#perks of a sea witch/goddess

[descendantofthesparrow]

How was Vampire!Harry and Sea Witch!Uma’s first encounter be like? Because I can’t stop thinking about it like Harry ran away from his home when he was like 10 and he smuggled himself, but the ship sunk and there’s noway he as a vampire survive the sunrise unless he find somewhere to avoid the sun but where? It’s the middle in the sea. Then Uma found a boy who looked like a wet dog clinging onto a floating plank and brought him back to her favorite cave.

i answered this in my post about the monster s3 my dude lolol

"Dracula got some stuff from Uma’s fam one time and bebe Harry just-latched onto Uma, he’s her’s now, try and stop him. Dracula didn't, he’s just happy someone is there to unVelcro his son from him. “good luck, he’s your problem now. no caffeine he has an iron deficiency. have him back by 6pm thats when dinner is.”

but if you want that to be ur canon for ur monster set go for it, just-is not canon for my monster s3

#tell me you only looked at the art without telling me you only looked at the art #harrys not ship raised in this au #hes castle raised cuz dracula lol #dude LOVES ships n pirates n all that jazz #but sun aint good for him anymore #so he mostly stays inside/around uma who can create a uv protection sheild #perks of a sea witch/goddess

[a-deadly-serenade]

The Shield and the Sword: Chapter 11: Goddesses and Glamour [Alucard/Reader]

You’re a witch that is skilled in herbology, one that has been persecuted by the church for practically your entire life. In spite of this, moving throughout different towns has allowed you to pick up some chatter about a woman in a village called Lupu. She is supposed to be a wonder when it comes to medicine, and this immediately perks up your interest. So after plucking up some courage, you’ve made it to her door… hoping that she takes you as her apprentice.

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16724856?view_full_work=true

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Deep inside, you truly believed that it was more than simply fate that those who were now practically your family just happened to vacation in Caliacra of all places every year. 

When you and Adrian had decided to return home--that day you had been lead back to your village-- you were bounding through the forest, skipping and hopping along to the hum of the magic that surged around you. 

The nymphs had rejoined you as well, the group of you twirling and dancing together as you weaved between branches and skimmed across the surface of tiny puddles. At that moment you had been so happy, at that moment, you truly believed your life to be perfect. 

Telling Lisa and Vlad had been the most exciting part of it all. You had burst through the door with such vigor that it wobbled on its hinges, your grin practically splitting apart your face. 

You found the two of them out on the patio of one of the many parlors that were spread throughout the castle, Lisa and Vlad cuddling up next to each other on a long wooden lounge chair. You thought it a bit comical with Lisa being in the half exposed to the sunlight, her pale skin glowing under the light of the mid-afternoon sun. 

Vlad had been covered by something you would later learn is called a ‘parasol’. He tells you that it had been a gift from the head of a vampire clan in the east where they specialized in making them with beautiful silk, patterned with flowers and intricate landscapes. He told you that she was coming to the party so you should make a mental note to find Chō; he promised that even though she might look very intimidating, she was a delight to be around as soon as you got to know her!

Once you finally managed to tell them (in-between gasps) what it is you discovered, they were elated at the news. They were both so happy to find out that your coven had found peace and the forest you once called home was still alive and well. At one point, Lisa offhandedly mentioned that she would love to visit said woods, and you couldn’t have thought of a better idea yourself!

So, that’s what you did the following morning--you took Lisa to the magical forest of your childhood. When the two of you finally ran into the nymphs, they could instantly pick up the healing energy that practically oozed around Lisa’s aura, and they fell in love with her almost instantly. They babbled on and on about the plants they could smell and that her ability to cure the ailments of not only the body but the soul as well, were par to none. 

They showed the two of you around the woods, pointing out special plants that they knew did not grow anywhere else but here and showing off flowers that would make even the most luxurious royal garden weep in envy. 

Lisa was absolutely enamored with the place, and she later confessed to you as you walked back that evening, the sun beginning to set beyond the horizon, that she could have stayed there all night too. It was as if she had stepped through one of the fairytales that her mother read to her as a child, she was still in disbelief that a place like that was even real.  

It had been so special to share that with Lisa, and it made you smile whenever you thought back to that first wondrous journey into the woods; memories you would forever hold dear in your heart. 

How Lisa’s eyes had glowed under the fairy lights that had been dancing across the still surface of a large pond beneath a towering, serene ancient ash tree. Or when the nymphs had led you two into a secluded alcove, a sacred area, one that trickled with a small waterfall between shale slabs of stone that had been covered in thick layers of moss. 

They explained that this is where they came to pay their respects to the forest spirits and showed Lisa how to properly do so. It was amazing, watching Lisa dip her hands in the crystal clear water and wash them under the gentle trickling waterfall as she went silent, and took her few moments to silently thank them for whatever she so chose to. 

You were so grateful that even though you had only been there a week,  so much had transpired within that time. 

Being back home was finally giving you the chance to properly heal with all of the tragedy you had endured, to finally make peace with it all. It was such a liberating feeling to let go of a little more hurt every day as you found yourself enveloped in the soft embrace of the poppies. 

It was so nice to talk to them, to tell them about everything that had happened in your life since losing them. Call you crazy, but you swore that they would turn their stems up towards the direction of your voice as if they were eagerly tuning in to what you were saying. 

These private sessions especially gave you time to think about what it is you wanted in life. It was hard, coming to terms about certain truths you’d made yourself believe for years, and you knew it would take time, but the progress you were already making certainly had you happy. 

You also sensed that things were slowly returning to normal with Adrian. You could tell it took a turn for the better when you caught a glimpse of his expression as you sat down beside him for breakfast that morning after arriving in Caliacra. He had been so shocked that even Vlad had made a comment curiously asking why Adrian was making such a face. 

Hatred had been right in calling you childish, for you had avoided eating with the Tepes family for almost a  week due to your anxiety over seeing Adrian again after his…  confession.

But after that morning, he appeared to “bump” into you more, and slowly these awkward run-ins turned into time you two actually spent hanging out with one another.

One of the first things you had done was bring him to the tide pools that emerged from the deep as the ocean receded with the fading moon. You had fashioned a net out of seagrass you had tied together by using your magic and you nearly burst into laughter every single time you got a look at the face he’d make whenever you showed him your catch. His favorite had to have probably been the sea urchins you found hiding between some rocks in a smaller pool underneath a bizarre rock formation. 

A couple of days later, he offered that the two of you go horseback riding on the beach together. At first, you thought him mad. But then you realized that the stables were technically connected to the castle so… 

Truth be told, you did not even think to look for the stables once you arrived in Caliacra, and you suddenly felt so guilty for practically ignoring Clara for over a week! She had been a huge help during you and Adrian’s mild fall-out, as you often confided in her while you brushed out her mane or leaned against her large back while you thought out loud. 

She had been so happy to see you again, stomping and shaking her head so vigorously you were worried she might just trample through the door. After you had managed to calm her down with a series of kisses and perhaps a solid five minutes of petting and scratching, you and Adrian headed out to the beach together. 

When you gazed upon his handsome black stallion, you recalled the conversation that you had with Diana a month or so ago, and mentally shook your head in agreement for he was handsome--and he knew it. 

Adrian’s horse pranced down the hill leading to the beach with such poise, but there was a hidden sense of pride and smugness underneath it all that made you smile mischievously to yourself; they were a perfect match. 

That day had been so much fun, for what started off as a gentle ride along the side of the calming waves, turned into a full-blown race, almost mimicking what you and Adrian had done together. Your laughter ran out into the chilled evening air, and as you both finally pulled your horses to a stop, you had to reprimand yourself several times because you could just not stop… staring!

Adrian’s long hair danced around him as a cool sea breeze that rolled off the waves mingled between the two of you. It shimmered almost silver in the low light of twilight and his eyes glimmered like the stars that had slowly begun to emerge in the sky. 

He looked so serene, so beautiful … it took your breath away.

Unfortunately, that image of him on the beach seemed to not only haunt you as you bid each other goodnight, but it also followed you into your subconscious as well. 

That morning you awoke in a huff, a blush to your cheeks when you realized that you had dreamt about the two of you alone, on that beach. It was like you were a lovesick little girl again or something!

Ugh! You ran your hands across your face in distress and let out a melodramatic moan as you began getting ready for the day. 

How embarrassing, you grumbled to yourself as you got out of your now lukewarm bath and started patting yourself dry. 

You need to start making up your mind, you chastised yourself while you finished drying your hair and started to brush it out. You have to come up with a decision once and for all. It’s not like you to play with someone’s feelings.

You gave a heavy sigh as you slipped on the flowy white sundress you decided to wear that day. It was cute, falling off the shoulder slightly as the puffy sleeves ended in a delicate satin trim of embroidered flowers. 

Perhaps you could entice Adrian to another round of hunting in the tide pools? That would be an activity where you could actively work together, but you didn’t have to really look at one another. It might work, right?

You rolled your eyes as you walked down the hallway leading to the kitchen—your emotions were really starting to get on your nerves. 

As soon as you turned down the corner that hid the enormous kitchen, you come to a halt when you notice that it wasn’t just the Tepes family occupying the long wooden table. 

A tall woman with long black hair and gorgeous golden eyes sat across from Vlad, a lascivious smile on her ruby-colored lips. She wore a stunning dark blue suede dress that faded into a black gradient near the tips of the sleeves and the edges of the skirt, her long nails shimmering a deep turquoise in contrast to her outfit. 

Beside her was another woman. She was slightly paler in comparison, her icy blue eyes and bright white hair creating an ethereal sense to her. She sported a magnificent red dress that clung tightly to her form, intricate embroidery, not unlike your own, decorating the bust and hem. 

You were rather unsure how to approach them and stood awkwardly at the entrance for a few moments before your eyes landed on Adrian. He appeared to be the only one who noticed you and he gave you a smile before he patted the open spot next to him as an invitation for you to sit down.

You returned his smile with one of your own and started to quietly walk over to the table. About half-way to your destination, you hear the woman with black hair say to Vlad, a smirk on her face, 

“So, are you going to introduce me to this apprentice of yours, or are you going to ignore her for the remainder of breakfast?”

You froze mid-stride as both Lisa and Vlad’s heads whipped around to stare at you, surprised by your sudden appearance. 

“Oh!” Lisa exclaimed. “I didn’t even hear you come in my dear, I’m sorry.”

You shake your head and take your seat beside Adrian. “No, it’s alright. You were in the middle of a conversation, I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“Nonsense,” Vlad replied. “We weren’t discussing anything of importance.”

“So catching up with your sister is seen as unimportant now?” the woman across from Vlad said as she took a sip of her strong black coffee. 

“You…” Vlad sputtered and sighed as he shook his head. “You know that’s not what I meant--”

“Relax,” she teased. “You know I only jest.”

“Wait,” you whispered to Adrian. “Did she just say  ‘sister’?”

He gave you a playful smile as he took a bite of his buttered bread. “Don’t you recognize her?”

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the question. How were you supposed to recognize her? You had never even met her before! You found yourself risking another glance over at her, and as you got a second look, that’s when you remembered the paintings.

“That’s Stefana?” you spouted out. 

“Indeed it is, little witch,” her rich voice sent tingles up your spine and you could not help the flush that rose to your cheeks at what she called you.

“I see my reputation precedes me,” she leaned forward in her seat and gave you a coy smile. “I sure hope my brother hasn’t been bad-mouthing me in my absence.”

“She only knows what Lisa and Adrian have told her,” Vlad replied coolly, as he took a bite of his eggs. “It’s not my fault if she’s already made presumptions about you.” 

Stefana turned to look at Adrian and gave him a half-hearted pout as she wrapped an arm around him. “Now what have you been telling this lovely lady about me, nephew?”

“It was only a few passing comments,” Lisa filled in from across the table after she noticed how absolutely mortified Adrian looked. “She had stumbled upon that portrait you did with Vlad and Dumitra.”

“Ah,” Stefana said and relinquished her grip on her embarrassed nephew. “Gods, now  that’s a blast from the past.”

“I know!” Lisa exclaimed out in laughter. 

“Those portraits had been an absolute disaster to sit through,” she grumbled. “Dumitra’s constant griping made me want to stake myself.” 

“We’re going to have to deal with her at the party aren’t we?” asked the white-haired woman beside her. 

“Unfortunately,” Stefana replied softly. 

“Enough,” Vlad snapped. “We shall deal with her when the time comes. For now, I think, you should properly introduce yourselves.”

“A fine idea, brother,” Stefana leaned forward again so that she could get a good look at you, which wasn’t exactly difficult considering how tall she was. “My name is Stefana Maria Tepes and I am the lord that oversees this city alongside my partner,” her gaze softened as her attention turned to the woman next to her. 

“I am Carmilla of Styria,” she said to you, a smile on her thin red lips. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you all,” her gaze shifted to Lisa and Vlad, who sat in front of her. “Stefana has told me so much about you.”

