano, com exceção da península da Flórida. Ele se estende para o oeste até o Texas atual e norte até o atual Pensilvânia e Ohio.

- Montfort: 

A República Livre de Montfort, é um país muito, muito distante, no mundo da A Rainha Vermelha.  

Montfort apoiou a Guarda Escarlate, dando-lhes suprimentos para sua invasão. Ambas as organizações acreditam que os vermelhos e os prateados devem ser iguais.  

Montfort pegou o príncipe Michael e a princesa Charlotta como refém. Eles são os filhos gêmeos do Alto Príncipe Bracken, o governante do Piedmont. Ao usá-los como pedaços de barganha, Montfort e a Guarda Escarlate têm uma base militar oficial em Piedmont.  

Este lugar é baseado em Washington, Oregon e, principalmente, na Califórnia.  

- Prairie e Tiraxes: 

Sem informações notáveis. 

- Rift:

Rift, também conhecido como Ridge House, é uma terra pertencente à Casa Samos por gerações. Em King’s Cage, eles declaram a independência de Norta para formar o Reino de Rift. Ele se uniu a outros rebeldes, altas Casas prateadas, com a Guarda Escarlate e a República Livre de Montfort (embora de má vontade - permanecem aliadas por razões práticas, mas diferem social e filosóficamente) para levar o rei Tiberias Calore “Cal” VII ao trono de Norta, com Evangeline Samos como sua rainha.  

Rift pertenceu à Casa Samos por gerações. Muita artilharia veio dos recursos de Rift. Estendendo-se através do limite de Cresting de muitas fendas que dão à região o nome. A nação é todo o aço e o vidro, sendo facilmente o favorito da casa de Samos. Existem florestas bem cuidadas e terrenos luxuosos do Ridge. Os salões principais da propriedade são projetados por magnetrons, feitos de passarelas de aço com lados abertos. Alguns correm pelo chão, mas muitos arcos sobre as copas das árvores frondosas, rochas irregulares e molas que salpicam a propriedade.  

Poucos pássaros vão até Rift, como crianças, Ptolemus e Evangeline usavam eles para praticar alvo, enquanto o resto caiu para os caprichos de sua mãe.  

Bibliografia:

http://redqueen.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Queen_Wiki

[themadauthorshatter]

I haven't worked on this in a long time. And I now know what Universe Alterations are😁

If Cal and Iris were arranged to marry! PART 4!!!!!

A month or so has past and Tibe and Orrec are no longer trying to kill each other, though that doesn't fully translate to trust.

Elara hasn't tried reading either of the Cygnet's minds because their guards are always ready to shoot her if she tries, and because they barley take off the silent stone rings.

There's talk of Cal's and Iris's wedding, and their future as the new king and queen of the allied Norta and Lakelands.

Speaking of the lovebirds:

Arguments. NOTHING BUT ARGUMENTS. ALL DAY, EVERY DAY. Iris instigates, much to Orrec's annoyance, and Cal reacts, which really annoys Tibe.

It doesn't help that the two have differing opinions on what to do with Scarlet Guard leaders; Iris wants to find and kill them, but Cal would rather arredt them and get information from them as bloodlessly as possible.

It gets serious in training, when Iris and Cal must fight each other. There is some back and forth, at first, until Iris roundhouse kicks Cal in the face, taunting that he wouldn't hit his intended. He proves her wrong with a punch in the cheek.

They toss ability to the wind and just beat the hell out of each other. There's hair pulling, biting, scratching, kicking, some below the belt, some aimimg for the eyes, and just hell in the ring before they whale on each other with their abilities. Their fights leaves the training room floor soggy, the room itself full of fog and smoke, and the smell of smoke, and the walls charred black.

It also ends with the two of them glaring at each other from across the room as healers tend to them.

"This is not over," Cal snarls.

"I will gladly rematch you right now, Tiberias."

"Neither of you are fighting again until you are properly healed," Arven snaps.

Cal backs down, but continues to glare at Iris, who glares back and manipulates water aroind her hand; 'Try me/ I dare you to try it.'

Orrec is very frustrated with Iris, who asks if they're going through with the plan of taking over. He reveals that no, they're not. Things are going well between the two sides and restarting this war all over again would be a terrible idea, so she needs to play nice.

Tibe does the same with Cal, telling him to at least try to get along with Iris. Cal, however, counters that it's impossible to get along with a girl like Iris. Tibe admits that she may be difficult, but their current circumstance is better than fighting a war.

After the day is over, Maven and Cal are playing some chess to shake off the day's "scuffle," to say the least; Orrec brought up how Cal and Iris basically tried to kill each other, and Tibe simply stated that young love appears in funny ways, not wanting to talk about how the fight was a draw between the two or debate whether or not Cal won that fight against Iris or vice versa.

"You're doing again."

"Doing what?"

(Maven scowls.) "I don't need a Whisper to know what you're thinking, Cal, you wear it on your face."

(Cal moves one of his pieces, more a little more annoyed.) "'I will gladly rematch you, Tiberias.' I completely won that fight. She's just mad she lost."

"Are you sure you won that fight?"

(Cue some serious murder eyes from Cal, and Maven backs down.)

"I mean... from where I was standing-"

"Don't. Go there."

(They're quiet for a few minutes, until Cal sighs.)

"I get we're supposed to be allies now, but why is it THIS hard to at least get along with my betrothed?"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Evangeline and I aren't really friends either. They probably won't trust us for a long time. We have been at war with them for years on end."

The two talk a little longer befor they go to bed.

Cal isn't exactly in bed long though because he hears the sentinels arguing with someone outside.

Turns out Princess Iris went out for a nightly walk and the sentinels still don't fully trust her.

Cal steps in and the sentinels back off, giving the two time alone.

"I could have escorted myself to my room."

"Knowing sentinels of House Gliacon and Eagrie, they wouldn't have let you round the corner alone."

(Iris hides an eye roll and folds her arms.) "Well, what do you want?"

"Why are you up so late at night? It's two in the morning."

"Why are YOU awake?"

(Cal also folds his arms.) "Mavey and I usually stay up and play a game before bed. One for strategy. We meet up almost every night."

(Iris raises an eyebrow.) "Does your father know you're both so close to his least favorite son and intentionally sabotaging yourself?"

(Too much salt for Cal's liking, but he answers anyway as he chuckles.) "I'm willing to bet he doesn't. As much as he says he doesn't mind being alone, I'd rather spend time with my brother behund my father's back."

"I'm guessing the lack of alcohol helps."

(Again, too much salt, but he has a counter.) "Don't pretend you and your sister didn't spend time together."

(Iris is surprised Cal knows about Tiora.)

"Maven did some digging while my father and I were talking. A thankless favor between brothers."

(Iris sighs and hugs herself, the battle won by Cal.) "I used to walk the halls at night, when I couldn't sleep. I'd watch the moon reflect on the waves of the shore, stand on a balcony and listen to them. You're too far away from open waters, so I tried simply walking, but it clearly didn't work."

(Cal drops his shoulders as Iris looks out the diamond glass window.)

"It's foolish, and childish, but I miss home. My mother and sister. Having my father here has made this easier, all the same I just..."

Neither speak, but Cal understands, as he was training with a legion away from the palace and missed Maven, who was taken home after a certain incident that left him scarred for life and a Red burnt to an extra crisp.

