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nacatu · 1 year

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Merlin x Reader (RSATSD)

Part 2

My deep, dreamless sleep swam around my healing body, warm and coddling.

That was until a sharp, loud scratching dug it's claws into my head, dragging me back up into consciousness by my ears. Erratic thumping and clinking jump-started my heart that, just moments ago, was peaceful and slow.

The claws sunk into my brain as it fully peeled my body from any rest I'd cocooned myself inside of.

I lifted my head, trailing the phantom claws sunk in my head as I struggled to open my eyes.

The horrid scratching didn't stop, in fact it only got more and more aggressive. I snap my half lidded eyes towards the window, only to see the familiar flock of crows trying to break in.

Dazed and pumped with a sudden adrenaline, I stumbled out of bed and followed my hurrying feet towards the annoying birds.

I slammed the windows open on them, knocking the closest one unconscious and causing it to fall to the ground. The crows scattered almost immediately after their brethren hit the ground like a bag of rocks.

The morning sunlight poured in through the window. The sky was painted an optimistic pink as a light blue haloed the bright colours of a clear morning.

I groaned and rubbed the heel of my hand against my eyelid, rolling the sandy sleep from the corners of my eyes. I pulled the window shut before lazily shuffling back to bed. Only then did I notice that all the dwarves were huddled under the blankets of their respective beds.

The silence suddenly held a power over me I couldn't ignore.

I stealthily tiptoed back towards my bed, seating myself like a feather back onto the mattress and started to tug the perfectly warmed embrace of the cotton sheets over my shoulders.

As the blankets settled on my chilled body, I felt an alert consciousness. I tracked the feeling and turned behind me. To my dismay, it was the sorcerer next to me. His brown eyes were cold steel against my skin.

I matched his expression sourly. "What?"

"I know what you are." He said quietly, totally and unnaturally still.

"And I know who you are." I whispered, flopping my body down onto the mattress, snuggling deep into warm sheets that smelled of sawdust. "Who all of you are."

Our eyes were locked, waiting for the other to make a mistake, one wrong move to give the go ahead. It was clear Merlin was itching for a reason to kick my ass out of here.

Unfortunately for him, I lost any inkling for a fight the longer I stared at him. "So... what happened to you?"

His eyebrows cranked farther down into his eyes. "Well, if you know who we are, you should already know how this happened."

I deadpanned, pulling the blanket closer to my body. "If I knew I wouldn't be asking."

He stayed silent, his mouth pressing into a tight sneer. The silent morning flowed by for long enough for me to understand that this conversation was over.

The blanket shifted around me as I turned my back to him.

"...If you do anything to hurt my team, I'll kill you." He uttered darkly into the silence. The firmness in his voice scraped against my nerves in such a way all my joint's calcified, and my skin numbed despite the cold electrical shocks just beneath. This was no threat, but a sincere promise.

It took almost all of me to not give into the urge to dive out the window and never be seen again, but I wasn't a force to be reckoned with either.

The drumming of blood flooding my ears seemed to serve nothing but the perpetual fear now circulating in my body. "If you try anything against me or Red, that curse you have now will be remembered as a blessing." My voice was flat, casual, but singed by a fire deep inside that if set upon the world, wouldn't be something to be scoffed at.

That was enough of a safety guarantee for me as I settled my heart beat, watching the new day-glow press it's light to the wooden beams within the ceiling. Consciousness became harder and harder to hold onto until the lasts strands of the waking world lovingly slipped from my grasp, sending me back into my dark pool of peace.

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CHAPTER 2: Forest Magick

____________________

The second awakening of mine was much less terrifying this time around. The summer sun was comfortable in its rise, at least four fingers above the horizon as its beams warm the foot of my bed.

With a slow stretch my senses collect together, carrying the scent of something sweet and buttery on the air. My eyes crack open into the warmly lit room with an achey spine and a rumbling stomach.

I slowly sat up to find I was the only person left in the shared bedroom. Convenient for me, now I can put my salve on in peace.

I slip the white dress off my body and take a generous amount of the salve from its tin, slathering along my spine. The aches and flecks of pain fizzle away within the spicy tingling. As it dried I hurriedly dig through my bag for my change of clothes. Whatever that heavenly smell was coming from was mouth watering, I either have to have it or have to get out of here before I lose my mind.

I pull on a fresh under dress that rests off the shoulders followed by a mustard yellow skirt that falls to just above my ankles. I didn't bother lacing up the white sleeves and instead focus my effort into lacing up my stays while I wandered the room.