“She must have wanted to keep you a surprise,” Lisa gave the two a playful grin. “Because all that we’d had heard is that she had found a new beau.”

“You said that you were from Styria?” Vlad queried, and a hush fell over the room.

Carmilla awkwardly cleared her throat and nodded her head. “Yes, I am.”

“That’s quite a ways away,” he said and folded his hands together to rest on the table. “Howabouts did you two meet?” 

Stefana’s eyes narrowed slightly, the lines of her face sharp as she did her best to bite back a retort to her brother’s prying. 

“Darling,” Lisa whispered to her husband as she nudged him with her elbow. “They just got here! Can’t we save the dramatics for another time?”

“No, it’s fine,” Stefana said, a low growl rumbling in her chest for a brief moment as she took a deep breath. “I’m assuming you’ve heard of the recent death of Duke Leopold?” 

Vlad took a sip of his tea, one of his pointed black eyebrows raised up in questioning. “Yes, he died about a year ago, did he not? I heard there was an uprising within the kingdom and they beheaded him.”

“Well,” Stefana drawled and began to trace a pattern on the table with the residue left behind from her chilled glass of orange juice. “That story is partially correct.”

Vlad let out a long, exhausted sigh, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me you didn’t have anything to do with that?”

Stefana looked towards Lisa and shrugged her shoulders, who could only blink slowly in absolute shock while Adrian whipped around to shout,

“You killed him?!”

“Shout it from the rooftops why don’t you,” she snapped at him, but then smirked and pinched his cheek. “He was a stain,” she said, her expression turning much more serious as she turned back to face her brother. “See, I had heard rumors about Styria during my year of traveling, long before I even arrived. Other women that I would run into, trekking through the cold on nothing more than their own feet, would warn me about the place. They said women that found themselves there, were never to be seen again.” 

“What do you mean?” you asked. 

“I would go on to learn that the one who ruled over Styria, this Duke Leopold, would have women kidnapped, and then either turned or eaten--I suppose it just depended on his mood,” she hissed, her face contorted into a grimace. “I couldn’t just stand there and let these people be treated like this!”

“So you killed him?” Vlad exclaimed in an exacerbated tone. “We could have done this diplomatically, Stefana. You could have arranged a meeting with the council so that we could have dealt him a  proper punishment.” “Oh don’t sit there and spout those formalities to me,” she rolled her eyes. “You and I both know that you participated in your own fair share of crusades.”

Vlad opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly shut it as Lisa muttered,

“She’s got you there…” 

“Auntie, what did you end up doing?” Adrian asked, clearly still wanting to find out how exactly his aunt did in this so-called Duke Leopold.

“Well this is actually where I met Carmilla,” she explained, a smirk tugging on the corners of her lips as she rested her hand on her partner’s thigh. “Taking care of all the guards posted near his chambers was no problem. It doesn’t hurt being a member of the Tepes family,” she grinned, her long, pointed fangs shining in the sunlight. “I found her inside with him--”

“And what a sight that was to behold,” Carmilla all but purred. “She was covered head-to-toe in vampire blood,” she took a gentle grip of the hand on her thigh and interlocked their fingers as she raised it up to show off Stefana’s long nails. “And all she had used were the nails on her fingers.” she seemed almost giddy as she revealed this to everyone, which, honestly, made you a little uncomfortable.

Stefana gave Carmilla a stunning smile, her eyes hooded as she nodded her head. “Yes, those fools were so sloppy I didn’t even have to stoop to using their own weapons against them.” she chuckled. “I initially wanted to be the one to kill Duke Leopold, but when Carmilla explained to me what he had done to her, I decided that she’d have the privilege of delivering that worthless piece of scum to his death.” 

“So you beheaded him?” Adrian grimaced at the thought. “That’s a bit messy, isn’t it?”

“Not if he gets beheaded from being hung outside the bedroom window,” Carmilla replied, a maniacal shine glimmering in her icy eyes. 

“Oh dear,” Lisa quietly whispered to herself and took a couple of sips of tea. “No one wanted ramification for killing him, I suppose? What with the kingdom being in a state of anarchy?”

Carmilla nodded her head. “Yes, you are correct. In fact, nearly the entire kingdom rejoiced when a few villagers brought along his body they found early the following morning.”

“So who rules Styria now? I haven’t heard any news from over there  since Leopold’s death,” Vlad stated. 

“Carmilla is actually in the process of becoming the lord of Styria,” Stefana replied.

“Is that so?” Vlad rubbed his chin pensively. “Do you have any experience managing a town? It’s an awful lot of responsibility.”

“She’s been helping me here, in Caliacra,” Stefana clarified. “She’s quick at getting a hand on things, I’m sure she’ll be ready to rule over Styria soon,” she gave Carmilla a loving glance and pecked her on the cheek. 

“Um, excuse me?” you waved your hand in Stefana’s direction to try and get her attention. 

“Yes, little witch?” she asked with a smile on her face. 

“You said that you ruled over Caliacra?”

She nodded her head. “I have been for over a year now.”

“Do you…” your voice faltered, nervous about asking her what had been gnawing at the back of your mind this entire time; you were dying to know if she had ever heard about your coven. “Do you think I could ask you a couple of questions? In um… someplace more private?” 

Her thick black eyebrows furrowed together for a moment before her visage relaxed and she smiled. “Of course,” her gaze then snapped over to Lisa. “We should probably head out to get ready, don’t you think?”

Lisa ran her fingers through her hair as she chuckled. “The build-up to this is making me so stressed, but I know I have no reason to be.”

Stefana took hold of her hands and kissed the top of them. “You absolutely don’t, because  I will be taking care of everything. The only thing you have to do is sit back and make sure that both you and my brother are the most dashing at the ball.”

Lisa’s eyes crinkled with the relieved smile she gave Stefana in return. “I am eternally grateful for this. The idea of trying to decorate this place in anticipation for over two hundred guests is rather daunting.”

“Did she just say two-hundred guests?” you whispered sternly to Adrian. 

“It’s their twentieth anniversary,” he whispered back. “My family can be rather… over-the-top when it comes to celebrating important events. Apparently the party that was held in celebration for my birth had almost three-hundred guests.”

You looked at Adrian in disbelief. The biggest gatherings you’d ever held with your coven had been festivals honoring the arrival of Spring or harvest season, and even with everyone in your village attending those, that number paled in comparison to the parties the Tepes family was used to.

“What on earth am I going to wear…” you mumbled to yourself, feeling overwhelmed that such an extravagant night was only a couple hours away. 

“That’s where we come in, darling,” Stefana said as she got up from her seat, pulling Carmilla up with her. “We shall take care of everything, so don’t you worry your little head off.” her long slender legs seemed to glide across the brick floor of the kitchen as she walked over to ruffle your hair. “I promise to bring her back in one piece,” she teased Adrian as she hoisted you out of your seat with a simple tug of her arm.

Your face burned under her intense stare and you swallowed a lump in your throat, meekly waving goodbye to Adrian before Stefana practically dragged you out of the kitchen. 

It was difficult trying to keep up with her quick strides, but your curiosity started to get the better of you as the three of you remained inside of the castle. In spite of the fact that you were all but barrelling down hallways faster than you ever had in your life, you knew where you were headed. However, this raised more questions than it did provide answers, so when you finally came to a halt in front of Vlad’s study, you had to ask,

“What are we doing here?”

Stefana grinned down at you and pushed open the door, leading you over to a tall mirror that sat on the wall closest to the plush red armchair in front of the fireplace. 

“A mirror?” you wondered aloud. You had seen it before, back when Vlad invited you here to talk about your coven. What was so important about it?

“He’s never shown you?” Stefana seemed genuinely surprised and squatted down a bit so that she was eye-level with you. “This is called a distance mirror,” with the wave of her hand the image reflected in the glass shifted from the three of you to the interior of a beautiful castle. “With it, we can travel anywhere in the world so long as there is another one connecting you to that location.” 

Your eyes were blown wide from shock as you gaped at her. “So… where does this one lead to?”

“Several places,” she said. “But, we’re just stopping by my place for a bit. Maybe I can convince my brother to let you explore the other spots it can take you,” she chuckled and took a tight grip of your hand. “This may feel a little strange, but it’s perfectly safe.” 

You gave her a determined nod as you slowly began to walk closer and closer to the mirror. You had no idea what to expect and your eyes scrunched together as you subconsciously held your breath when your foot started to pass through the crystal clear glass. 

It felt almost like you had dipped your entire body into a freezing pond, a harsh gasp escaping your lungs when you landed back on solid ground. When you opened your eyes, you found yourself in a completely different room-- the one that you had seen within the mirror only seconds prior.

It appeared smaller than the average size of those within Castlevania, but it had such a cozy and inviting aura that it was almost impossible to not fall in love with the place. The walls were a rich violet, lined with soft watercolor paintings of flowers, noblewomen, and depictions of goddesses such as Athena, Aphrodite, and Artemis. 

Three velvet chaise lounges encircled a white marble table, accented with colorful throw pillows that had all been strategically placed. Several dark wooden walnut bookshelves filled out the rest of the space, packed neatly with a wide array of literature from around the world. 

“This is a lovely little room,” you commented. 

“Thank you,” Stefana replied. “This is one of a few parlors I have. I tend to keep this one strictly business, which is why I hung my distance mirror here,” she pointed behind you to her mirror, which was equally as tall as the one in Vlad’s office, except Stefana’s was adorned in a lovely gold trim whose runes had been accented with a fine dusting of diamond powder. 

“We won’t be getting you ready in here though,” she gave you a pointed grin and took hold of your hand again as she led you through the halls of her home. 

The royal blue carpets that lined the hallways were plush and decorated with bright white floral patterns, the mauve walls complimenting the serene feel. The paintings in Stefana’s house were decoration pieces she must have sought out to help create the overall aesthetic she desired, for you spotted no family portraits amongst all of them. Perhaps she was less upfront about her personal life than her brother, an observation you found rather interesting.

She pushed open a set of double-doors at the very end of a hall, her arms outstretched as she twirled around and smiled. “Welcome to my humble bedchambers.”

Humble was an understatement. You guessed this had to be one of the largest rooms in the castle, with her bed alone taking up almost half of the entire space. It had no bedposts and instead had one large wooden frame made of balsa that curved around the circular shape of the mattress, which was adorned with a beautiful black silk blanket and a handful of feathery pillows. 

An enormous vanity stood parallel to the bed, the same bone white color as the wood making up her frame. Boxes an array of sizes and colors littered the deskspace, each one filled with a variety of jewelry and accessories. Glass vials filled with clear liquids were scattered about as well, and a few plush vanity chairs were lined up in front of the vanity. The large accompanying mirror hung on the wall, and you were startled to discover that you could see both Carmilla and Stefana’s reflections. 

“I thought vampires had no reflections?” you asked Stefana as she placed you onto one of the low chairs. 

“Aren’t you the clever one,” she smiled slyly. “This one I had custom made to not have a silver backing. That way, even someone like me can use it.”

Your head cocked to the side as you took a good look at the mirror, and made an approving face while you nodded. “That’s pretty ingenious, actually.”

“Perfection like this,” Stefana over-dramatically framed her face as she took a seat behind you and leaned closer to your ear.  “Requires more time than you might realize.”

You scoffed. “You know you two are some of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever seen, right?”

Stefana’s eyes lit up, her golden irises glittering exquisitely under the lighting of her room. Her lips curved into a mischievous smile and you felt her run her long nails through your hair. “If you keep being so sweet, I might have to snatch you up myself.” she chuckled when she noticed how red your face was, practically sneering at your flustered heart beat rapidly in her ears.

“It’s not every day we have someone as cute as yourself compliment us in such a way,” Carmilla’s sultry voice caused you to become even more flustered, and a nervous laugh bubbled up in your chest when she grabbed a hold of your hand and lifted your arm up closer to her face. “I think I’m going to enjoy pampering this one, my love,” she said as she gazed up at Stefana.

“Excellent,” she replied smoothly. “Then let us get started.” 

                                   _________________________

The next few hours were filled with so much primping, and styling, and teasing, and measuring, and adjusting that by the three-hour mark, you were starting to go a little bit crazy. Your face stung a bit--but you think it was just from this powder Stefana had used around your cheekbones--and your body ached a bit more than you would have liked, but excitement still managed to lace through you when they told you they were finished with your outfit. 

Since you had made it clear how uncomfortable you’d feel if you wore no undergarments protecting your chest, Stefana had fashioned a single piece that began as a thin-strapped top of a chemise that changed into shorts near the bottom. It was light and made of fine silk, and you had to fight the urge to tell her she shouldn’t have bothered with that… you would have been happy if it was made of cheap hemp cloth!