The two talk a little more, about how they trained in combat and whatnot, before Cal escorts Iris back to her room and then goes to bed.

In her room, Iris kicks herself for being vulnerable, while Cal, in his room, laments that this nice little chat will be forgotten when the next day arrives.

Good news: It isn't.

Iris isn't as annoyed with Cal, and doesn't start any fights with him, and Cal is more courteous towards her.

They don't really talk because it's awkward and they're not there yet.

In training, to break the ice, Cal goes to talk to her, but Arven calls for them to run laps instead. Iris doesn't miss it and starts a race between the two of them, which Cal accepts. Soon enough they're both sprinting as fast as they can as they dodge and evade obstacles until Iris backpacks Cal, when he gets ahead of her. He calls her a cheater and she tells him that no fight is a fair fight.

Iris is pitted against Evangeline and Cal tells her to keep her hair up because Evangeline will pull it. She ignores him, which leads to her being yanked around by her hair before she damn near drowns Evangeline.

"Instead of tying up my hair, I should cut it."

"You're father would skin you."

"I'll blame you, then."

Cue a 'Wait, what?' Face by Cal and a smile Iris hides behind her hand. Yeah, she's pulling his leg, and Cal laughs with her.

TIME JUMP TO A BALL!

Everyone is having a good time and is getting along fairly well.

Iris and Cal dance and have a small conversation that if Tibe hadn't offered for Cal to marry Iris, then they'd most likely be killing each other.

At this point, they've bonded and are starting to fall for each other(I'll touch on that in the next part), so the words sort of rattle Cal to his core.

NOT ENOUGH FOR HIM TO NOTICE A SERVANT TIP SOMETHING INTO ORREC'S GLASS WHEN HE ISN'T LOOKING.

The dance ends and the kings toast to the alliance of their kingdoms, though Orrec notices that his is slightly less ornate and decorated with flames and filled with water.

A few moments later, Cal starts coughing and gasping, Maven and Iris at his side first as he tries to make himself vomit, which fails.

Tibe shouts for a healer as Orrec spots the servant and quickly subdues him with the water.

Cal foams at the mouth and passes out, dropping Orrec's glass

WOW! ANGSTY!

Yeah, I haven't worked on this in a while, and I'm basically playing a game of catch up with a lot of stuff I've made

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed!!!!!

#red queen #au #universe alteration #ua #cal calore #tiberias calore vii #iris cygnet #maven calore #tiberias calore vi #orrec cygnet #angst ending

[elliemarchetti]

In the Queen of Fangs and Steel how is Volo and Larentia handling Ptolemus' death?

The Queen of Fangs and Steel (part 4)

I hope this is a fairly comprehensive answer regarding how Volo reacted. The part on Larentia will be in the next chapter.

Previous parts 

Words: 1358

Many things had happened since Ptolemus had died, but her parents attitude toward her never hinted at changing: they gave her to Maven, forced her to live at his court, to serve that king corrupted by his dead mother’s whispers, and made her fight in every possible occasion, a display of House Samos’ power, as if they haven’t accepted they’ve already lost their first born and they were left only with her, the shameful daughter that anyone else would’ve loved anyway, in that situation. But they were Volo and Larentia Samos, they had, or at least they showed, no emotions, and if they realized how much they risked her life every day, they didn’t cared, probably because they were convinced that once she married Maven, they would’ve been able to get rid of him, but Evangeline knew better: if and when the king would’ve died it would’ve been because he would’ve signed his own death sentence and the executioner would’ve been Mare Barrow, that despite being his biggest enemy he still kept with him, or, in the most unlikely of cases, Cal, if only her previous betrothed had managed to put aside the love for the brother he was convinced he had and had dropped the hatchet on that monster’s neck. What a ridiculous thought: Cal had no backbone and would’ve never beheaded Maven, not after what Elara had forced him to do to his own father. Anyway, however powerful Volo Samos felt and was, and they were very different things, he could do nothing against this King Calore, not the alliance to his House had any value, evidently, since Maven, during the meeting with the Cygnets, organized to try to find an agreement, a peace with the Lakelands that would bring the Reds back to his side, if there had ever been any, accepted his wedding propose. Evangeline looked at King Orrec with disgust, but she did it sideways, so as not to make the same feeling she felt for her father too obvious: what kind of man could you consider yourself, if you were willing to sell your daughter to a monster? A king, and if Evangeline had learned something in those years it was that every person who holds power isn’t a good person. His daughter, Iris, the younger of two sisters, stood perfectly still behind him. She knew her fate before she got there, just as Evangeline had known her own. They were the same, in a certain way, but as at that moment the whole pavilion was dividing them, there would always be something that would prevent them from becoming even just allies, be it Maven or the fact her loyalty, even if she was going to marry the Nortan king, belonged to the Lakelands. This, however, didn’t stop her from feeling pity when her father said it would be an honor for him to call that insolent little monster, to whom a joke of fate had given more power than he was capable or deserved to manage, son. The silence that followed that falseness was filled with the sound of chairs scratching against marble. In a swirl of black and metal, what was left of House Samos left the pavilion. Evangeline followed her father as if she were in a dream, and she didn’t felt her legs moving nor did she cared about what was going on around her: it was as if she had started to float, every weight that that life had loaded on her shoulders finally disappeared. There were no other kings she could marry, not in Norta nor elsewhere, and this one had put her aside for another woman, a princess, everything with a very clear purpose, so it wasn’t even her fault, which was a relief, because her father would’ve never forgave her, just like he wasn’t able to do for the fact she loved Elane and not Stralian, or any other man, as much as he cared. If only things had gone differently and Barrow had never entered her life, now she would’ve had Cal by her side and Elane in her heart, in her bed and in her mind, all the places she had to stay: who cared that they couldn’t get married? Tiberias V too had had a lover, and he was a man. Once she would’ve regretted that throne she would never have, but now she had other things that she missed, for what she would’ve sacrificed everything just to get them back.

“What’s the next move?” Evangeline asked when they were far enough from prying ears. It was unnerving not to be able to trust anyone, and if they had gone home to the Rift, that situation would’ve ended too, just like everything else. But not the pain, that would’ve remained forever.

“We act as if we’re loyal, so we stay with him and wait,” replied him, with his usual thoughtful expression. There were things he wouldn’t say to her, as always, but that was too little: everything at Maven’s court was corrupt, just like him, and the longer they stayed with him, the more they were poisoned by his rot, by the black caries that ate his brain and every bit of him that could be considered human, too. Even the king himself knew that there was something wrong with him, that he couldn’t be fixed either with the same ability that had broken him nor, for sure, with power; he was in pieces, and these were too small even for the best healer in the world.

“Wait for what? He had shown he doesn’t respect his greatest and strongest ally in the least, what more do you want? Do we have to sacrifice another life for these cursed Calore kings for you to understand we mean nothing to them? Who do you want to be the next? Me? Mum? Who are you still willing to lose for power? Or do you think anyone would spare us if he asked them to eliminate us? They didn’t do it for Cal and you’re wrong if you think you have more power than he did. We are just a threat to his new plan, you can’t just not see it!“ she snapped, but immediately realized that, even if she knew she was right, those words were a huge misstep. She had gone too far, and if instinct told her to run away, run as fast as she can and never come back, anger in her father’s eyes petrified her. Obviously Volo Samos must’ve seen the terror in his daughter’s eyes, but when he hit her hard enough to make her head turn the other way he didn’t cared, as it always happened when it came to her parents. When Ptolemus was there he always interceded and he had been hit in her place more than a few times. But now he was gone, and she was scared as if she was still a child.