Once the stays were secure I sit back down on my bed, lacing up my boots before finally picking up my bag and exiting the bedroom.

That was almost the wrong choice as once the door opened a waft of that delicious fluffy smell hit me like a ton of bricks falling straight to the bottom of my stomach. A growl emitted from me as I submissively followed my nose down the stairs and into the living room by the front door.

If I weren't so hungry the scene before me might have had me way more embarrassed for the men then it did.

There sat Snow with the entirety of the cursed F7 doting over her, desperate for her attention and affection. Little Merlin seemed especially hungry for the woman's eyes to stay with him as he spoke quickly to her. Of what I couldn't be bothered to try to know, but it was blatantly obvious she was having trouble listening as her stare kept wandering towards a plate full of... full of...

My mouth began to water slightly at the sight of four, maybe five slices of French toast coated in cinnamon, nutmeg, and powdered sugar, decorated intricately with ripe fruit of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and the odd apple slice.

Hans spotted me and lit up. "Ah! Good morning Y/n!" He greeted happily with a jug of steaming syrup held in his hands.

The others all turned to look at me.

I grinned back and flounced towards him, eager and hungry. "Good morning."

"How was your sleep?" Pino asked, almost nervously.

I grabbed myself an ottoman and pulled it up between the triplets on a couch and Arthur in a recliner. Coincidentally, I was also sat straight across the coffee table from Snow and Merlin, the latter of who was glaring death upon me. "Really great, the cotton was a dream." I mused in my sweetest most innocent tone, successfully getting the sorcerer more riled up. "I hope it wasn't too much trouble, Pino." I mewled, demurely gazing at the eldest of the three. Merlin looked like he was going to foam at the mouth.

Pino's face exploded with colour. "Oh! It— It was really nothing! I'm happy to help!" He squeaked as his hat fell crooked atop his head.

I smiled at him, grabbing his hand in mine and giving it a kind squeeze. "Well, even so, thank you."

The poor man had to hide his face in the crook of his free arm's elbow. "I-It's— gulp— it's my p-pleasure—!"

I let go of his hand and immediately Niko shook Pino's shoulders in a small celebration. I slyly inspected Merlin who was only a second away from launching across the table and socking me in the head.

Despite the threatening electricity in the pooling air, I trusted that he wouldn't do a thing in front of Snow.

Well, nothing physical at least.

Snow noticed the pointed glare of Merlin's and quickly jumped into action. "So, Merlin, I'm sorry I didn't quite hear you before." She probed.

The little sorcerer easily pulled his glare into a soft, mushy smile as he looked to Snow again. "Ah right, of course."

I kept my eyes on them, only breaking my intense protective watch momentarily as Hans handed me a plate of French toast, much to my delight. I offer a quick thank you and slight bow of my head before going right back to making sure Merlin doesn't try anything. Sure, they're mostly nice enough, but there was something they were after from Snow. So as soon as I finish this food, we're outta here.

"I'll just cut to the chase. We've all talked about it, and if you're searching for your father and the F7, that'll simply take far too much time." He said with a shake of his head. An uneasiness in my stomach began far too late to intervene in whatever he was planning. "So, maybe we can help in place of the F7!"

Both mine and her eyes widened in shock. "What?!" She and I cried, far different in tone.

"Really? You'd do that?" She asked, as a smile began to spread across her face. She scooted towards the sorcerer to get a better look at him, as if trying to figure out if his eyes were sincere.

He flushed a light shade of pink as he sat up slightly, clearing his throat. "O-Of course! Afterall the F7 have been gone for a year, what're the chances they'll show up again now? That's just more work to do."

I thinned my eyes at him harshly as my arms fold over themselves. Is this slimy little skeeze ball really doing this?

"Well, more help can never hurt, huh?" She said with a charming grin, then looked to me. "This has been a pretty lucky couple of days for me." She chuckled, picking up her plate of French toast happily.

I guess more help can never be a bad thing.

My eyes drift to the blue tunic wearing turd.

I know for a fact Merlin will rat me out as a witch to his friends if I say anything about them being the F7 to Snow. Each of us only needs to do a little convincing and the protective veil is torn.

So, in the face of this blatant lie, I bit my pride back and looked away. "The more the merrier."

The men buzzed with excitement, a new glimmer of hope that hadn't been there moments prior became blinding in mere seconds. I had to look away to protect my eyes from the secondhand embarrassment radiating from the display. Unfortunately I had to subject my gaze onto a far more embarrassing sight in the form of crows zipping to and fro in the front. My eyes became saucers as I had to consciously keep myself from leaping to my feet in alarm.