You were rendered speechless when they finally presented the dress. It was spectacular, a form-fitting piece that was, to your delight, your favorite color! Most of it appeared to be made of wool, but the inside was lined with exquisite silk dyed a slightly lighter shade than the rest of the dress. The top was cut traditionally, with just a little bit extra off the shoulders so they could be a bit more exposed. Long sleeves decorated with an impressive array of delicate floral embroidery nearly touched the floor and your skirt flared out a bit, hiding several thin layers of silk beneath its wool exterior. 

As the two of them helped you into it, you were giddy with happiness and you truly couldn't believe that this was happening. A gasp slips past your lips when you finally catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Reaching down, you pinch a part of your wrist still visible from underneath your sleeves just to ensure that yes--this is really happening. 

A smile erupts on your face as you laugh, looking down to admire this beautiful dress that had been crafted just for you. 

“So? What do you think?” Stefana wondered. 

You heard the ottoman beside you huff as Carmilla took a seat on it, a hairbrush in her hand and an array of different colored powders in her lap. “It’s…” your attention shifts from what’s she currently applying to her finger back up to Stefana, your eyes shining with gratitude. “It’s so beautiful Stefana… I… I’m not even sure I deserve something this extravagant,” you confess sheepishly. 

“Nonsense,” she quipped and popped open one of her jewelry boxes. “You’re a part of the family now, you deserve only the best I have to offer,” she took out a couple of pairs of earrings and a few necklaces and started to hold them up next to you, gauging which would be the best match. “And you make Lisa very happy,” she smiled, her expression earnest and heartfelt. “My brother is very fond of you as well--not only for that but… you make his family happy. He told me how thankful he was for you over breakfast.”

You felt your throat close up as tears welled up in your eyes, but you fought to hold them back, lest you ruin all of Carmilla’s hard work. Clearing your throat and taking a deep breath, you gave Stefana another smile. “Thank you… I… words cannot even begin to describe how thankful I am for them… for all of you, really.”

Stefana bops the tip of your nose with her long nail, and she reaches over to grab the hairbrush Carmilla neglected to finish up your hair. “Little witch?” she asked you, her eyes hooded as she focused on her task.

“Yes?”

“You said you had some questions for me. Care to tell me what they were?”

A flush rose to your now blush-dusted cheeks and you fidgeted slightly in your seat. “Oh, yes, right… that. ”

“There’s no need to act so shy,” Carmilla said as she dusted on some powder to your eyelids. 

“I… I know,” you muttered and steeled your resolve as you looked at Stefana's reflection in the mirror. “You said that you’re the one who holds dominion over Caliacra, correct?”

Stefana nodded her head as she slid a necklace down your neck. “Yes. I’ve been ruling over Caliacra for a little over a year now.”

It was now or never. After taking another calming breath, you asked, “Have you ever heard of a coven of witches called the Sisters of Divine Teachings?”

Silence rang out into the room, Stefana’s hands freezing in place below your ears with earrings she was going to try on you. They dangled there for a moment before she snatched them away and tucked them back inside of their respective box. She was quiet as she dug around for another pair, her back turned to you and a long heavy sigh rumbling from her throat. “I should have known,” she quietly mused and turned around with the newest set she plucked from her collection. “I knew there had been something about you that felt familiar.” she settled on a large white diamond pair that dangled off the ends of white gold in the shape of a dewdrop. 

You would have whipped around in your seat, but Carmilla kept a stern grip on your shoulder as she continued to work on your face, so you could only wiggle around helplessly as the enthusiasm from hearing this overwhelmed you. 

“You knew them?” you cried out. “You knew my coven?”

She nodded her head and gingerly looped the earrings through your piercing. “Yes. You recall that I mentioned I took a year to do some traveling? Well, it was during that time I ran into them.” 

“How long ago was this?” you asked. “I don't remember ever seeing you in the village.”

“No,” Stefana replied and grabbed a hold of one of the colorful glass vials. “I would run into them whenever they visited the city. They knew I was a vampire as soon as they spotted me, and they ushered me over with insights and advice I’m still shocked they knew I needed.”

“That didn’t happen to be a group of older women?” you questioned.

Stefana looked down at you, amused, and nodded her head. “Indeed. Were they known to go around, scaring people half-to-death with their accurate readings?”

You laughed. “Those were a group of women that my grandmother had been close with. Oftentimes they came home with stories of using their abilities to help people seek things such as closure or even guidance, but there would be times where they’d con an unlucky traveler or two. It was only ever to those they could sense were trouble though, so I think it’s safe to say they weren’t pulling your leg.” you grinned as Stefana chuckled in delight.

“No, they were not. They were actually extremely helpful during my short time in Caliacra, and I ended up buying quite a bit of medicine from the younger witches that would come selling their wares,” she explained. “I could tell that the town respected them and appreciate all the hard work they were doing keeping everyone healthy.”

“Yes…” you sighed wistfully, but then your smile cracked a bit and your eyebrows creased together. “I heard… is it true that Caliacra was subjugated to pillaging and attacks after word got out of my coven?”

You notice her lips pursed together in discomfort, her hands falling to rest on your shoulders. “Unfortunately… apparently, the church began to propagate the rumor that everyone in Caliacra were devil worshippers and doomed to hell because they had associated with witches.” her grip on your shoulders tightened a bit. “My initial plans after rescuing Carmilla were to return to Caliacra since the warm coastal beaches were the perfect contrast to the cold harsh Styrian weather. But when we arrived, it was utter chaos.”

“The town had been pillaged and ransacked with a new man in office,” Stefana spat. “He had been appointed by the church, which had most of the residents quite worried seeing as how they had supported a coven for decades, if not centuries.”

“And they had every right to be nervous,” Carmilla added. “We quickly found out that the church had an iron grip on this town and any sort of defiance was met with very little mercy.”

“In fact,” Stefana continued. “Those self-righteous bastards had been working in tandem with vampires.” 

“What?” you exclaimed. “What do you mean?”

“Anyone overheard speaking about what happened to your coven as anything other than a just act of God,” she all but sneered. “Would be kidnapped, stolen during the night and sold to a pack of vampires that were nested within one of the nearby villages.” 

“How did you find this out? I never knew any of this happened…” you replied.

“Don’t look so ashamed, little witch,” Stefana cooed. “I’m glad that you decided to leave Caliacra. It took quite a while for things to regain a small semblance of normalcy. The town was in a state of disarray, with so many people going missing and attacks on people’s homes being so frequent.”

“I just don’t understand... ” you seethed and your hands clenched together in anger. “I just don’t understand how they can call  us  evil and then go and do such heinous things to innocent people… selling them off as though they were nothing but cattle… it’s disgusting.”

“I agree,” Stefana concurred. “So when Carmilla and I managed to uncover what was going on, we took care of that nest the following night.”

Carmilla giggled beside you, smacking her lips together as she added the final touches to your visage. “They hardly stood a chance.” 

“What about the church?” you wondered. “Surely the one running Caliacra would have noticed them go missing. I doubt they would have been pleased to lose such consistent income.”

“Oh we took care of them too,” Stefana clarified and spritzed you with a glass vial tinted light pink. 

Your nose twitched as she sprayed your neck, arms, and chest, and you were surprised to find that it smelled exactly like roses. 

“We paid them a visit that same night,” Carmilla said with a sly smile on her face, delicately placing rouge to your lips. “Drenched in blood and all, and we told them to head back to wherever it is they came from and tell their archbishop that the town was under new management.”

You blink, confused. “They never revealed to anyone that two  vampires had essentially taken over?” 

Carmilla instructs you to smack your lips together to get an even coating and you follow her lead and hear Stefana chuckle behind you. 

“We told them that if they ever told a single soul, that we would hunt them down and… well, may or may not have threatened to have them strung up by their insides.”

“Oh,” was all you said and nodded your head. “That’s definitely a powerful motivator to keep quiet.” 

“I’m glad that you agree,” Carmilla stated and leaned back in her seat, a sense of accomplishment lighting up her expression. 

“We’ve been running the town ever since,” Stefana finished as she added the final touches to your outfit. “The people were so thankful for what we had done, they all but begged us to stay so, we did, and what an honor it’s been.”

“It makes me so happy to see that my hometown has been left in the care of someone like you, Stefana,” you take a gentle hold of her hand and give it a squeeze. “I know my coven would be very grateful as well.”

She leans down and pecks the top of your forehead. “Earning the approval of someone such as yourself means so much to me, little witch. Thank you,” her long fangs gleamed as she beamed down at you, the sight causing your heart to skip a beat.

“Now,” she whispered in your ear. “Why don’t you take a look at the glorious Caliacra beauty sitting before you?”

When you finally gaze upon yourself in the mirror, face decorated to perfection, your hair was done up beautifully, and your ears and neck adorned by extravagant jewels… you had trouble even recognizing yourself. 

A delightful gasp rings out from you as you slowly reach up to delicately trace your fingers across the matching diamond necklace and earrings, and coquettishly flutter your eyelashes as you admire all of Carmilla’s handiwork. 

“You made me look so beautiful,” you muttered, voice light with whimsy. 

“You are beautiful.” Stefana corrected. 

A blush creeps up your neck at her compliment. “You flatter me too much, Stefana,” you replied breathlessly. 

“Nonsense,” she stated. “Seeing as you’re ready to court nearly everyone there,” she teased and pinched your cheek when you turned away from her in embarrassment. “Feel free to entertain yourself however you wish while Carmilla and I begin getting ready for the night. All I ask is that you have an accompanying guard with you should you wish to explore the castle grounds. Wouldn’t want you getting lost before tonight,” she said and then frowned as she mumbled, “Vlad would probably kill me…”

Your attention was instead drawn to one of the large bookshelves in a corner of the room, its shelves jam-packed with a varying assortment of novels you were certain predated even your own birth. 

“I think I’ll just occupy myself with those books,” you said quietly and carefully stood up to test out the new shoes they had given you as well. They were fairly flat, thankfully, and your confidence slowly grew as you walked over to take a seat on the black velvet chaise lounge that sat beside the dark wooden shelves.

Your finger traced over the spine of a few books, unsure of what to pick since half of them appeared to be in languages you had no idea even existed. You finally settled on one called Le Livres de la Cité des Dames, a translated version of an allegorical commentary written by someone named Christine de Pizan. You quickly found yourself immersed in the prose, her lovely writing telling the story of famous women throughout the ages coming to guide Christine in building a city dedicated to women, celebrating their accomplishments. Now, this is something you could get behind!

You had no idea how much time had passed, comfortably laying on that chaise lounge, only occasionally checking in on your hostesses when you heard Stefana debating about which pair of earrings to wear or heard Carmilla griping about her hair not cooperating with her vision. 

As you went to turn the page, you felt a tap on the top of your head and when you glanced up, you were face-to-face with Stefana.

Her eyelids were coated in a shimmering gold powder that made her look even more celestial, her lips a deep red rouge that contrasted greatly to her pale skin. Some of her long black hair had been pulled back by a clip made of white gold decorated in pristinely cut sapphires, that had a lovely sheer white veil trailing behind her on the end. Her dress was magnificent, pitch black in color with long, ruffled sleeves that were lined with layers of golden meshed lace. The same lace pattern was sewn around the edges of her top, which had been designed so that it hung off of her shoulders, and her skirt, which pooled around her feet. Her nails had been repainted a dark red and her neck, arms, and slightly pointed ears were adorned in dazzling gold jewelry. 

Carmilla stood beside her, looking equally as stunning. She wore a rich red dress whose sleeves were slit near the top of her shoulder so that the rest of the fabric appeared to dance fluidly around her while she walked. The insides were lined with black silk and the trim with black velvet. The skirt was long and trailed behind her, a deep cut down the middle allowing her legs to easily show through its many layers, similar to her sleeves. She had blushed her pale cheeks and opted for a lighter, more natural color on her lips while using reds and pinks around her eyes. Beautiful ruby earrings dangled off of her ears on a thin golden chain and a long, golden arm cuffs in the shape of roses coiled around both of her slender arms. Her nails had also been done up for the occasion, with Carmilla opting to go for pitch black to seemingly parallel Stefana’s own dress and nail colors. 

You could not help but stare at the two of them, in complete awe that these immortal goddesses allowed for a lowly mortal such as yourself to even gaze upon them. “You two look absolutely ravishing. I doubt any other couple is going to be able to compete with you.”

Stefana grinned and offered her hand to help you stand. “I’m sure that title will go to my brother and Lisa. However, I won’t complain about being a close second.” she offered the crook of her arms to both you and Carmilla and slowly escorted you out of the room. 

As the three of you walked down the halls of Stefana’s home, you noticed that you weren’t heading in the direction of her office, where the distance mirror was housed. 

“Shouldn’t we be heading back?” you asked and turned around to try and catch a glimpse of that parlor. 

“Where do you think we’re going, little witch?” Stefana queried. 

“But…” you said and frowned. “We’re not heading back to the distance mirror?”