“Never allow yourself to exploit your brother’s death for your personal advantage with me ever again,” hissed the man. “I thought you loved him more than that,” he concluded, the hoarse voice of someone with a lump in their throat, after a second of silence, and then he didn’t looked at her anymore. She wanted to scream, tell him he was the one who never loved him enough, who had always seen him only as yet another pawn in his hands, and at the same time she wanted to cry, tell him in a broken voice that he didn’t even remotely realized how much she loved him, how much she missed him, to the point that her heart ached even physically, that she felt an emptiness in her chest, a void no one will ever be able to fill in. She would’ve been never full again because someone took the other half of her, so, just like every broken thing, Evangeline stopped working in the proper way and she stood silent, thinking that her only chance of survival was to turn to the person that had broken her in the first place, the girl who had killed her brother.

#evangeline samos #ptolemus samos #volo samos #maven calore #iris cygnet #orrec cygnet #cal calore #elane haven #the queen of fangs and steel

[themadauthorshatter]

Valentine's Day is over, but there's always a chance to be cupid.

I've already made two posts on this, so let's get the third rolling!!!!!

Here's what would happen if Cal was betrothed to Iris headcanons/story Part 3!!!!!

There are a lot of cameras on the way home, and Cal wants to break every single one after being exposed to the flashing lights and yelled at by interviewers.

It's silent when they actually get on the road home and head back, but there is high tension between the father and son.

"Just say it."

"Say what?"

"Don't try to keep it in, Cal. Just say it."

(After a minute of silence.) "There are at least ten ways this can go badly. We can't let our guard down."

"I imagine one of those ways involves those two chaining us to canons and throwing us in the ocean."

(Cue Cal's serious WTF face and Tiberias snickering because he thinks it's funny, even though there is truth in Cal's words.)

"I'm being serious."

"I know." (Tibe's smirk drops and he looks out the window.) "At least the war is over."

(Cal also looks out the window.) "Why did it take so long?"

(He's mostly talking to himslef more than anything because he already knows that Reds outnumber Silvers.)

There's a lot of fanfare when they get back to White Fire, and Cal is quick to escape to change his clothes, as he has a little bit of time to rest before it's back on schedule, with Maven following, after the cameras turn to Tibe instead.

The two talk and Maven admits that Cal probably has it lucky, since Iris seems to part crowds like their the Red Sea.

Cal ponders that Evangeline can do the same, but Maven reminds him of House Samos's reputation.

With Orrec and Iris, the two are approached by Elara, who is miraculous at hiding her disdain towards them both("Filthy Lakelanders in MY palace. Who does my husband think he is?"). Orrec plays nice until he sees and hears his daughter wince at his side.

He asks where Tibe is, to which the Nortan king arrives, fashionably late, and then, very cleverly, I must say, tells Iris to look for her betrothed, as it's best the two get to know each other before their wedding, get comfortable with each other's presence, if you will.

She nods and, after a quick fatherly hand rub from Orrec, leaves the adults to tear each other to ribbons- I MEAN... Converse pleasantly.😁

Tibe notes that Iris doesn't talk much, to which Orrec says he shouldn't be worried, as she is quite outspoken, and reminds him that she already VERBALLY swore herself to Cal.

While Tibe talks, Elara tries taking a peek into Orrec's head, but can only read "up front" thoughts and nothing deeper. Tibe brings up a very darkly colored ring on Orrec's finger, one that seems to be too common for a wedding band or a King to wear.

Orrec holds it up with a smirk and tells them it's "just a bit of silent stone to repel any whispering insects that try to puppeteer them." Elara asks if he's had experience, or any "trouble" with whispers.

"We used to. My men know how to deal with your kind, Queen Elara."

With a sudden chill, Elara and Tibe don't entertain what that means as Orrec asks Tibe to show him around, as he and Iris will be staying for a while.

Tibe obviously agrees.

Elara watches them go and SEETHES as she realizes the slight of hand trick that Orrec pulled with Iris.

I won't give it away, but the only hints I'll give you are they've had experience with whispers, they've erased whispers in the Lakelands, regardless of their House, and the amount of silent stone in Orrec's ring will keep Elara out of his head.

Speakimg of which, Iris wanders around for a bit, unable to find her absent, and undutiful in her opinion, betrothed. She finds herself near the garage and hears more classic rock music; it's blaring this time because she can hear the clanging of tools and metal.

She lets herself in and sees Cal working on the transport like before, more efficiently, I should add, now that he's not being a rebellious teenager.

Here is their conversation:

"Don't you have any Reds that can do that instead?"

(Cal yelps as he jumps and bangs his head on the part of the transport he'd been working on; he didn't really hear the door and got jumpscared.)

"My colors, I'm sorry! Are you alright?"

(While rolling out from under the transport and holding his forehead.) "It's-It's fine, don't worry." (Stands and gives a bow, despite the pain of headbutting what is a ton or two of metal.) "Lady Iris. My warmest welcome to Norta."

(Iris curtsies back, very tense because Cal is underdressed for his first official meeting with Iris and he isn't as threatening as she'd seen back near the Choke. She's also inwardly cringing at the pun.) "Prince Tiberias Calore VII, I presume?"

"Please, call me Cal, Lady Iris."

"Cal. Just call me Iris, then, considering the circumstances."

(Cal deflates and cleans his hands off with a rag, some unease growing on his face.) "Don't remind me."

(Iris takes note of the scars on Cal's arms and the back of his neck before she turns her attention to the transport.) "Is this what you Nortan people do for leisure? Lie under a three ton transport and hope for the best?"

(Cal turns back around and follows her gaze, a smirk growing on his face.) "I wasn't just "lying" there. And it's just under two tons. Good guess, though."

(Iris gives him WTF eye this time as Cal picks up some tools and rests back on the board he he was.)

"You're not REALLY going to go back underneath this, are you?"

"Well, someone has to fix it. It's been leaking oil. I'LL be fine, but I still don't want to take the chance."

(Iris hugs herself as she eyes the jacks holding up the transport and sees Cal working like nothing's wrong.) "And in the event this transport were to... fall on you?"

(Cal's turn to give WTF eyes as he rolls back out from under the transport. Iris is still standing straight and hugging herself out of sheer nerve, but Cal gestures toward the tool box on the table.) "Sorry, do you think you can stand over there? In case I might need something?"

"As in you need another hot on the head?" (Iris still stands by the tool box, just in case; temptation, temptation, temptation to end this betrothal and play it off like an accident on either side.)

(Cal rolls back out and sits up.) "Are you underestimating my ability to build, Iris?"

(Iris holds her hands above her lap, that one formal way princesses hold their hands, and gives a very "don't get ahead of yourself" look to Cal.) "I am starting to believe you are tempting fate, and trying to take the easiest and worst way out of our arrangement."

"Just because I didn't agree with this doesn't mean I won't be going through with it."