My fingers dug themselves into the arm of the couch next to my rigid form as I anxiously stared out the window.

"I'll be right back." My mutter went unnoticed by everyone as I stood and tread out the door, taking the barely enchanted broom still by the entrance on the way out. Only a single pair of eyes followed me.

I slipped quietly through the door only for my ears to be bombarded by the shrill cries of crows in the tens in numbers. Some flapped and swooped down into my hair while others anxiously circled something farther down the way on the hill.

With fear and vigour, I swatted the pests from the air with the straw end of the broom. It worked surprisingly well as I cleared a perfect path towards whatever it was they were incessantly cawing about, only to leave behind a trail full of stunned birds on the ground.

There in the grass, swarmed with blackened feathers and inky beaks, laid the branch I'd left behind lasts night. The very same thing I nearly broke my spine for.

I begrudgingly swat the birds away and plucked the branch from the ankle high grass it was coffined by. The wood was pecked and splintered more than before. It's new texture made itself known against my calloused hands.

Within the moment of making contact with the branch, a gust stirred and fluttered against my body. An impromptu spiral of birds gradually summited an invisible line while keeping me within the typhoon of wings. The smell of magic; sour and zesty fell from every wing beat in a shower of life.

I stared up to the eye of the feathery storm. The deepened blue of the sky remained unobscured, funnelling some kind of deeper meaning down to me. Whatever this energy was, it reached down just brushing at the tips of my sky-bound fingers. The atmosphere was so kind, but terrified and selective. It was cold, but yearning to bless some kind of warmth onto the earth. The spiralling was nauseating as my palm reached farther towards the heavens.

"Hey!" A grating voice yelled out towards me.

Immediately the trance was destroyed as the crows all haphazardly scattered; the steady rhythm of wings became uncoordinated as the connection left me with a vague message and a lingering sense of dejecta memora.

A frustration burned along the bones in my back.

Merlin.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He griped, his voice encroached unpleasantly.

I collected my patience as best as I could as I kept my back to him. "Just taking in the sunshine." I held my snarl beneath layers of poisoned honey with a fixed gaze forward.

"Sunshine my ass!" He snapped, now only maybe a few feet behind me as his footfalls in the grass became easy to prepare for. "What was that?! And don't you dare try to lie twice!" He raged, shortly coming to a stop with an electricity sparking from him. Stray hairs of mine began to float unbound by gravity.

A frown crinkled my face before I whipped back around on him, readying both the broom and branch in separate hands. "It's none of your concern," I snapped, glaring down at him. Unfortunately, my hard stare faltered as a wash of alarm submerged me in a frigid realization. It numbed my being for a horrible moment.

His erratic aura, the lightning collecting and traveling along his arms in bursts and crackles, even his stupid little jacket. The very same shade as that patch of sky.

A dread set heavy in my stomach as it connected in my head.

The man eyed me for a confused moment, swiftly pointing his spell charm paper more accurately at me. "What?" He asked accusingly, distrust swimming about his darkened eyes. "What are you doing?"

The broom and branch slipped from my grasp and landed with a softened thuff. I groaned loudly and plopped my face into my hands. I wasn't intentionally being rude... well, maybe I was, but for fucks sake. This guy? You've got to be kidding me.

Confusion stared to sedate his aggressive suspicion as his spell charm lowered. "Uh..." He blinked a few times then quickly side glanced his surroundings before returning his eyes to me.

If only I had a shred of subtlety.

Slowly, I craned my heavy head back up to meet his inquisitive stare. His eyes scanned my slumped figure for any sign of danger that didn't come.

"... What was that?" He asked, as if prodding a sleeping beast.

I couldn't look directly at him otherwise this frustration would ignite into something far more severe. "I just—" My shoulders bobbed, "I hope we can get this over with soon."

That was about all I could say as I scooped the broom and branch off the soft grass.

The sorcerer's guard fell almost immediately as I walked around him, back towards the house. "Hey wait!" He cried out, trying to match my pace.

I cast a glance back at him with an annoyed grimace then set my sights back onto the house.

"I said wait!" His cold hand clasped around my wrist.

There wasn't even a second of contact before I wretched my arm from him and whirled back on him with a silent glare. One he easily matched.

"What happened out here? What did you see?" He demanded.

I scoffed, trying to ignore the crawling under the skin where he'd touched. "Strange that you're suddenly interested in my magic," I mocked, flippantly.

His eyes thinned up at me as his shoulders squared. "The fact that you're being so defensive about it is strange. Especially if it's nothing to be concerned about."