Carmilla chuckled behind the lace fan she held within her hand. “Oh, you sweet little thing… it would be so rude for us to enter that way!”

Your eyes narrowed a bit as you squinted up at her in mild disbelief. “Wouldn’t… wouldn’t it be more efficient to travel that way?”

“It would,” Stefana replied. “But for occasions such as these, one must arrive on the premises with a bit of finesse,” she gave you a smirk and finally stopped at the end of a hallway that was blocked off by an enormous wooden door.

Two guards stood posted, their faces hidden behind their metal helmets and when they noticed Stefana, they simultaneously bowed before the three of you. When they finished with their greeting, they slammed their lances against the hard stone floor and the door slowly creaked open.

Waiting for you outside was an ornate carriage made of sleek black wood, covered in golden decals. Two large black stallions stood at the ready, huffing and puffing as the coachman adjusted their reins from his plush seat. 

“Wow,” you gasped and stumbled a bit as you followed Stefana’s lead to the stairs that lead inside the luscious caravan. You felt your heart begin to hammer in excitement as you bundled up the edges of your dress to prevent it from getting dirty and ascended the stairs, finding a spot besides Stefana, who sat in between you and Carmilla. 

Stefana tapped the roof once and after a moment, you heard the coachman make a clicking sound and the carriage surged forward as the two stallions whinnied and kicked into gear. 

You had never been a huge fan of riding in these things, but the seats in Stefana’s personal carriage were so comfortable that you were almost certain you could have fallen asleep in there. Gently, you pushed aside the velvet curtain to get a peek outside, surprised to find that twilight was already beginning to creep on the horizon and the moon was slowly starting to appear within the ever-darkening sky. 

The trip was much shorter than you had anticipated and before long, the carriage was slowing down to a halt. 

“We’ve arrived, mistress,” you heard the coachman say. 

“Excellent,” Stefana replied and pointed to the door to your left. “Exit through there, little witch. If you need any help, Christopher, my coachman, will be there to assist you.”

You nodded your head and pulled down on the golden handle, carefully stepping down the ladder as slowly as you could, even if your whole body was humming in anticipation. 

When you rounded past the carriage, the sight before you left you breathless. Castlevania had been transformed from its usual gothic self into something that looked like it came straight out of a children’s fairytale. Large red banners fluttered in the gentle ocean breeze and you saw that even the windowsills had been decorated with golden chains or even a string of various flowers. Colorful bouquets sat upon every step that lead to the large ornate doors of the castle, which were currently ajar, allowing the warm, energetic glow that emanated from inside to seep into the chilled air. 

The sound of several slamming doors snapped you out of your trance and you realized that the three of you weren’t the first to arrive. Dozens of carriages were scattered around you and the distinct cry of horses from down the hill alerted you that the influx of guests was far from over. 

It suddenly dawned on you that you were about to enter a castle filled with some of the most illustrious people within all of Wallachia--within all of Europe, if not the world  --and on top of that, they were Lisa and Vlad’s family… and possibly also vampires.

You swallowed nervously and took a step back, this whole thing beginning to feel a lot more daunting than it had a few hours prior. A sudden gentle grip on your shoulder caused you to jump, but you relaxed when you found Stefana standing beside you, a kind smile on her face.

“Are you alright, little witch?”

You took a shaky breath and chuckled quietly to yourself. “I think… I think I’m just a little nervous.”

“Don’t be,” she replied and urged you forward with a gentle push. “This is a night of celebration. Just be genuine, just… be you. I promise that everything else will come naturally,” she gave your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “How about we make our grand entrance, hmm?”

A smile tugged on the corners of your lips and you nodded your head, taking a tight grip of your skirts as you started to confidently trek up the ornate stairs of Castlevania to the party awaiting you inside. 

#castlevania #castlevania netflix #alucard fahrenheit tepes #alucard tepes #alucard castlevania #adrian tepes #lisa tepes #vlad dracula tepes #reader #female reader #carmilla #original female character #original male character #alucard tepes x reader #alucard x reader #adrian tepes x reader #alucard/reader #alucard tepes/reader #adrian tepes/reader #fan fiction #multi chapter #romance #fantasy #magic #the shield and the sword #chapter 11 #goddesses and glamour

[ellocentipede]

Bohemienne Life Summer 2020 Collection

Bohemienne Life makes beautiful wax melts, and I particularly love her summer collections. Many of my all-time favorites (Gallowglass, Little Witch, and Mermaid) were included in this sale, so I seized the opportunity to stock up for the year. These melts were purchased over the course of three different sales (a summer pre-order, a summer overstock ready-to-ship sale, and a small autumn teaser ready-to-ship sale), so I also have lots of samples to review!

Gallowglass

Scent description: A blend of bracing fresh mint and watery sea kelp, and full of salty air and driftwood.

I have a love-hate relationship with mint. There are a few perfume/bath and body houses that make mint scents that I love (like Arcana), and Bohemienne Life is one of them. Gallowglass is a really beautiful and refreshing scent that makes my home smell clean and peaceful. The mint really is bracing--it’s a lot like the bright, lightly-sweetened mint of candy canes. There’s a hint of ocean here, but this scent is all about the mint for me. I love this blend in the summer, but it would also be appropriate in the winter.

Rough Washed Linen 

Scent description: A combination of cashmere, amber, musk, and laundered linen to create that hard-to-capture aroma of warm rough washed linen.

I took a chance on this scent because it sounded so clean, refreshing, and interesting--and I’m really glad that I did. Yes, it’s a clean linen scent, but it’s also so much more than that. I swear that I smell a hint of orange here, but my nose could be playing tricks on me. The musk is beautiful--like a golden skin musk. There’s a very light hint of resinous, golden amber that elevates this linen scent to something very elegant and refined. I will very much enjoy melting this one and I hope that it makes an appearance again in the future!

Little Witch 

Scent description: Energizing potion of sage, soft mint, lavender, black tea and elder flowers.

I’ve reviewed this scent before along with Gallowglass (https://ellocentipede.tumblr.com/post/189723505153/bohemienne-life-spring-summer-2019), but it’s a favorite of mine and I thought that I’d revisit it again. This is a gorgeous mint tea scent, much like a smooth Moroccan mint tea. I always look forward to melting this one--it makes my home smell clean, happy, and refreshed.

Unicorn Sprinkles Cookies 

Scent description: Warm from the oven cookies, with fluffy Cotton Candy, Rainbow Candy Drops, Sugared Lemon with Unicorn sprinkles.

These really smell just like the description. There’s a base of sweet, warm sugar cookie, and it is absolutely coated in a thick layer of rainbow sprinkles, fruity gum drops, and clouds of pink and blue cotton candy. This is a really fun scent for the end of summer and the beginning of fall, and it’s making me wistful for fair season!

Bloom

Scent description: Neroli & shea butter.

This is a simple blend that is really nice for spring and summer. I’m a huge fan of neroli (orange blossom), but sometimes it can be a bit sharp and perfumey. The smooth shea butter takes care of that here--smoothing the edges of the neroli and creating a beautiful, smooth, waxy orange blossom scent. This is a very pretty and happy scent!

Zen 

Scent descrtiption: A blend of green tea, spearmint & Lemon grass.

This is a lovely lemony tea blend. I get lots of smooth, green tea, the barest hint of refreshing spearmint, and a slice of lemon floating on top. This is a lot like Little Witch, but with lemon instead of a hint of floral.

Mermaid 

Scent description: An intoxicating blend of fresh coconut, plumeria, lotus, driftwood, Ylang Ylang, freesia, fresh rain, lily of the valley, night blooming jasmine.

Mermaid is my very favorite ocean scent (at least in wax form!), and I was so, so happy to see it offered in one of the ready-to-ship sales. I’d been hoarding a sample of it forever, since Kyme said that she was no longer able to offer it due to not being able to source one of its ingredients. It’s possible that the scent used for this batch is the very last that she had, but I’m hoping that that’s not the case and that instead she’s been able to track down the ingredients again. Mermaid smells like sun-warmed waxy, tropical florals (I get more plumeria than anything else), Coppertoney coconut (one of my favorite scents in life), with a hint of dry, bleached driftwood and a nip of warm ocean rain. It’s gorgeous and has wonderful throw and longevity.

Raspberry Boom Boom

Scent description: Raspberries, white cake, cream cheese, rose, apples and amber.

Oh this is lovely. This is the ultimate foodie raspberry scent. The raspberries are ripe, sweet, and tart, and the cake and cream cheese are just right. This is definitely a foodie scent, but it’s not overly sweet thanks to the tartness from the raspberries. I don’t specifically smell the rose or apples, but I imagine that they’re rounding out the scent into something more refined than a simple “raspberry cake”. Really lovely--I’m so happy that I took a chance on this one.

Rose Quartz

Scent description: A refreshing crisp blend of lemon, bergamot, apple, Jasmine, cedar, orange blossoms, fern, white musk and amber.

Somehow this smells exactly like the feel of rose quartz to me--it’s bright, light, airy, and softly pink. It doesn’t really smell like the notes to me--it’s very well-blended. It smells like a light pink musk, a hint of orange blossoms on a breeze, and morning dew. A lovely, elegant, and calming blend.

Pumpkin Cake Pops

Scent description: Fluffy pumpkin cake doused in bourbon, then rolled in spiced cinnamon sugar.

This smells like bananas foster to me! It’s like caramelized bourbon sauce over warm banana pumpkin bread. This is a wonderful gourmand blend for autumn.

Voodoo Praline Cookie

Scent description: Aroma of rich salted caramel pecan pralines, butterscotch brûlée and soft warm cookies.

I fooled my husband with this melt--he thought it was an actual brownie! How gorgeous is this? The pecans look so incredibly realistic. The scent is wonderful. This smells like actual pralines. The pecan note is gorgeous and smells wonderful with the sweet butterscotch. This is one for the foodie lovers!

Samples generously included:

Blackberry Bay

Scent description: A blend of blackberry, bay laurel, spiced apple cider, oak moss & woods.

This is a fun twist on a blackberry scent! It’s like a warm, blackberry compote, not a fresh-off-of-the-vine berry. This compote is sizzling on a wooden kitchen table in a cabin in the woods. In the kitchen hang strings of dried bay laurel and bayberry wreaths. I would not have selected this for myself based on the notes, but if this available in the autumn pre-order I will definitely purchase more. It’s a really nice autumnal (and even wintery!) scent that’s not your typical apple-pumpkin-spice variety. A lovely atmospheric blend with hints of spiced foodie goodness.

Brigid

Scent description: Celtic goddess of fire as well as an Irish saint. Honey, juicy red apples, mahogany wood smoke, and sweet amber musk.

I would likely not have tried this on my own in spite of my fondness for Brigid--the apples and wood smoke notes would scare me off. I’m so, so grateful that Kyme included a sample in my order, because this is gorgeous and will be a favorite for me in the autumn and winter. I get a lot of wood smoke, but it’s surprisingly not harsh or acrid (maybe it’s the mahogany making it so nice and smooth?), but really warm, cozy, and inviting. The honeyed apples are both sweetening and perking up the smoke. A gorgeous atmospheric scent.

Half Baked

Scent description: A blend of Applejack, Whisky and mild Woodsmoke.

Holy smokes this is good. This is the ultimate autumnal wood smoke blend. I hope it’s offered again in the presale! This smoke is so smooth and gorgeous--it’s cozy and atmospheric. The apple jack is lightly spiced with cinnamon and complements the smoke beautifully. I love this!

Lavender Latte

Scent description: Fresh coffee is blended with coconut milk and lavender honey, served with a warm sugared beignet.

I tend to avoid coffee scents, but good gravy this one is gorgeous. It is the milkiest, creamiest, lovely sweet coffee scent ever. The lavender is the icing on the cake for me--it’s smooth and gentle and almost toothsome, like sugared lavender buds. A beautiful cozy and comforting scent!

Lemon Lavender Tea Cakes

Scent description: Sweet little tea cakes infused with bright lemon zest and herbal lavender buds, topped with a dollop of decadent sweet coconut cream and a steaming cup of tea.

Typing out that description made me hungry! I get lots of the bright, zippy lemon zest in this blend, followed by smooth, warm tea and a hint of cake and cream. This is a gourmand blend, but it’s really fresh and refreshing due to the prominence of the lemon. It’s really nice, and I imagine would be a crowd pleaser!

Pink Chocolate

Scent description: Fluffy chocolate coconut cake and pink sugar frosting.

This does smell like a white chocolate coconut cake! This would be great in a spring/Easter collection--it smells like a cake that would be in the shape of a bunny or lamb. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet--the mild and milky coconut tempers the chocolate and sugar. A super fun and happy scent.

Stache

Scent description: A blend of warm woods, supple leather, rich amber, and spices.