(Iris pulls him back out from under the transport and stares him dead in the eye.) "How coincidental that I feel the same way. Allow to make one thing clear, Tiberias: Our houses and countries may be allying, but I will not hesitate to wipe you and the entire Calore AND Merandus lines off the face of the Earth."

(Cal drops the reluctant groom-to-be and sits up, eyes burning through Iris aas he smirks again.) "It's funny you should bring that up, Iris." (The smirk drops.) "I was just about to say the same thing."

"You would really restart this entire war? Are the lives of your drunk father and bastard brother worth more death?"

"I imagine your father's done well in battle, at least enough to stop looking over his shoulder. He may be out of his territory, but I know how to deal with a man like him. And a lady like you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Try me."

The two have a glare down before Iris rises and walks away, warning to Cal to not challenge her again, if he knows what's good for him. And if he doesn't want to have any regrets about their betrothal.

Cal watches her leave and goes back to fixing the transport, slowly realizing that he might be in a similar relationship as Tibe and Elara, which he isn't too happy about. Sure, the same might've happened with Evangeline, but Iris is a blank slate and already they want to kill each other. I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty sad if THIS was the start of my marriage.

Nevertheless, a Queestrial is held FOR MAVEN, and Cal and Iris watch with the family, including Orrec.

NONE of the girls are happy Cal already has Iris with him, but they're not going to do anything because the war's over and they know NOTHING about Cal's betrothed.

Evangeline is especially pissed, giving Iris the same treatment as Mare, but Iris sighs and replies BACK to her this:

"How sad the only thing you people see in someone is how they can be used to your advantage. How sad, indeed."

This shuts Evangeline right up.

The betrothal to both brothers occurs, though Cal and Iris have another glare down before turning to their seats.

Cal notes the tattoo on her back and wonders when she got that done.

Nevertheless, there's barley opposition, because the war's over, but Volo Samos is still pissed, even though he can't argue with the results.

The night ends with Orrec escorting Iris to her room after all is said and done in the banquet. Maven muses that he and Cal sure are lucky, even though this is not what was probably meant to happen.

In his room, Cal hopes that things can at least get better between him and Iris. This may be a political marriage, but if Orrec and Cenra found love, why can't Cal and Iris?

And this has been Part 3! Kind of fanfic-y than parts 1 and 2, but I still hope you guys enjoyed

#red queen #cal calore #iris cygnet #maven calore #tiberias calore vi #orrec cygnet #elara merandus

[themadauthorshatter]

I haven't really done one of these in a while

If Cal and Iris married AU/UA Part 3.5(to build up their relationship):

We're backtracking to Cal and Iris's blooming friendship, before the ball where Cal saved Orrec.

After training, Cal does some lessons and goes to the garage.

And gets a surprise visit from Iris herself; when he asks, she admits she's been "waiting in this oil reeking hole for thiry minutes."

"You didn't have to. I was going to come to dinner."

"I needed to see you. Alone, I mean."

"Any reason why?"

Iris shrugs, after a very awkward moment of silence. "I was just wonder when we would have that rematch, seeing as how you can't see how I won."

Cal chuckles and folds his arms. "I won that fight," he says with a slight tip forward.

"We shall have the rematch decide."

Cal gives a crooked smile and a nod. "Fine. Just don't cry when I win."

Iris chuckles at that and agrees.

She wishes him luck and leaves him to his machines, also telling him not to die underneath one of them; ending his life and happiness is her job, damn it.

It's another joke, which Cal contiunes by saying he'll just break his fingers for her.

Iris leaves and Cal gets to putting the finishing touches on the engine, looking back at where Iris left and smiling at how they didn't argue and didn't rub each other the wrong way.

Dinner is just as pleasant, though there is a very minor hiccup when Iris almost calls the servant Red rather than her name. It's minor and she catches it.

Cal notices both the slip up and the catch, but doesn't speak on it, not wanting to start a fight.

After dinner, Tibe and Orrec meet up and talk, both having noticed that Cal and Iris aren't as eager to kill each other. It's a step forward, to say the least, but it could just be an act for the adults, so they're placated.

Tibe shakes his head at the idea, explaining that Cal wouldn't do something like that; he's not a very good liar, if he even lies at all.

Orrec only hums at this, wishing Iris was the same, easy to read and too honest for her own good, though he does admit that Cal should maybe practice his lying, as being too easy to read will be his detriment as King.

Tibe simply mutters that it will be the least of his concerns, considering the new alliance and a new growing tension between the Nortan-Lakelander alliance and Piedmont, who was against it like absolutely no one's business.

Orrec has nothing to say to that because he knows very little about Piedmont, seeing as how that nation was loyal to Norta, and they possibly made a new enemy.

Neither elaborate on that, instead raising a glass and hoping for a slightly shorter war with Piedmont.

Back with the young and happy betrothed couple, Iris is in training as she stretches, noticing Cal discussing something with a general, and Evangeline approaches, asking if she's enjoying her stay in Norta.

Iris admits it's not home, but she's still having a fairly decent time, thanks to a certain prince who was surprising nicer than she had previously thought.

Evangeline agrees Cal is quite kimd, too much so in her opinion, but he's not an idiot. He'll find out that Iris is nothing but a liar and a manipulative bitch, being a Lakelander and all that. Iris only blinks at her and continues stretching, chiding her that unless she has something to say that's worth Iris's time, she can just go and bother her own betrothed.

Evangeline only stays where she is and scowls, sneering that Iris should know better than to be so daring when she's out of her territory, where her armies can't protect her.

Iris only ignores her and resumes stretching.

In one more effort to get some kind of reaction out of her, Evangeline reminds Iris that Cal isn't always going to to be around to protect her, and it's times like that where she should watch her back.

Iris raises an eyebrow at her, eyes darting slightly to over Evangeline's shoulder.

"What's going on over here?"

Evangeline turns and Iris stands, greeting Cal very warmly, though he, surprisingly, glares at Evangeline as he gently pulls Iris to his side and then pushes her behind him.

It's an action that DEEPLY wounds Evangeline, because he was supposed to be her betrothed, not Iris's.

"What?" She asks. "Are you her shield now? Last time I checked, she was our enemy."

"Not anymore," Cal growls. "And unless you want to start the war all over again, and be the one responsible for doing so, knock it off, Evangeline."

Evangeline scowls, a little broken hearted and angry, but Cal continues glaring, only stopping when he walks away with Iris, careful because she's looking between him and Evangeline.

Cal asks if she's okay, and if Evangeline did or said anything. Iris brushes it off, saying that, as she has proven to him in particular, she is fully capable of taking care of herself.

He knows she can, but he's her betrothed. He'll worry about her regardless.

Iris warns him to be careful, because he's getting his heart and his mind mixed up and that can get him killed, if he's not careful.

Cal gives her a simple, "Fine," and they go about training.

More awkward hijinks ensue, like the two helping each other stretch and Cal accidentally falls down, pulling Iris with him. He lands on his back and she lands on top of him. It catches everyone's eye and Maven can't help but cringe at it.

It gets worse when she stands, but her hair's tangled in the flame maker bracelet on Cal's wrist, so she's practically stuck on him and kind of kneeing and hurting him in an attempt to quickly get free.

People don't know what to do, so they all try not to laugh, completely out of nervousness because both Cal and Iris are beasts, Maven only groans into his hands from secondhand embarrassment, and Evangeline smirks at the display.