Ooooh this is a treat. This smells like a desert market--warm dry spices, hot sun, a hint of sand, rich resins, fragrant, precious woods, a hint of worn saddle leather. Utterly gorgeous. I will absolutely purchase this one if made available!

Bohemienne Life’s beautiful products may be perused and purchased at https://www.bohemienne.life/ 

[littlemisssquiggles]

I've been reading through your latest post about Mistral starting the Second Great War of Remnant and something immediately jumped into my mind. There is a theory floating around that Cinder might be a descendant of the Mistralean (?) royalty and that her ultimate goal is to restore her family's empire. I am considering to make a post about that myself, but for now, I just wanted to know: what do you think of Cinder being part of the former Mistralean royal family?

Hello again Mizu. Well to be honest, this is my first time hearing about thistheory for CinderFall. When I think about it, it could be apossibility in a sense when I look at Cinder’s fairy tale inspiration. Cinderella was originally a young girl who was treated as a slave byher wicked stepmother and stepsisters who eventually married into royalty whenshe fell in love with the prince of her story.

Cinder being of Mistralian or Mistrali royalty could actually fit. Perhaps Cinder Fall had a Sophia theFirst kind of experience as a child where shewas the daughter of someone whomarried into royalty but was mistreated by her new royalfamily who never fully accepted her in. 

For the sake of this theory, let’s say:

Cinder was once poor living with herfather in the slums of Mistral. In the beginning, Cinder used to be a rathercompassionate person who cared a lot for her father. Her father wasn’t awell-man and mostly depended on Cinder to care for him. Not that she minded.But things changed after her father met and married the daughter of a Mistraliaristocrat. 

After the wedding, Cinder and her father moved out of their oldhome and into the lap of luxury. A feat which made Cinder happy since she usedto pray that one day her luck would change since she used to believe that herdestiny was to die poor. But after her father’s new marriage, she figuredthings were finally beginning to work in her favour.

Unfortunately Cinder was wrong. Let’s say Cinder’s new royal stepmotherdidn’t like her very much. She used to treat Cinder like garbage and made hernew life miserable when the poor girl expected things to be better. ThoughCinder tried to warn her father about her stepmother’s mistreatment of her, toCinder’s dismay, the stepmother basically turned her own father against herwith him often taking his new wife’s side over his own daughter’s. 

To makematters worse, the stepmother also had two other spoiled children who wouldalso take turns abusing Cinder; ridiculing her on a daily basis emotionally andat times, even physically. Despite living in a castle as the daughter of theclosest thing to Mistrali royalty, instead of feeling like a princess andliving the happily ever after she always dreamed of having, Cinder’s dreams were turned to nightmares by the hands of her so-called new family. 

To make a long storyshort, at some point, let’s say…Cinder’s father winds up passing away but during their marriage, the father had acquired his own status to the point thathe owned some form of royal privilege despite coming from rags. Basically thefather passed and left his share of the estate to Cinder as she was his onlychild. Basically Cinder was to take her father’s place and inherit his status and all of its perks.

Let’ssay, for the sake of this headcanon of mine, that Cinder’s father used to be amember of the Mistral Council who governed the kingdom.

Perhaps Cinder’s father was once alower-class man who married into wealth and then used his newfound status to join the political side of things beforeworking his way up to becoming a member of the Mistral Council. Almost like a Jacques Schnee type of scenario only that Cinder’s father was actually a good man.

And after hisdeath, it was originally believed that his daughter would take his placehowever that authority was stripped out of Cinder’s hands by her wickedstepmother.

Angered by the fact that her latehusband would give his seat to Cinder rather than one of her daughters, thisled to the stepmother increasing her abuse on Cinder to the point that she even tried tokill Cinder. Possibly by drowning her. Pushing her into the depth of raging sea waters on the outskirts of the kingdom in the hopes that her corpse would never be found due to the tide.

But unbeknownst to the stepmother, Cinder survived like she alwaysdoes and after washing up ashore somewhere far from home, that’s when Cinderwas discovered by Salem…or rather someone who would eventually take her toSalem.

And the rest, from there is history.

If the CRWBY Writers decided to playaround with something like this for Cinder’s story then cool. But up until thispoint in the main series narrative, there hasn’t really been much of anything totie Cinder to originally coming from royalty. If anything Cinder’s story couldeasily be one where she came from poverty, mistreated by an abusive family thatmade her feel helpless and afraid, thus fuelling her desire to become someonepowerful enough to strike fear into the hearts of her enemies.

Cinder doesn’t necessarily need to haveroyal roots to desire to acquire an empire. Heck you can even say that royalty isone of the perks of being powerful. Even if you are on the wealthiest people inthe world, money becomes practically invaluable when in the face of a beingwith abilities grandiose in nature. If the series Empire has taught me onething—it ain’t about the money. It’s about the power. Power over money.

And power is something that Cinderdesires most of all. So I guess my actual answer to this would be that I don’t mindthe Cinder being connected to Mistrali royalty theory. 

I just need moreclarification from the show in the form of Cinder’s actual backstory. That’ssomething I’m still waiting for the showrunners to delve into to shed morelight on where Cinder came from. If Cinder’s past sheds light on what othershave speculated with royal roots rooted in the government of Mistral thenkudos.

But for now, this squiggle meister isgoing to stick with the Cinder theory she’s always had. That Cinder, similar toMercury, was once a meek young woman who came from an abusive family whotreated her like garbage and made her to feel powerless in a world where power meant everything. Thus from that abusebirthed a megalomaniac with an insatiable hunger to gain the power toturn the tides in her favour. 

To transform this formerly feeble young girl intoan intimidating goddess among men feared by all who dared stand before her. Andthis young girl soon became the perfect target for her insecurities and innerdesires to be preyed upon and coaxed by a wicked witch, playing Fairy godmotherto said child, turning her into her an apprentice.

I’m going to stick with all thetheories I’ve shared on Cinder thus far, including my newest one about herbecoming the Red Queen—replacing Salem as the Masterof Grimm after finally giving into her Grimmhalf and becoming the first ever Grimm-human hybrid. A Grimmoire as a dubbed it.Half human, half Geist Grimm with the abilitiy to take possession of other human’s bodies and steal their form. I even gave a small hunch about Grimmoire Cinder stealing Neo’s body after fully-realizing her Grimm powers following another crushing defeat by our heroes.

I know the Neo-stans aren’t going to like that at all but…seriously, what are the Writers going to do with Neo after V7? If Neo doesn’t AT LEAST get a happy ending (y’know becoming the General Jingur of the RWBY-verse so we can have another Marvelous Land of Oz character for Atlas with her ultimately settling down and marrying Henry Marigold) then…what are they gonna do with her after Atlas?

Anyways upon her ascension into Red Queenstatus, Cinder will move onto fulfill her destiny of becoming the biggestthreat in Remnant history by acquiring control of Salem’s former Grimm army aswell as the armies of Mistral and Mantle who, under her influence, spark another Great War in Remnant; repeating history as they try to conquer Vacuo and Vale following the Fall of Atlas. 

To further her ascent, Cinder would evengrow powerful enough to fully dethrone Salem, stripping her of all her magicalpower in a time when she’s most vulnerable before setting her sites on higherpowers—the remaining Relics so that Cinder may repeat the same attempt thatSalem did years ago.

To challenge the Brother Gods butunlike Salem who desired revenge against the Gods, Cinder’s aspiration would beto kill the Gods so that in the end, only she would stand as the most powerfulbeing in all of Remnant—more powerful than Salem and more powerful than  the Gods themselves.

This is the path I see Cinder going. It’sa destructive path but it’s one that I personally see fitting of the type ofcharacter Cinder had been portrayed to be. 

Now this is only plausible if Cinderis destined to survive past another season. I’m waiting to see how V7 shapes up since I’m still on the fence about whether or not Cinder has a bigger role toplace in RWBY or if she’ll end up being killed off in the same manner as AdamTaurus in V6. 

For now, that’s my take on it. Hope this answers your question Mizu.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

#mizuike #squiggles answers #cinder fall #rwby salem #rwby neopolitan #rwby theories #cinder headcanons

[whirlybirdwhat]

Sea of Monsters - Chapter 8

For those of you wondering why Shank’s crew was nervous about the East Blue when obviously Yasopp was from the East Blue

Read the entire series on Ao3 for better quality and authors notes! Gen, creepy, featuring all of the Straw Hats, multi-chapter story.

“The East Blue has a different nickname to those in the Grand Line, and those who hail it as home have a few… unique traits.”

-------

Reveal - Yasopp

Yasopp didn’t talk about it  - it being where he was from - much before Dawn Island. Whenever he mentioned his son, he would say oh, I left him out in the Blues, on Syrup, he’s the most awesome kid my Usopp,and never exactly where he had been born.

The crew was already nervous enough – odd for a Grand Line crew, but perhaps every crew made the exception for thissea – when Shanks brought up his old captain; how would they react to know their prized sniper, one the leaders of this little crew, had hawk-like eyes and feathers for half his hair?

How would they react, knowing that one of their own wasn’t even human – but a demon?

Benn knew. Lucky Roo knew. The Captain knew. And that was it.

Their reactions had been pleasant, nice even, either a simple ‘alright, changes nothing, but is this the secret to your sniping ways?’or in the case of his Captain, Shanks had sought him out inthe East Blue – he knew from the start.

But … those were reactions from men who had seen all the devils the sea had to offer, had tested their strength against crews such as Whitebeards. They knew only the fear of losing a loved one, and that was it.

The rest of the crew hadn’t grown up with a demon for a captain or their youth tempered by the seas. While pirates, they were fresh, and still spooked by stories of the East.

So how wouldthey react?

Yasopp didn’t want to find out, was complacent in his obscurity, was fine with the Veil shading his every move, was fine with appearing human.

Then Shanks declared, after casting one too many odd glances at his sniper, that they were heading to the East Blue.

He spent half of the journey hidden in his private berth (being in the top four of the hierarchy of the crew had its perks), only coming out when Shanks sworeon Roger’s grave that he would use his own Conquerors Haki to turn heads and let the Veil fall over Yasopp’s shoulders once more.

Until Dawn Island that is.

There – they meet a young woman (guardian spirit, protector of realms, sentinel of the Dawn, caretaker of the young One who Feasts (a king?) before them – Yasopp could sense it all) ethereal and scaled and an even younger boy, who took to staring at Yasopp as if all the feathers had a juicy bit of meat behind them.

There – after a month of the crew growing easy with Dawn Island’s languid pace, learning to react not with fear but with laughter when Luffy did something unsettling, learning to treat Makino not as a terrifying sea witch (Yasopp had met a couple of witches – heard that one even sat atop of Dawn Island’s peaks – Makino definitely wasn’t one) or a spirit threatening doom, but a sweet and helpful bartender (a goddess) – Yasopp finally decides to tell them.

In a second, he shares a spares glance with his captain across the bar, fleeting but sure, and Shanks nods, decision sober despite the empty tankard of beer in his hand.

Luffy’s in the corner, quiet for once, his black eyes focused on Yasopp and the horns he’s started to grow peeking out gently from his hair.

He doesn’t know why, but Yasopp feels as if he’s just been given permission, given support, when Luffy shifts his head ever so slightly downward.

It’s an odd feeling, but one he doesn’t focus on as his captain is calling for attention.

“Everyone – hey – EVERYONE!” He finally shouts, standing (wobbling) atop of a table, arms held high and red hair in a disarray, “LISTEN UP! Yasopp has something to show y’all!”

Yasopp takes a breath, shuddering but finallyconfident in his decision, and joins his captain upon the table. “My son Usopp”

He’s met with a chorus of groans but Shanks quickly shushes them. Yasopp quickly begins again. “My son Usopp was born in my hometown of Syrup, in the Gecko Islands. The Gecko Islands… The Gecko Islands find their home in not the West, South, or North Blue, but the East.” And finally,he lets his Captain assist in taking the Veil off his shoulders – its relief unimaginable, like an itchy cloth was taken from his neck. Its comfortable everywhere else but the East, but in the East he was not meant to be hidden.

He watches his companions carefully as they see his form, no longer human but feathered, golden, glowing, with piercing eyes and inhuman lips. Their eyes widen, shock and fear combined, but…

Yasopp is pleased to say that those eyes are quickly overcome with laughter and joy.

“Damn, man, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“Ooooh, pretty bird, whose ready for all the jokes?”

“Is this why you can snipe so good? Damn, I knew those contests were always rigged…”

“Three cheers for Yasopp! For showing us his feathers!”

“Ay!”

He has a good crew. The bestcrew in fact.

“Oh no – does this mean Usopp’s like him too? Does he have even more stories about the runt now that he doesn’t have to hide?”

“HELL! Damnit! Everyone run! We’re doomed! He won’t shut up now!”

“But the drinks, man, the drinks!”

He does, in fact, have more stories – how his son was born with feathers the color of inky, beautiful tar but his skin just a shade darker than Yasopp’s, and how when he opened his eyes Yasopp knew he didn’t see Yasopp and Banchina but something else– just like his old man.