It's essentially a very loud, very jerky, VERY awkward tsngo between a couple about to marry that are night and day.

Worst part?

Tibe, Orrec, and Julian are watching, wanting to be witnesses, should Iris decide to try drowning Cal or Cal try to cook Iris alive. For Julian, the pain from watching the two of them is so immense that he can feel it on his skin. Tibe pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head and Orrec simply stands resolutely, because there's too much stuff he's feeling to properly express it.

It ends when the two calm down and Cal untangles her hair from his bracelet and says a pun to ease the tension.

It just makes Iris figure out a reason why Evangeline wouldn't want to marry him as she walks to a peice of training equipment, though Cal trails behind her because the comment was too below the belt for him.

The next day, Cal sees the Lakelander King himself, upon his request, of course.

"Hello, Tiberias."

"King Orrec," Cal says with a bow of his head.

Orrec shakes his head. "Please, leave niceties for an audience. It's just us here."

Cal nods and replies, "Alright."

"Tell me," he sort of asks-sort of lightly commands, "how are you and my daughter getting along?"

Thank goodness Cal is a soldier because, with the 'answer carefully or I'm going to tie your ankles to a cement block, empty a part of the ocean, as deep as possible, throw you in, and bring the tide as slowly as I can so you can think about raising a hand against my child as you drown(and the rope would sort of tether, so every time he's about to drown, the rope gives and he's above the water breathing as the water continues to rise, so he'll get tortured by the repeated drowning and the pressure from the depths of the sea)' eyes Orrec is giving him, he would TOTALLY run for his life.

Cal only gives a sigh. "We... weren't exactly friends, at first. I mean, we used to be a war for over a century, so of course we would be at odds."

Orrec nods. "True. Now may I what you meant by, 'at first?'"

Thinking back on their first normal conversation, and the efforts they're both making to not kill each other, Cal allows a small smile to grow on his face.

"We've been... getting along better."

"How so, exactly?"

Cal shrugs. "I mean, we're not fighting like we used to. And we're just getting along better now. I don't know," he admits with a head shake. "We're not... We don't hate each other, but we aren't fully comfortable with each other. Not yet, at least. Hopefully."

Orrec smirks at that, and gestures for Cal to come closer, more specifically for his hands, which Cal does.

After a second, Orrec speaks.

"I knew you were different from your father. You have oil in your nails."

Cal takes his hands back to check, and, yes, there is oil around his fingernails, which is just embarrassing.

"It may be foolish thinking, but, I'll admit, it's admirable. Hopefully Norta has a King that will try creating rather than destroying."

You'd better believe that Cal's thrown off by these words, even when Orrec thanks him for being the ine to marry Iris, not Maven, because his mother is Elara.

Orrec then makes Cal promise he will protect Iris, at the very least, should something happen like an attack.

He promises.

Later that week, Iris finds Calnin the garage again, but he's about to ride away on his cycle.

She asks where he's going and Cal, passes her his helmet, saying it's best he show her(she's already in casual looking clothes).

He takes her to a slightly higher end tavern in a Red village, and they simply enjoy some water and watch the hustle and bustle.

Yeah. Cal's still doing his "leaening about my people" thing, even though he's going to marry Iris, a Lakelander who probably has polar opposite thinking to him.

Like this, he can see that Reds aren't that different from Silvers. The only difference is power, which helps the Silvers lord over their inferiors.

It opens up her eyes very much so to who she's marrying.

We get more hijinks with them joking at their table, dancing, because it's fun and Iris isn't the best dancer, and even avoiding a bar fight because teo Reds ran into each other.

They leave before they're spotted.

When they arrive back, Cal escorts Iris to her room and admits that this trip wasn't his best and he'll make it up to her. Iris, though flattered, tells him to work on his puns because they need some tinkering.

More below the belt Cal's a little offended by, but he instead snickers that he's wearing off on her.

They share a laugh and Iris thanks Cal for being him, because, in all honesty, he's starting to make this whole thing easier.

Cal thanks her back and even kisses her hand, saying he looks forward to their marriage.

They stare at each other for a second, lost in each other's eyes, and share a kiss(Sorry Marecal shippers!!!).

They bid each other good night and go to bed.

It's all good and happy, but it's a shame that a couple weeks later, at the ball in Part 4, a spy tries a poison wine attack to end the alliance of Norta and the Lakelands.

Cal, keeping good on his promise, takes Orrec's glass, which is poisoned, and drinks from it, as to not set off a possible fire fight, one with guns, not real flames

#red queen #cal calore #tiberias calore vii #tiberias calore vi #maven calore #iris cygnet #orrec cygnet #poison tw #forbidden ship #ua #au

[themadauthorshatter]

WELL, since I'm free of all charges(ignore the shouting of, "YOU'RE ON PROBATION!!!" That's just a... random person I outran- I mean... well... I'M FREE OF ALL MY CHARGES!!!), I figured now is a good time to get back into a series I started.

TIME TO BETRAY MY FANDOM SOME MORE!!!!

This is something of a part 2 to an AU where Cal has to marry Iris instead of Evangeline. Like before, I'm mostly using bullet points to get the story across, but won't use them for dialogue between characters.

Got all that? Good. LET'S GO!!

I PRESENT TO YOU PART 2: THE ARRANGEMENT

We start off where we left off, but with Cal on his own as he processes his new betrothal to Iris. He's still mad, but he's willing to go through with it, for Norta's sake.

The reason this is not a bad idea, but a terrible idea is because Norta has more electricity or power than the Lakelands, who have more food. The way this can go south is if Iris or her father, who will be accompanying her for safety, kills Tibe or Cal, then Norta will fall into Lakelander hands. Sure, Cal can hold his own just fine, but he's not the best against Nymphs.

Back on track, he joins his father for dinner. It's just the two of them. No Elara. No Maven. No sentinels. Just a father and son after their heated argument. (😈😁 See what I did there? Literally, I'm so proud of myself)

This meal is dead silent, the only sounds being the utensils on the plates aand the food being cut up. Neither talk, neither pay the other any mind, neither even LOOK at each other. Cal is simply keeping his eyes on his plate and occasionally looking outside, because it's nice out, and Tibe is reading a report on any goings on, because beimg a King is so much fun.

It is after they're both done eating and sitting in the terrible, painful, awkward silence that Cal FINALLY speaks up.

"When are we leaving for the Lakelands?"

This is not an, 'I'm sorry for disagreeing with a plan that could get us both killed and Norta destroyed,' but Tibe replies that the TWO of them are leaving in about a week, maybe two, so Cal needs to hurry and pack up so they can get to the Lakelands and be done with it. Cal, already dreading this, ponders why Maven and Elara are staying behind, considering how Cal has seen his father's lack of trust towards his wife, to which Tibe responds that should the worst happens, there needs to be someone in Norta still ruling, just in case.

The two are silent again for a little bit before Cal asks if Tibe is sure about this decision. Tibe is not EXACTLY sure, but with how things are going for Norta, the Scarlet Guard WITH the war going on, this is something they need to do NOW.

Cal can't disagree with that, so he just nods along.

The two stand and Cal looks outside again and wonders what it will be like, seeing the Lakelands in their entirety and not just the front.