Yasopp couldn’t be prouder.

But for now, he’s content to meander over to where Luffy sits and brush shoulders with the kid. “How’d I do?” He feels compelled to asks as Luffy sets down his juice to touch Yasopp’s long feathers.

Luffy smiles, all teeth and sharp edges, eyes squished and close, and tells him like it’s a grand secret and Yasopp is blessed to hear him speak, “Perfect. But you could have done it without all the words.”

“Surprise ‘em? I like the way you think kid,” he says, ruffling black hair and careful to avoid the horns. Maybe he’ll do it later, take the opportunity to spook the fresher members of his crew.

He shouldn’t have worried what they thought – he had a good crew after all. And it’s just another excuse to party – hell, he definitely should have revealed it sooner if it meant he got this much booze shoved in his hand!

#yasopp #shanks #benn beckman #lucky roo #red hair pirates #makino #luffy #monkey d. luffy #dawn island #east blue #East Sea of monsters #whirlywrites #whirlywhat #op #one piece #opau #opfanfic #fanfiction #drabble #multi-chapter

[occultspirits-blog]

Hi all and welcome to Spirit's blog. Today is Witchy Wednesday, so I figured I could make a post on the 5 magic spells that every witch should know. For starters let's talk about magic, there are two forms white and black. So keeping with the theme of all occult sciences there is polarity. Polarity is light and dark, yin and yang, good and evil, etc. All these boil down to intention, if you are not harming anyone then your intention is good and the laws of metaphysics see that you get exactly what you put out. 

So when discussing spells know our intention is always good and we do follow the Witch's Creed here at Occult Spirits. The witch's creed is just a belief in a very old witch rule, that still has influence over practitioners today. Basically if it will harm none, then do it. If it will cause harm then be warned, baneful magic will return to you times three.  Now without further ado: 5 Spells Every Witch Should Know!

#1 Spell to Attract Good Luck

Materials:

-a fist full of mint

-a bottle of pure honey

- 7 containers

Ritual:

-mix mint with honey and place into containers

-distribute containers around house-for optimal results perform at midnight

#2 Spell to attain success

Materials: 

-bay leaves

-a piece of red paper, silk, etc.

-a white candle-one golden item

Ritual:

-light the candle-put red paper or felt in front of it

-lay down bay leaves and golden item-place palms on bay leaves and golden item-visualize your goal

- simple incantation " Success, success come to me, in abundance three time three. Harming none on it's way, this I accept and so I say, by the powers that see, let it be". 

#3 Spell to attract love

Materials:

-red rope or cord

-1 red or green candle

Ritual:

-should be performed on a Friday-at the stroke of midnight light candle

-hold rope or cord in left hand, visualize and embrace the feeling of being in love

-simple incantation "In the name of Venus, goddess of love. I am binding love to me. Harming none on it's way, this I accept and so I say, by the powers that see,  let it be".

#4 Spell for good health

Materials:

-1 red candle-

1 light blue candle

-1 white candle-carving knife or device

Ritual: 

-perform during first quarter moon at the witching hour (usually midnight)

-carve your name in each candle, and place in a triangle shape

-light the red candle while reciting, "This candle is for my life force"

-light the blue candle while reciting, "This candle brings me health"

-light the white candle while reciting, "With this candle I protect myself from illness"

#5 Protection Spell

Materials: 

-salt, you can use table salt, sea salt, or Himalayan salt 

-a white candle

-a black piece of silk, satin or even paper

Ritual:

-at the witching hour (midnight) create a pentagram out of salt on the black silk-light the candle

-simple incantation, "Great Goddess of day and night, protect me with all your might. Harming none on it's way, this I accept and so I say, by the powers that see, let it be".

Thank you for joining us for Witchy Wednesday, the day of the week where we discover witchcraft and all the perks that go with it. Blessed be.

#occult #witchcraft #spells

[spartanguard]

something in the water, part 1

Summary: Emma is sent to investigate a supposed sea monster appearance in her hometown. Thankfully, her family there knows her secret: that at night, she transforms into a swan. And she knows that whoever the universe thinks her soulmate is, as dictated by the tattoo on her side, won't be there. Though maybe she was wrong to assume that. And when did a merman start hanging out in the ocean near Storybrooke?

rated M (eventually) | 5.5k | AO3

A/N: Here it finally is—my story for @cssns!! I came up with the idea ages ago but never really found time to write until this event came up. It should be about 7 chapters, but of course I was silly and signed up to post on the first day of band camp, so the next chapter won’t go up until next week, and probably once a week from there on. Hope you like it, and thanks to @kmomof4 for organizing this! I’ll be posting accompanying art as well!

When it came to belief systems, Emma Nolan wasn't what most people would call normal. (Actually, in most regards, she wasn't.)

She didn't place much stock in things like having luck or wishing on stars. Neither had ever really been on her side.

She hadn't quite made up her mind on God (or gods, or goddesses, or whatever). She took care of herself just fine.

The supernatural, though—vampires, zombies, magic, et cetera? There wasn’t much choice when it came to her belief in that, given the way her life had gone and the people she tended to hang out with—even if society as a whole still thought it was all fiction.

But the one thing that everyone believed in—and that Emma remained skeptical on, despite all the proof she'd seen—was soulmates. The idea of a predestined love dictated by some higher being before you were born and only verified by a random, tattoo-like birthmark seemed forced at best and unreliable at worst. It's not like the marks spelled it out—there was plenty of room for interpretation of the symbolism of each soulmark, which also meant plenty of room to have a heart broken.

She had trusted in them, once upon a time, when she met a guy named Neal who’d spent a great deal of his childhood on a ship. The mark splashed across her ribcage made sense with that, and his—of what looked like a feather on his bicep—seemed appropriate for someone like her, and with a secret like hers.

But then he found out what she was hiding, and things got awkward. And then he met Tamara and the feather turned out to be a palm leaf (apparently, that’s what that name means or something). And then things were said—tame things like, “it’s not you, it’s me and my destiny and blah-blah,” and hurtful things like “I couldn’t love someone like you anyways. Who could?”

Which meant Emma was the one left with the broken heart.

So what she’d once thought was a curse actually helped keep her heart safe, and since not everyone had a soulmark, it was easy to pretend she didn’t either.

And like he said, who could love someone like her, anyways?

Actually, she lied; there was one more thing she didn’t believe in, as presented to her by her boss one quiet Thursday afternoon.

“A sea monster? You can’t be serious, Regina.”

“Hey, I didn’t come up with it. I’m just the one who took the call.”

“Well, did you do a sanity check on the caller?”

“I didn’t have to; I know she’s insane. It’s Cruella Feinberg.”

“As in Crazy Cruella from back home? The one obsessed with dogs?” Emma and Regina both hailed from the tiny Maine town of Storybrooke—the definition of quaint. It was really no wonder they’d both escaped to Boston as soon as they could.

“The very one. And while she may have lost touch with reality, her money certainly has not.”

Emma sighed and leaned back in her desk chair. “How much?”

From where she was perched on the corner of Emma’s desk in the office of their bail bonds-slash-private investigation firm, Regina slid a folded up sheet of paper to her. Emma quirked an eyebrow with curiosity; Regina wasn’t typically one to keep things on the down-low like this, unless it was an exceptionally large payout. And this did not seem like the kind of case with one of those; usually, the people who hired them for this kind of situation were broke and/or not mentally sound, so they just played Ghostbuster—convinced the banshee or whatever it was to quit being weird, and charged the client only half of the original amount.  

Emma picked up the slip and opened it. Boy, was she wrong this time. “Holy shit!” She exclaimed at the almost-six-figure sum. “This can’t possibly be real.”

“It is; I made her put up half up front to make sure she wasn’t joking. She did it without batting a heavily lined eye.”

Emma checked her desk calendar—was it April Fools or something? “What’s the catch here? This is too good to be true.”

“No catch. Unless me forcing you to take some paid time off counts.”

She scoffed. “This hardly seems like something to use my vacation time on.”

“It’s not. But it’s a two-week assignment in Storybrooke, and I’m not expecting this to take much effort on your end. Actually, I think it will end up being kind of perfect for you. Plus: you deserve it, Emma.”

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her desk chair, huffing; there was a reason she threw herself into work. It left less time for thinking, or being social, or any of those other things that tended to put Emma outside her comfort zone or onto things she’d rather not focus on.

It had been a while since she’d been home, though, and it might be nice to see her brother and sister-in-law...but it also seemed like she was taking advantage of the situation. “Are you sure, Regina? I know you’ve been busy with the Gold case; don’t you want me to stay and help with that?”

For the past several months, Regina had been investigating the disappearances of various supernatural beings—occasionally, they did get hired on legit cases from within their hidden community—with the most recent being an acquaintance of theirs, Tinkerbell, a fairy. A surprising number of her kind had gone missing, along with a werebear named Merida, a couple vampires, and a jeweler with a Midas-like touch. They had yet to find any solid leads, but all of the cases seemed to have a tie to the mysterious Mr. Gold. Emma had never met him herself, but his reputation alone had her worried for Regina’s safety whenever they met; there was no telling when a witch as gifted with magic as Regina was would be next.

(Having a boss that was also a member of the more mythical side of society—and aware of any potential limitations that might put on one’s available working hours—was certainly a perk to this job on its own, odd cases like the one currently in front of her notwithstanding.)

“I’ve got no leads right now, so there’s not much to help with,” Regina answered with a shrug. “Seriously, go spend some time with your family; have a girls night or two with Ruby; air out your feathers a bit.”

Emma gave a hard side-eye at that last comment—Regina could never resist a good bird reference around her—but she was out of arguments against taking the assignment.

She chewed on her bottom lip a bit before saying, “Promise you’ll call me if you need me back here?”

“Promise,” Regina answered, going so far as to draw an x over her heart with her finger. For Regina, that meant business.

“Then I guess I’m off to Storybrooke.”

After a quick call to her sister-in-law Snow, a fleeting trip to her apartment for some clothes and necessities hastily shoved in a threadbare duffel bag, and a stop at the gas station to fill up the tank of her 1972 yellow VW Bug, Emma was off on the 5-ish-hour drive up the coast. It wasn’t quite tourist season yet, but the snow had melted, so she opted for the slower route that kept her closer to the ocean, enjoying the panoramic views of the Atlantic as she drove.

The sign by the side of the road informing drivers that they were “Now Entering Storybrooke” eventually greeted her warmly as it had so many times before, crisp white on kelly green.

Before heading into town, she detoured down a dirt road to Cruella’s place. The Feinberg mansion was certainly more ostentatious than any other house on the road, towering over the smaller coastal cottages, but wasn’t the ridiculous display of wealth Emma had expected—it was more like an oversized bungalow made of light-colored brick.

Dogs started barking as soon as she rang the doorbell, and a shrill voice called at them to “shut it!” before the door swung open. Cruella looked much the same as she did in Emma’s memory, just with a bit more Botox: dramatic two-toned hair, a zealous amount of dark eyeshadow, and clothes just a touch too revealing.

“Oh, Emma darling, thank you so much for coming! I was thrilled when Regina told me you’d taken the case; none of those city types would ever believe me!” Cruella shouted, pulling Emma into a tight hug despite the fact that they’d hardly ever exchanged more than a few words (and that Emma had totally TP’d her house once with Ruby, but they had never been caught).

“Glad to...help…” Emma stammered, stunned at the contact. She had to take a deep breath once Cruella released her, before continuing, “So, can you tell me anything about what you’ve been seeing?”

“Oh, yes, yes—right this way!” The eccentric older woman turned on a dime and led Emma through her house, past the large painting of her now-dead husband (whose death had only been mildly suspicious), through the kitchen, and out to the massive deck that overlooked a semi-secluded cove.

“I see it almost every night when I’m having a nightcap, but only at night, so I think it’s nocturnal,” Cruella started explaining, gesturing dramatically toward the water. “It seems to be dark-colored, but it’s so hard to tell when there’s only a bit of moonlight.”

Emma wondered how strong those nightcaps were mixed, but continued on with a few more questions: how big was it (“Hmm, bigger than a dolphin, but smaller than a whale—but it has a tail like both of them.”), how long had she been seeing it (“A few months, give or take”), and why she’d hired them to investigate (“Well, I need to know what it is so I can be a hospitable host should it ever come ashore! I’m sure my friends would love to meet it!”).

None of it did anything to convince Emma that Cruella wasn’t still a few olives short of a martini, but she assured the widow that she’d get right on it.

“Let me know if I can help at all, and my property is certainly available to your use. I’m always open to some evening company,” Cruella added as Emma headed out.

“I think I’ll be okay, but thanks,” she answered, kind of quickly. “I’ll be in touch.”

She endured one more too-tight hug before hopping back in her car and starting the drive into town. Something told her it was all just the gin-fueled hallucination of a lonely old lady, but Regina was right—this case would probably work out perfectly for her, whether she found anything or not. She already spent most of her nights on the water; might was well get paid for it.

She’d get back to that later, though; now, it was time to see if the town rumor mill still worked like it used to—or at least to see how many people Snow had told of her arrival. Her old bedroom was already waiting for her, based on the last text she received, but it pretty much always was.

First things first, though: food. She easily navigated the all-too-familiar backroads and side streets that led to the center of town, one of the tiniest and most stereotypical little seaside villages known to man. Finding the diner was second nature, and her Bug looked right at home parked in front of it, almost like she’d never left. She actually recognized most of the cars nearby, but especially the two she’d parked in between; she smirked at knowing what—or rather, who—was likely waiting for her inside.

The same old bell rang against the door as she pulled it open, but was quickly drowned out by a high-pitched yelp—the only warning Emma had before being engulfed in another massive hug, but she was expecting this one. Still, she hadn’t quite braced herself enough.

“Ah, Emma! It’s really you; you’re HERE!” her best friend, Ruby Lucas, was shouting in her ear while proceeding to squeeze the life out of her.

“Let her breathe, Ruby!” a gruff voice barked from behind the counter. Despite the asphyxiation, Emma smiled at how little things ever changed.

“Sorry, sorry!” Ruby apologized as she let go; she always forgot her own strength, and now that Emma was free, she could see Granny behind them, hands on her hips and shaking her head at her granddaughter’s energy. “You know how I get around the full moon,” Ruby added quietly.

“It’s fine,” Emma assured her, even though her voice was slightly strained. Despite her friend’s lithe form, few would guess that both she and her grandmother were members of the local pack of apex predators: werewolves.

(To say Emma had grown up around the supernatural was an understatement. Maybe that was why the two of them got on so well, even if they probably shouldn’t have.)

“But once that’s past, we HAVE to have a girls’ night, okay?” she continued, gushing and taking Emma’s hands in hers. “Oh, I’m just so glad you’re here!”

“Ruby, I’m not paying ya to block the door from the paying customers!” Granny shouted before Emma could reply.

“Granny, we both know you won’t let me pay,” Emma threw back, teasing.

“Well, maybe this is the day I do!” The old lady was known for her fierce temper and penchant for orneriness; but just like any she-wolf, she was also fiercely protective of those in her pack, both the ones who actually were and the ones she’d decided were.

Emma and Ruby both just rolled their eyes, still holding hands in the entryway, when she heard the clearing of a familiar voice.

“Ruby, are you trying to hog my sister?” David, ever the big brother, was standing there with his arms crossed, trying to give a stern look that they all knew was forced.

“Yup,” Ruby threw back without missing a beat. “I’m taking her home and locking her in my house, so she’ll be all mine!”

“That’s creepy, Rubes,” Emma protested, but David spoke over her.

“Oh? And what would your new girlfriend say about that?”

Emma’s jaw dropped and Ruby looked ironically sheepish. “Ruby! You didn’t tell me!” Emma scolded, lightly shoving her friend’s shoulder.

“I was getting there…” she answered. “It’s not the sort of thing you say over text!”

Emma was going to challenge that, but Granny cut them all off. “Ruby! Let that poor girl sit down and make her some food!”

“I’ll tell you later,” she said quickly, then dashed to the kitchen in her impractical red high heels.

“Aha, my plan worked; I have you all to myself!” David proclaimed, tugging Emma into a headlock.

“Seriously?” Emma complained, though it was muffled by her brother’s ridiculously muscled arm, covered as always in plaid flannel (today, it was blue; she was pretty sure he owned the full spectrum). “Aren’t we too old for this?”

“Never!” he answered, and started tugging her farther into the diner. “Come on, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

“You’re gonna have to let go of me, you know.”

“Nah.”

She could at least tell that they were near the end of the counter, where she and David almost always sat. She still couldn’t see a damn thing and the way David was pulling her was starting to put a strain in her side, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Emma, meet Killian; he’s new in town. Killian, this is my sister, Emma.”

Blindly, Emma held out her hand, hoping the yet-to-be-seen stranger would take it. “Nice to meet you!” she called out from the confines of her brother’s grip.

Moments later, warm, rough fingers lightly gripped hers, followed by the sound of a sinfully accented voice. “The pleasure is all mine, milady.” And then she felt soft lips on the back of her hand.

Holy crap, who was this guy? Did David tear him out of a Jane Austen novel or something? Granted, that wasn’t a power she was aware of anyone wielding, let alone her brother, but damn.

(Another question would be, “why do you even care about a guy you haven’t even seen?”, but Emma was really too stunned by their thus-far incredibly brief interaction to give that much thought.)

Enough was enough; she couldn’t breathe and David’s shirt smelled like the vet office he worked in. And she was also kind of super curious to see what this guy looked like.

Thankfully, David didn’t put up a fight when she pulled his arms off of her, and only whined a little bit when she smacked him in the chest. Then she turned to this Killian guy, and it was like time stood still.

Killian was easily the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. High cheekbones and long, thick lashes framed the bluest eyes she'd encountered, and gingery scruff canvassed a jaw chiseled from stone; a dark thatch of chest hair teased from the unbuttoned vee of a shirt just tight enough that little was hidden of his built upper body; and tousled dark hair hung artfully in his face while his perfect full lips smirked at her, cutting a dimple into his cheek.  

The only thing she could think was that there was no way someone so attractive was human. (But she found herself eagerly hoping he was.)

“Emma; earth to Emma.” Suddenly, a hand was being waved in front of her face, pulling her out of her gaping—oh, crap, she was actually, full-on open-mouthed gaping at Killian. David was chuckling as she slammed her mouth shut, and she could feel heat rising on her cheeks, making them as bright red as the streaks in Ruby’s hair.

“I think she likes you,” David whisper-yelled to Killian as he took a seat next to him on the last stool.

“I tend to have that effect on people,” Killian answered in the same manner, throwing a poor excuse for a wink her way (but it still made her blush even harder).

Wait—what the hell was going on? She never got her feathers ruffled by a pretty face like this, and David never encouraged it. Regardless of her reaction, this was a setup if she ever saw one, and she wasn’t going to take the bait.

Trying to look cool (and probably failing but whatever), she brushed her hair behind her ears, smoothed her red leather jacket, and slid onto the empty stool next to Killian’s. “So, how the hell did you end up in Storybrooke? There really isn’t much here.”

“Well, there was a job,” he started, with a shrug and a chuckle—a deep, light thing that vibrated through her; she shivered involuntarily. “England didn’t have anything for me anymore and...this seemed like the place to start anew.” His smile didn’t fade, but his eyes softened a bit; she could tell that there was more to it than that, but she was the last person (or whatever she was) on earth to pry. So she kept it light.

“Really? You came here to start over? The US has so many problems right now.”

“So does the UK. Brexit and all.”

“Trump, though.”

“True. You might have that one.”

She was about to ask about his job (and was a little surprised at how quickly they fell into banter) when Ruby was in front of her, with her usual order and a wolfish grin.

“Don’t mind me; just dropping this off and I’ll get out of your feathers.” She cast a glance over at Killian, licked her lips at Emma, and then slunk away nearly as quickly as she’d shown up.

Emma just shook her head; seriously? Five minutes in town and everyone was already shipping her and the new guy? It was almost painful, but then again, that was Storybrooke.

Actually, something was kind of painful—her side. After her first (delicious) bite of grilled cheese, she set it down to stretch out, holding her arm over her head as she did.

“Are you taking up ballet now?” David teased. “Trying to learn some grace, finally?” Sometimes, he was such a big brother.

“Ha ha. No. We both know that's not possible,” Emma scoffed back. It really was ironic how clumsy she was, all things considered, but she didn’t think that had anything to do with this. “I think you pulled one of my muscles when you decided to drag me halfway across the diner. Thanks,” she deadpanned, then turned to Killian. “Sorry that you’re caught in the middle of this.”

He waved it off. “I had a brother; I know what it’s like.”

She didn’t linger on the fact that he used past tense, but still asked, “Was he as much of a ridiculous jerk as this guy?”

“Probably worse.”

The three of them fell into a combination of teasing and actual conversation over their meals. They discussed the differences between where he’d lived on the English coast and life here on the other side of the Atlantic. He explained that the proximity to the ocean was part of what drew him to their quiet little seaside town. For a moment, the mention of the sea sent up some Neal-related red flags, but then the conversation drifted into books and she forgot about it. That was his job—he’d taken the assistant librarian position in town, and was training to run things while the head librarian, Belle, went on a sabbatical to travel. And she catalogued the impressed, almost aroused way he arched an eyebrow when he found out she was a bounty hunter.

“You certainly strike me as a tough lass,” he observed, smirking wryly. “Remind me not to cross you.”

“Don’t skip your bail and we’ll be fine,” she teased back. “I’d hate to have to press that pretty face against the wall as I’m cuffing you.” She immediately blushed; she only ever flirted like that when she actually was trying to nab a skip—it had been years since she meant it.

He grinned, a devilish thing. “If you want to get close to me, you only have to ask. No need to use a hypothetical crime as an excuse.”

“Guys, I’m right here,” David protested, but his immediate smirk in Ruby’s direction told her that he really didn’t mind that much. (And honestly, it was kind of payback for all the sickeningly sweet scenes she’d been forced to witness between him and Snow over the years.)

Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t hold back the smile that took over her features. She attempted to hide it in her last onion ring, but caught Ruby grinning at her from the kitchen. So she hid behind a napkin instead, clearing her face of any potential crumbs and—wait, why did she care? It wasn’t like she was looking to date him or anything….right?

Oh, but it was so fun flirting with him.

He’d returned his focus to the few remaining fries on his plate (“chips,” he called them), and she noticed his brow furrow as he rubbed at his chest.

“Oh, I should have warned you; Granny’s will give you heartburn if you’re not careful.”

“I heard that!” Granny shouted from the far back of the kitchen; of course she did, wolf hearing and all.

He chuckled. “I’ll remember that next time.” The weight of “next time” hung over them as they shared somewhat coy half-smiles; normally, she’d refute anything further, but something told her she couldn’t avoid Killian if she tried.

Just when she’d worked up the nerve to give Killian her number—even though something told her David had already put it in his phone—said older, annoying brother broke the moment. “Killian, don’t you have to get back to work?”

His eyes grew wide and flashed to the clock on the wall. “Oh, bloody hell, yeah,” he cursed, jumping up off the stool. He tugged some cash out of his back pocket (which Emma couldn’t help but watch; it turned out that he had an incredibly attractive back pocket), threw it on the counter, and grabbed a black leather jacket from where it had fallen on the floor.

“It truly was a pleasure, Emma,” he said as he slipped it on, giving her a genuine smile. “Until next time.”

“You too,” she replied, almost breathlessly, and then watched as he said “Later, mate,” to Dave and headed out the door. (She may have once again taken the opportunity to admire his back pockets, and everything they held.)

Once he was gone, she swiveled around on her stool to glare at David. “What the hell was that?” she demanded, but David answered by taking a massive bite of his tuna melt and studying the ceiling tiles.

She knew this game, though, and continued to stare at him while she munched on her onion rings. No way was he getting out of this conversation.

Dramatically, he swallowed and then feigned looking at his watch. “Oh, man, the time. That’s my lunch break; I better—”

“You better explain why you were simultaneously trying to set me up,” she commanded, putting her hand on his shoulder to keep him in place, and then added with a confused tilt of her head, “but also not?”

“You noticed that, huh?” he replied, scratching the back of his neck self-consciously.

“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t?”

“Think, no; hope—maybe?”

She just shook her head. “God, you sound just like—”

“Emma!” Speak of the devil, there she was; the shout of her name pulled her attention to the door, where David’s wife Snow had just arrived. Although, there was absolutely nothing satanic about Snow—in fact, she was quite the opposite: in addition to her pure-sounding name (her parents were definitely hippies), she practically exuded rainbows, unicorns, and all things angelic. (As far as Emma knew, she wasn’t actually an angel, but she wouldn’t be surprised to be proven wrong.)

Even the sun behind her made a halo in Snow’s pixie-cut hair as she practically ran across the diner. “Ah, I’m so glad you made it!” she basically shouted in Emma’s ear as she attacked her with a hug. “You’re supposed to text me these things, you know?”

“Yes, I know, Mom,” she answered, putting emphasis on the title; Snow might be her sister-in-law, but half the time, she acted more like a parent. But a parent you could get drunk with. “I was going to, but I went to Cruella’s first to find out about the job, and then got distracted here by a couple of fledgling matchmakers.”

Snow pulled back wearing a look of recognition, and turned to David. “Oh, was Killian here?”

“Ugh, I should have known you were in on it, too,” Emma grumbled, leaning back against the counter. “I expect this from you; but now you’re dragging David into it?”