Tibe chuckles a little and has a small smile on his face as he pats Cal on the shoulder.

"Cold. Bring a coat."

TIME JUMP TO NIGHT TIME! Cal and Maven are playing chess. Cal informs his brother on what's going to happen and even admits that he's nervous to go, because, for all he knows, he might not be coming back. Maven assures him he has nothing to worry about because he did some digging and found out Iris is actually the YOUNGER of the Lakelander king's two daughters, her older sister already in line for the throne.

Cal tries to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach and wonders who and what he'll see beyond the front, essentially trying to make the best of this excursion. Maven tries not to roll his eyes at this and remarks that she hopefully won't be as scary as Evangeline. The two finish their game and go to bed, but Cal stays up as he wonders what being married to Iris will be like.

Maven, however, has a conversation with his mother, but only tells her the bare minimum of what he and Cal were talking about. Enraged, she digs through his mind and just finds "useless nonsense." She affirms to him that they will find a way to fix this mishap, and they go to bed, Maven looking over his shoulder every now and again because his mother could be right behind him.

ANOTHER TIME JUMP! It's time for Cal and Tibe to leave for the Lakelands! They bid their farewells to Maven and Elara, though Cal had actually visited Julian for a bit to say goodbye, his uncle telling him to be careful in the Lakelands. With all that said and done, the two leave, Tibe hoping that this whole thing doesn't take long and Cal staring out the window as he watches and hopes the same thing, and that he can at least be happy.

Like in King's Cage, they meet just beyond The Choke, AND NEITHER SIDES ARE HAPPY TO SEE EACH OTHER. Orrec's eyes keep moving to Cal, giving an almost impressed look, only to get a little disappointed in his father; he's a perfect soldier standing next to an alcoholic, broken man; nothing against any of the characters, in my eyes, Orrec seems to be a man who would see someone's practically rather than rank alone.

Cal lets his father do the talking, as he was told to do, but can't help but bite his tongue at stuff the two say that he'd very much like to give his two cents on.

What are these two kings talking about? Simple. The terms of the alliance... AND JUST INSULTING EACH OTHER IN ANY WAY THEY CAN.

Orrec may be from a low house, but he was glad his wife loved him enough to keep him alive.

Tibe is proud he has sons; he doesn't have to sell them to stay in power.

Cal steps in after that, and the two kings get back to business, mainly about forming an alliance and taking down the Scarlet Guard.

After a while, however, Orrec speaks with Cal directly, noting the softness in his eyes and the callouses on his hands, even spotting out some oil that's stuck in the little crevice of his nail, it's not a lot, just some that he couldn't wash outvery thoroughly.

All is said and done, the kings agree to each other's terms, even throwing a few more jabs at each other towards the Scarlet Guard, shake hands, and have Cal and Iris betrothed.

Cal is slightly intimidated by the Nymph princess, because she looks like a fighter, but plays his part as the future king and Iris's future husband.

Iris, for her part, has to admit that this heir to the Nortan throne is impressive, though she is now curious about much of him is is father and hiw much is his dead mother; rumors travel farther and faster than you think.

Orrec informs them he and Iris will arrive as soon as they can, with the Lakelands already taken by Tiora and Cenra, and Tibe playfully remarks they'll have their guns at the ready when he and Iris arrive.

The two laugh and shake hands, and do that hand squeeze thing where they try to break each other's hands, but ultimately leave on an admittedly shaky alliance.

In the transport on and on the way back, Cal tips his head back and sighs, glad that the worst is over for now.

Tibe tells him to not get ahead of himself, as this is just the beginning

AND THIS WAS PART TWO!!!!

Not as dialouge based this time, and I'm so sorry for that, but at least we have the ball rolling

I really hope you guys enjoyed this, I'm kinda having fun doing this😅😁

#red queen #cal calore #tiberias calore vi #orrec cygnet #iris cygnet #maven calore #tiberias calore vii

[elliemarchetti]

What if Iris' father King Orrec survived?

I’m so sorry to answer this late but for a couple of weeks I’ve been in the middle of the COVID-19 emergency and I had to deal with some things, but now I am back and ready to answer even if I feel like you my not like my opinion since, after meditating for a long time, I understood that nothing substantial would really change in the story: certainly the Cygnets wouldn’t have wanted to kill Volo for personal reasons but they would’ve had to get rid of him sooner or later when they were still allied with Maven to reunite Norta and show that without the Cygnets Maven’s kingdom was destined not to last long. At this point I think things would’ve gone exactly like in WS and history would’ve been written the same way. 

#ask #red queen #orrec cygnet #volo samos #maven calore #ws #covid-19

[elliemarchetti]

Red Queen Soulmate AU (Diana and Shade)

Although @elane-in-the-shadows is the queen of the Fade fandom I also wanted to contribute by writing something about one of my favorite couples in the series and what could be better than putting them in a soulmate AU?

(Mare’s POV)

Other Red Queen fics:

A Rebel’s Song (part 2)

A Wonderful Mistake (part 2) (part 3) (part 4)

Words: 1955

"There’s a storm coming," said the Colonel to fill the silence. He had the good eye pressed on a crack in the compartment wall, fixed on the horizon. The other eye stares, though it can hardly see through a film of scarlet blood, but it was nothing new: his left eye has been like that for years. Diana followed his gaze, peering through slats in the rattling wood. Black clouds approached rapidly, barely hidden by the thickly covered hills and the lush vegetation. In the distance, thunder rolled, but it didn't bother her, as long as the storm didn’t slowed the train down, forcing her to spend more time hidden here, beneath the cargo car’s false floor. She couldn't really complain about the means of transport: on the trip to leave Solmary they had spent half the time on a barge shipping fruit with most of the cargo rotten that had forced her to spent the entire first week of operations trying to wash the stink away from her clothes, and she would never forget the disaster at Detraon; three days in a cattle car only to find the Lakelander capital utterly beyond reach, too close to the Choke and the warfront to have shoddy defenses. But she wasn’t officer back then, and it wasn’t her decision to try to infiltrate a Silver capital without adequate intelligence and support, but her father’s, who was only a captain with too much to prove and too much to fight for, and she little more than an oathed soldier with things to prove too. Bad blood or not, they had always been a good team and that’s why they kept getting sent out together. Detraon was their only misstep in an endless march for the cause, for which they put aside their differences each and every time.

“Any idea where we go next?” she asked, like the Colonel, unable to bear the heavy silence. After all, he was her father and they had once been very close. But he turned away from the wall, frowning, reminding her again that nothing was left of her parent and that only her superior was in front of her.

“You know that’s not how it works.”

She obviously knew, she had been an officer for two years and passed  two others as an oathed soldier, not to mention that she had spent a lifetime in the shadow of the Guard: no one knows more than they must, no one is told anything beyond their operation, their squadron and their immediate superiors because information was the most dangerous of their weapons. They learned that after decades of failed uprising, all laid low by one captured Red in the hands of a Silver whisperer. Even the best trained soldier cannot resist an assault of the mind. Every once in a while she wondered what they would find in hers, though she really didn't want to know. Surely her family, as it was before the flood, and then dates, names and operations, enough to cripple the last two years of work in the Lakelands but not enough to destroy it. They would also find King Orrec’s name, if only she hadn't had it tattooed on her left wrist. The names of those who you will hate and love the most, another divine condemnation, although many within the Scarlet Guard suspect it was just another way to control the masses. Diana also thought so, but wasn’t convinced that it was completely Silvers’ work but more than they had benefited from something they couldn’t control, just as they did with their powers.