“It was his idea!” Snow protested.

“Seriously?” Emma complained, and both ladies turned to him, but he was once again conveniently too interested in his meal to answer.

So Snow launched into an explanation. “A few weeks ago, he said, and I quote, ‘Don’t you think Emma and Killian would make a cute couple?’ I told him that neither of you would really appreciate being set up, but agreed that I could totally see it.  And several times since then, he’s said he can’t wait for your next visit so he can introduce you two and, again, I quote, ‘watch the sparks fly’.”

David choked down his sandwich to throw back at Snow, “Okay, but you’re the one who said they’d have pretty babies.”

Now Snow was the one acting embarrassed. “It was just a hypothetical!”

Ruby was surreptitiously taking away her empty plate, but Emma always had a sixth sense where she was concerned, probably because of Ruby’s predator status. “And what’s your excuse?” she enquired.

“I just think you need to get laid, and Killian is sex on legs, so you better effing tap that.” She didn’t even bat an eye, giving her confident response and then taking the dishes back to the kitchen.

“You guys, seriously,” Emma whined, physically facepalming. She knew they meant well and just wanted to see her happy with someone. But they also all knew why she wasn’t keen on that idea, given what had happened with Neal. At least no one had brought up the “S” word; soulmates were a big deal to Snow, since she and David were, but she’d long since stopped trying to sign Emma up for a soulmate-finder service.

(She’d never admit it, but sometimes, when she watched her brother and sister-in-law’s relationship and thought of their matching marks—his a snowflake, hers a shepherd’s crook—she did truly long for the kind of companionship and support that they gave each other.

But then Neal’s words—Who could love someone like you?—would trickle back in, and she’d quickly give up that line of thinking.)

Her complaints apparently didn’t stop Snow from whispering to Dave, “So, how did it go?”

“Answer that and die,” Emma interrupted, still holding her face in her hand.

She could almost hear Snow’s grin. “That’s all the answer I need, I think.��� Emma just groaned and pushed herself off the counter to standing.

“Well, I’m gonna head out before you start wasting your time planning a wedding that will never happen.” Snow looked like she was about to protest, so Emma cut her off. “I’ve gotta do some reconnaissance for my job, but then I’ll be back at your place by dinner, okay?”

“Okay,” Snow conceded, sounding almost defeated. Emma hated doing that to her but her friend had an overactive imagination; it was always best to put a stop to things before her dreams regarding Emma’s love life got out of hand.

“Alright; see you later.”

Later that evening, Emma was curled up on the bed in her childhood room. David had inherited the house and the sheep farm that they grew up on after his mother (and Emma’s adoptive mother) passed away, so she always had a place when she came to Storybrooke. Despite what it may have seemed based on the warm reception earlier, she did actually make it home fairly regularly; this trip was just a bit out of her typical once-every-few-months schedule.

After figuring out where she’d best be able to do surveillance out by Cruella’s—in other words, where she could park near the water and not get noticed or caught in the tide—she’d headed back here for dinner and some Netflixing before they all went to bed. Emma wasn’t all that tired yet, though, so she was reading an old, worn out collection of fairy tales. Even if her life would never be one, she always enjoyed the stories and guessing at which ones were real. Though with this specific book—by Hans Christian Anderson—she’d never been able to decide.

The alarm on her phone went off at 10:50, startling her from her reading (and her musings on just how much of her life resembled The Ugly Duckling). The familiar tune of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake played out of the tiny iPhone speaker, letting her know, like it always did, that she had 10 minutes to figure things out. A quick glance at her weather app told her it was supposed to be a dry, if cool, night; but she’d be fine out there.

Quietly, she headed outside and down the well-worn path to the pond on the farm. Her phone read 10:55, so she walked a bit quicker to get there on time.

An ancient-looking but incredibly solid dock jutted out into the pond, and at the end, a less-old but still worn box was built in. Emma’s footsteps thudded as she hurried to it, and she flipped open the makeshift cabinet. As quickly as she could, she pulled off everything she wore (eternally grateful for the relative privacy of the farm) and threw it in, dropping her phone on top of the pile. 10:59.

She’d just closed the lid and stood up straight when she felt it: the familiar tingle that started in her spine and spread. In the near-full moon, the merman-shaped mark on her right side stood in stark contrast to her pale skin. Her hand pressed down on it; she never really paid it much thought nowadays, but it was odd that the muscle she’d strained earlier was directly beneath it.

The tingling feeling intensified, just like it did every night; by now, she had this whole thing down exactly.

Her lone graceful move was this: she raised her arms overhead as feathers covered her skin and flowed down from her limbs to make wings. Then, she took a running leap off the end of the dock, gliding on those wings for a brief moment as her neck lengthened, her legs shortened, her nose and mouth became a beak, and her whole body rearranged itself.

When it was done and that tingling feeling stopped, she smoothly landed on the surface of the water—as a swan.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more, and let me know what you thought! Tagging some friends who might like it: @kat2609 @thesschesthair @optomisticgirl @fergus80 @xpumpkindumplingx @shipsxahoy @selfie-wench @mryddinwilt @cocohook38 @annytecture @wingedlioness @stubble-sandwich​ @fairytalesandtimetravel @word-bug @pirateherokillian @bleebug @its-imperator-furiosa @queen-mabs-revenge @flipperbrain @laschatzi @ive-always-been-a-pirate @jscoutfinch @nfbagelperson @lenfaz @phiralovesloki @athenascarlet @ilovemesomekillianjones @whimsicallyenchantedrose @snowbellewells @jackieorioncat

#cs ff #cssns #cs soulmates au #swan!emma #something in the water #my ff

[thorntonjune29]

Longing

Chapter One: Lochan

 Melting the Ice for me

Jump into the Ocean

Hold back the tide I see

Your love in motion

(Always-Erasure)

 As I walk through the dark woods of Lathéon, I feel the crisp air blow through me. All creatures seem to be hidden from sight and there is an eeriness that flows through my body. I feel the darkness watching me, following my every step, eagerly waiting to hunt me like a fervent beast. The temperature is dropping rapidly and the wind has quickened. It hits my face continuously, cold and hard like steel. I have tied my shoulder length, chestnut hair back so I can free my vision of any hindrances but the nakedness of my face feels the wrath of this winter’s night. I am blessed to have dark eye lashes that shield my eyes from the icicles that form around my long angular face, especially on my bird like nose. I try to take a breath but the frigid winter’s air rushes through my body, crinkling and tightening every vessel that frames my lungs. My body screams to me to rest for a moment but I am weary of doing so. Tonight in my village, the preparations to celebrate Yule have begun. It will be the darkest and longest night of Winter Solstice. Baskets filled with evergreen boughs and clove spiked apples will be taken from home to home as a gesture of peace and community while the bonfires will be lit in the fields to give thanks to the true goddess “ Rhiannon”. The abundance she has bestowed on our village cannot go unnoticed.

There will be wine, dancing and devotion until the witching hour hits, but I choose to continue walking deeper into the woods. The deeper I go, the further I have placed myself away from the warmth of my village. I stop for a moment to pause and listen to the sounds that echoes a few feet away from where I stand. Sounds so fearful to the human ear; the howling of the white Leader Wolves, the snarling of the ebony Saber Tigers and the cawing of the Wood Ravens. Each sound could stop the beat of any human heart and leave the lonely traveler dead within these deserted woods.  Nature is trying to weaken me and evoke a fear that would hinder my journey, Yet, I am not afraid of what hides behind the shadows on this dark night!

I am Lochan, brother to the Aes Danes, son of Queen Isla and a warrior of the Dèl Riata clan. The blood of the ancient Picts runs deep in my veins and it is not in my nature to recoil in fear. I rather be out here in the solitude of the wilderness than be in the heated assembly hall listening to the words spoken by the Ursper. The false Norse king known as Thorfin the Red, who tricked and murdered my father on the eve of St Crispin. The brute who savagely took my mother as his wife and queen and reduced her from a nurturing and loving woman to whimpering creature who even cowers at the sight of her own shadow.

But on this tonight, when the moon was radiant and shone its silver rays upon the massive oak trees that surround our castle, it seemed his claim to the throne has been challenged as a warning was delivered to the castle. An arrow was shot into the fortress blazing in fire with a scroll attached to the tip. As the scroll was unraveled, a message was revealed… There were simple words etched in the parchment but the meaning was deadlier: “Tá mé ag teacht”… “I am coming”. This was a new foe, cloaked in a black veil of uncertainty, fierce and fearless.

           I stood back in the shadows, laughing inside. My brother Iain and I are the last descendants of the Picts race who have been entrusted to protect the lands of Athol and Orkney. From birth we are bred to fight with both our bodies and minds, always defeating our enemies without failing. Our kingdom has never fallen; our people have never been enslaved! Those who dare to fight against the Aes Danes know that end result would be a punishment far greater than death. We are revered and worshipped like Gods. Our word is the truth of life and not a single soul has ever dared to challenge us. That is how it has always been for centuries and that is how we always hoped it would be. Yet with the Usurper on the throne, it seems that there are others ready to challenge his claim. Others who know he is a false king and only the bloodlines of a Pict should be residing on the throne. However, as the new winter approaches a strange sense of dread seemed to befall our kingdom. This threat is different from what I have witnessed before. This enemy dares to take our lands and extinguish our people! Rumors have been brought to us by other villages and they speak of a warrior different from others. One who comes from a different tuath; a barbarian incapable of conquering without implementing chaos and havoc. A savage who has chosen to spread terror throughout other kingdoms, far from the lands of Athol and Orkney. He has gained power and land through the defeat of weak and deceitful kings.

My king has sworn to not let the same fate fall to his people, so that is why on this cheerless and desolate night, I am sent forth to hunt our enemy. The hunt would be simple and effortless. Track our enemy" said the King, "track his scent and when it fills your body to the core, everything will be revealed. His place of sanctuary will be revealed. It is only there where you will find his weakness and end his existence".

Yet now as the wind howls a fierce scream and twists me up within its brutal embrace, I am not sure this hunt is to be effortless. Hours have passed and the scent that had once dominated my senses has long disappeared. Our enemy has escaped into the sheltering arms of the cold winter’s night and it seems senseless to follow a path that would lead to nowhere.  I look for refuge on this desolate path, seeking safety until night is day again. Finally my sight falls upon a cave, tucked behind the looming pine trees, caressing itself next to a flowing river. I reach inside the furs that are wrapped around me and search for my leather pouch and my dagger. Even though the cave will offer shelter, I cannot be safe on this darken night without my only means of protection. I walk towards the cave cautiously for I sense something is now tracking me. My ears perk up to listen to the danger that silently awaits me. My eyes search high above to the looming oak trees. My body flexes, preparing itself to face the unknown. I am not a stranger to the evils of this world but I cannot let my guard down, not even for a single moment.

The emptiness of the forest feels frightful and I can't help but wonder what kind of creature could keep itself hidden from sight, sound or smell for countless hours. Suddenly I hear the snap and breaking of branches in a distance. Following those sounds is a howling that is chilling to the bone. A loud cry erupts, as my stalker has realized that a new kind of blood that has fallen on its path. I push my body to walk towards these sounds. My hands grips my sword and I start to whisper the incantation of the Dal Arthrie. My steps take me closer to these cries and they rise louder, echoing a sinister tune. As I prepare to face enemy and I hear a ferocious growl resonate through ebony night. I walk closer, my heart beating rapidly, my hands becoming sweaty as I hold on to my dagger. The darkness suddenly becomes clear as the creature is shown,  revealing its form to me. I see gleaming red eyes that look upon me with the purest evil. Sharp white teeth that grows larger as my scent has now awoken the ravenous hunger inside of the creature. I hold my breath and say the incantation once more. Then with all the power bestowed on me, I charge forward, uncertain if this will be my end.  I am close to its presence and raise my sword to strike it but suddenly I am blinded by a white light. I shield my eyes with my hand trying not to be defeated this trickery but it is too strong. I fall to my knees and I feel a tingling feeling flow through my body. I am been taken from the woods and I feel as though I am flying above the ground. I am lightless and the sensation is sweet.

Then suddenly I am falling, faster and hard and despite my fear, I fall on my feet. I am in the woods again but it I know these are not the woods of Lathien. Instead there is strangeness about it and as I try to regain my senses, I hear a voice. A voice that is sweet and harmonious, tranquil and soft. It is a voice of a female and she is singing. I look ahead and I see her sitting on a rock looking right at me. Is this my enemy I wonder? Does he take the form of a woman to tempt me? Or is she a woodland nymph, servant of the vile creature, trying to seduce me with her heavenly voice.  

My feet start to walk before I can regain myself and as I move closer to her I hear her words. "Long as the winter's night embraces me; Dark as the tempestuous sea. I keep your heart with mine and wait for you to come to me". I reach out to her and then suddenly everything is black.