“Captain Farley.”

Diana turned. It had been years since he last called her with her real name but it was fine, for various reasons.

“Colonel” she replied, and he finally looked at her, his good eye still a familiar shade of blue, filled for a brief moment with regret. She wasn't ready for another discussion, she didn't have the strength to deal with it, therefore she kept still under his quiet, quick observation. Everything was a test with him, it had always been, although to a lesser extent. At first, when she was just a little girl, she liked the feeling and did everything to make him proud and happy, but now he was getting old and his demands were increasingly difficult to achieve.

“What do you know about Norta?”

She grinned harshly. So they’ve finally decided to expand out. It was now clear for some time that the Lakelands were not fertile ground for the kind of rebellion they wanted to lead: too many cultivated areas, too many uninhabited spaces, too many memories for many of them. Norta was a breath of fresh air, with its coasts and immense capital. Moreover, the alliance with Piedmont must have intrigued the Command: once they conquered two kingdoms like these, breaking down the Cygnet monarchy would have been much easier.

"Another monarchy where the Reds must work or conscript to perpetrate the war that has been going on with the Lakelands for almost a century. Their king is Tiberias Calore the Sixth, a burner, fitting opposite to the nymph kings of the Lakelands. They should be easier to infiltrate since it’s half the size of the Lakelands with comparable population but we will have to be careful: a more advanced basis of infrastructures also involves many more controls.”

Outside, the thunder rumbled again, closer than before. So they would go to Norta to do exactly what someone long before them had started in the Lakelands. Her body already buzzed with anticipation: she had been waiting for that occasion for a long time and she wouldn’t let it escape.

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

The Chokes had a smell, a set of ash, smoke and corpses that remained on the soldiers like a sticky lover, sometimes even when they came back home. The veterans used to say that it enters your nose, but Shade was more convinced that it penetrated your skin and went down to your bones, becoming an integral part of you: you could be convinced that you got rid of it, but that smell of burnt carrion always came back when you least expected it, it didn’t matter how often you washed yourself or how hard you rubbed, because it was something intangible, more a memory than something physical. Some went crazy because of this feeling, he had seen them. In the beginning they behave as if they were well, maybe a little down, but when you are at war you are never too happy and usually no one notices it until the irritability and the unprovoked anger came, which usually resulted in severe paranoia and hallucinations, and this was what happened to those who were lucky. Even Shade’s skin began to be sticky, but that could be sweat, soil or blood: sometimes at the front it was difficult to distinguish them, either on someone’s clothes or on the ground, or at least this was what he repeated himself until exhaustion. That's why he had missed the monthly reading of the names, although he still hoped to meet his Diana, to live a normal and never completely satisfying, life, and why he was walking in the middle of the woods, risking death penalty, careful to put his feet right where three people before him put theirs, wearing his uniform turned upside down: to not go crazy, to have a chance to live a life worthy of being called such and above all to allow his family and all those who came after to do so. Wasn't that a worthy reason to fight, compared to earning a few miles of land on which even the grass would never grow again, by how much it was soaked in blood and dust? He hoped so, or he would have ended up just like all those poor souls who had lost their reason in the trenches.

"Here they are," Corporal Eastree hissed, snatching him from his dark thoughts. Shade leaned forward to study the three Lakelanders. The first to attract his attention was a girl nearly his age, tall and so pale she could be mistaken for a Silver, with thin straight blond hair and eyes colder than ice. She seemed annoyed, although Shade couldn't understand from what, but he also saw that this was all a facade: certainly she was a tough woman, but she had to maintain that forced detachment and that tough expression to enforce her rank. Thus in the Scarlet Guard there was no place for humanity and the feelings it entailed. Next to her was a boy nearly the same age, tall and thin as well, partly hidden behind the large rifle he was aiming at them. He seemed tense, as if he were about to shoot, be he remained incredibly still, as if he were used to being ready to kill someone for hours. He had to be a sniper, just as Corporal Eastree had been before the Lakelanders captured her and cut off both her trigger finger. The other woman was older and it was evident that, unlike the two younger elements that formed the small group, she had served in the trenches. She had lost an ear to a frostbite but she doesn’t hid the deformity, her blond hair pulled back tightly. Corporal Eastree must have made her own assessments too, as she came out of the bush with her hands up, to show that they had no intention of harming them, imitated by her subordinates.

“We’re the ones.” she said, but the younger girl didn’t seem convinced and asked for further confirmation, with which she didn’t appear particularly satisfied, perhaps because of the blatant anger in Corporal Eastree speech, although the woman had every right to be angry, considering that the war had taken everything away from her. Moreover, everyone would have had the nerves on edge to have a sniper, used to shoot from far greater distances, with a precision weapon pointed at their head. As if she had read his mind, the girl nodded to her companion, who relaxed his finger on the trigger just a little, but not enough to prevent Shade from throwing himself into the conversation and answering the next question instead of his superior, earning a grin from the girl.

“We best make this quick,” Eastree interrupted them, aware that no one would have won an argument against him armed with sarcasm and a title borrowed by the military. “Your lot might protect your names, but we have no use for such things since they have our blood and our faces. This is private Florins.” she started, pointing to the girl behind her. For anyone who didn't know, the two could have been mistaken for relatives, but Florins still had a family at home while Eastree had nothing but her subordinates, for whom she would have sacrificed anything.

“Private Reese” she continued, pointing to the next boy. They had been recruited together, he and Shade, but Reese had managed to convince the sorting officers that he would be more useful as supply soldier, so he was carried cases of ammunition and food all day instead of being in the open field.

“And…” she tried to end, but Shade interrupted her and closed the distance that separated him from those who would be his new allies and if all went the right way, maybe even a good escape from that hell.

“Barrow, Shade Barrow.”

Without seeming particularly impressed, their leader settled her right sleeve better and then went on to talk about what their tasks would be but their eyes no longer met, and Shade promised himself to find out what dark secrets that girl tried so hard to hide.

#soulmate au #red queen #diana farley #willis farley #shade barrow #tristan boreeve #orrec cygnet #fade

[elliemarchetti]

Will you do a part 2 to the zombie AU?

Here it is! Hope you like it!

Words: 1817

“That’s it! You’re getting a lot better, Ruth.” Diana said, as she wandered through the new recruits who were learning to shoot, including Shade’s mother and  younger sister, Gisa. His brothers were already expert snipers and his father was too debilitated to be of any help in active missions, but she was sure that he would defend himself and his family to the last breath if they were attacked, not to mention the fact that he was an excellent recruit for night shifts since he never seemed to sleep. A couple of weeks had passed since their arrival and although the results came very slowly, that test on Diana's patience was beginning to bear fruit, especially with Kilorn, a friend of Shade who had taken care of his parents as long as he could. He was a good fisherman, a very useful thing since with the arrival of the cold the game would’ve started to run low, an excellent explorer and now he was also ready for missions, which couldn’t be said of Ann, who although was a pleasant surprise, thanks to her iron will, still has some aiming problems.

“Ok everybody, that’ll do for today!” exclaimed Tristan, drawing her attention. He wasn’t a great talker and he was a little paranoid but he was a great teacher and as always he was right to urge everyone to move: the sky was already starting to darken over their heads and although the training field wasn’t far from the camp, but still at an adequate safety distance not to allow the zombies to bring the sound of the shots back to the safe area,  it was always better to be foresighted. During their observations, the part that Diana preferred least of her own work, they had noticed that these creatures, especially in the more advanced cases, were photosensitive. The sun, or sudden light sources, annoyed them so much that they sometimes retreated to darker corners, but it was not a long-lasting thing: once they got used to the artificial light, they were as dangerous as before. She and her companions had somehow begun to suspect that those things retained part of their human intelligence, and based on which parts of the brain were first devoured by the virus they lost this or that ability, so they assumed that a person who had been infected recently could still speak and behave normally, for a short period of time, before hunger began to devour them from within. Looking at what had once been people being devoured by a feeling that they too, although controllable, felt, gave nightmares to many and at the moment Diana's team only had three other permanent members, Shade, Tristan and Rasha, but occasionally two brothers, Big Coop and Little Coop, joined them. If they had kept up that pace, by the end of autumn everyone, even the children, would’ve been able to defend themselves at close range and her team would’ve been bigger, but it probably would’ve taken all winter and part of spring to fully train reliable snipers such as Tristan and Rasha; not even Diana was on their level and when that time would inevitably come she would’ve step aside, switching to new recruits, if they could find them, or returning to her mission with Shade, in which, thanks to his jumps, that always made her feel nauseous but were the most valuable asset she had managed to find for the Guard, no matter what her father said, they had managed to find an unimaginable number of weapons and ammunition, not to mention food and other basic necessities that otherwise they could never have transported for such long distances. His sister Gisa was an excellent seamstress and she made garments, tents and blankets with the fabrics that her brother retrieved her who knows where and when she wasn’t training she patched and reinforced the clothes they already had, adapting them to the seasons change and making them more practical and resistant. If their world hadn’t fallen into chaos, she would’ve had a decent job, perhaps even in court, where her sister served as a maid, and together they would’ve guaranteed their family a relatively comfortable life, to be Reds. Although she was safer than them, Mare’s topic was a sore point, which made Shade, but also the rest of the family, suffer immensely. Ruth claimed that they should face the situation together but she was proud of her, while her father, who didn’t speak much but rarely left his much more outgoing wife’s side, just glared at her when she mentioned the older of their daughters, as if he knew something she didn’t, which was obviously impossible since they couldn’t receive letters where they were and even if they did, he couldn’t read.

“Welcome back! You guys are perfect marksmen like me, now?” Rasha greeted them when she saw the little group from afar. Just like the Barrows, she and Tristan were a strangely assorted couple, but if she didn't know what Ruth had to go through to survive until her age and get there, she knew the Rasha’s story well: on the way to join the Guard she had lost two sisters, the only family she had left, and where anyone else would shut themself up to protect their heart, she had opened it to what she called her big family. If the thing between her and Tristan had continued, and judging by his protective attitude towards her it seemed to be so, sooner or later she would’ve had a new family that was going to be only hers. Although her help was crucial, it was necessary that Naercey wasn’t only a place of military resistance but also of new beginnings, where the Reds could fight against that enemy who didn’t seem to want to withdraw and at the same time demonstrate to the Silvers that they can thrive in any situation they were placed in.

“Just a couple of them,” replied Tristan, when they were close enough not to be heard by the cadets, who were dispersing. Weighting down the hearts was of no use and whoever had seen the Guard born knew it very well.

"Aren't they the sweetest?" asked a voice behind her, making her jump. It was Shade, who had appeared out of nowhere, scaring her to death. She could face hordes of zombies without blinking, but the Silvers and newbloods’s, as people started to call Shade at the camp, abilities always caught her off guard. She glanced at her best friend, who had climbed the lookout tower to give a quick kiss on Rasha's dark cheek and ask her if it had all been quiet.

"You don't know the meaning of the word privacy, do you?" she asked, walking away to leave the two lovebirds some space: that day Tristan had the night shift and she knew how important it was for him to get rid of the training stress thanks to his girlfriend’s soothing presence.

"Don't tell me they don't give you a little hope," he teased, following her. Although Diana had long legs, it was difficult to outrun someone with his ability.

“They do,” she admitted, but she didn't want to start to talk about feeling right now, especially with him, so she asked him if he would like to help her chop some wood. Although her arms weren’t as muscular or strong as those of Shade's brothers, nothing could’ve taken away from her that relief valve, which left her exhausted and finally allowed her to sleep dreamlessly. Although a long time had passed, she still dreamed of her mother and Madeline drowning in the small village where she was born and raised. Orrec Cygnet's method of getting rid of zombies was simple: just a tip-off, a few villagers who began to behave strangely or cattle that suddenly disappeared from nearby fields and he flooded whole cities with his ability. This brutal method had certainly helped to contain the epidemic but had killed many innocent people and broken many families, just as had happened with hers. Back then she swore to herself that when that madness would be over she would’ve took revenge, but in light of the facts, she was increasingly convinced that she wouldn’t survive enough to see Norta and the Lakelands zombie-free again, and surely she would never be able to approach the Cygnet king, who has been self-imprisoned with his family in the unreachable royal palace for years now, delegating many public tasks to his less important cousins.

"Still lost in your thoughts?" Shade asked, as they carried the proceeds of their work to the field. It had always been difficult for Diana to open up with strangers and it took Tristan and Rasha almost a year to forcefully extrapolate one of her thoughts but Shade was really different and Diana, even if she didn’t told him about her nightmares, shared with him some of her concerns about the camp and the winter.

"What did the people who live here did before… this?" he asked, unexpectedly. She couldn’t grasp the connection between her words and the boy's question until she began to list the professions she knew of.: everyone had different skills, and with a little extra effort they would’ve come out from the cold season stronger than before. They had almost reached their destination when they heard an inhuman verse, the kind they were sadly used to very far from that safe place, coming from one of the houses closest to the woods. Diana had already dropped the wood and pulled out the gun when the zombie came out, the skin starting to marrow on the skull almost completely hairless. An eye was missing and he must’ve practically devoured his lips by himself when he began to experience the insane hunger that assailed those who had been infected with the virus, and his teeth, stained with fresh blood, were completely uncovered. Whoever lived there hadn't had a good death. One precise shot and the thing fell to the ground, but it wasn’t the only one: at least three others came out of the bush with their dragging and disturbing step. One was in a more advanced state of decay and it seemed the representation of death she saw in one of her old textbooks while the other two were a man and a woman whose traits were still recognizable, but for some reason she was certain that the number of invaders wasn’t just four. Shade also pulled out his gun and shot two of them with deadly precision.

"Go warn the others!" she screamed, hitting the fourth in the shoulder. The woman moved incredibly faster than every other thing Diana ever met, as if she were… a silk. They had Silver zombies in front of them, and apparently, although she still didn’t know how far, they continued to maintain their abilities.

#zombie apocalypse au #diana farley #shade barrow #kilorn warren #tristan boreeve #rasha blini #ann walsh #gisa barrow #bree barrow #tramy barrow #willis farley #clara farley #madeline farley #ruth barrow #daniel barrow