I jabbed a finger towards him as my face contorted into an annoyed scowl. "I wouldn't say it's strange being defensive when a crazed little goblin has an itch to fry me alive."

He looked aghast; insulted even as he took a half step back. "Goblin?" The surprise was short lived and a seething fury overtook it's place. "Not much room to talk when you'd steal a dead man's skin!"

Liquid rage pooled and swirled within me, rising to my head before I had any say in the matter. I threw the broom to the ground and held the branch tightly in both hands, pointing it directly at his heart. The end of my staff was void of any life, a vacuum that promised the worst. To my woe, he was just as quick; he aimed his index and middle fingers —with a spell charm trapped between them— for my heart as well with lightning visibly conducting along his body.

"Once again a sorcerer makes his ignorance known," I sneer down at him as I lift my chin a fraction. "For all the studying you'll commit yourself to, the idiocy in your class only seems to rise." The poisoned words were satisfying on my tongue.

A smug look played on his intense face. "Insults. As to be expected from the lazy and uneducated mind of a witch," He chided with a tsk.

My teeth grit and my knuckles whitened around the branch. Our auras clashed menacingly and horridly, a push and pull of two different oceans. Death waiting in a riptide to pull one or the other below it's turbulent surface.

"Stand down," he demanded, his eyes alight with electricity.

"I have nothing to lose," I scoffed, stabilizing the branch in my grip a little more. My eyes zero in and pinned him in place with a thin, calculating leer. "But you do, don't you."

He bared his grit teeth as his severe glare began to crack. Even if he didn't mean to, I could feel his resolve weaken, the strength he displayed became hollow, performative. He fought with his brain and his eyes flicked about me, gradually losing focus until finally and abruptly dropping his arms. A silence took hold as the lightning —along with its sizzling and popping— had completely disappeared back into his little body. He exhaled bitterly. "You'd be a waste of spell charm."

Despite my wanting to, I said nothing. His words didn't feel completely untrue, but his flustered red tipped ears added a layer of embarrassment to his claims. I lowered my new weapon, the void at the branches tip released back to the surroundings in thick unseen waves of negative energy.

The will to fight dropped dead in the water humiliatingly fast and only left the little green man red faced and angry. He sped past me retreating to his home while a fuming cloud of smoke was nearly visible as he stormed away. I kept a keen eye on him until he slipped back into the house, not once daring to cast a glance back at me.

Great. I have to stay here now, not just for Snow or a pardon, but for this little jerk too.

The cold grip of this new entrapment drew its fingers tighter against my skin, leaving behind frigid marks that only a witches eye could never spot.

I scoffed off a shiver and dug the end of my branch into the earth before me, desperate to ground myself. A few breaths and sheer will was all that kept me from completely giving in to the sudden uncontrollable rattling of my knees. Somehow this felt worse than always running away, especially now that running wasn't an option.

"Y/n?" Snow's voice called from the doorway, no more than thirty seconds after Merlin slunk back inside. I looked up from my feet dizzily. The weariness in my spent body suddenly felt childish. I hadn't even gone through with the soul stealing spell, merely conjuring it had me almost doubling over from exhaustion.

"Y/n!" She cried in alarm, rushing towards me with the other men trailing behind her as fast as they could. "What happened to you?" She asked as she fret about.

I waved my hand in dismissal before having to grapple back onto the branch propping me up. "Nothing. I'm just feeling a bit faint," I said through a breathless and shaky laugh.

The men all shared wary looks until Hans finally —hesitantly— spoke up. "Did... Merlin do something?" He asked.

My eyes widened for a fraction of a second. What a perfect setup! His dislike for me hasn't exactly been hidden, and now it could be utilized against him.

"In fact he did! He—!"

As I was about to elaborate on this soon-to-be intricate lie, but there was a sudden and sharp pang of guilt. It incessantly began needling into the flesh of my sensitive heart.

Condemning this kind of mark on someone's reputation (whose worst offence was being rude and irritating) and placing that mark within his closest circle of friends no less? That's... something a witch would do... something he'd expect from me.

Realistically this smear campaign would only set me back on whatever the fates had planned for Merlin and I's twisting destinies. So with a pinched nose, I wove a new narrative. "He noticed I looked a bit ill and went to fetch me some water."

Arthur's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?"

The other men shot him sharp, wide eyed glares causing Arthur to clam up and look away. "Er— I mean... th-that seems like he'd uh..."

Jack rolled his eyes and stepped forward. "I suppose I'll clear the air." He stated with a flourish of his hand, flicking his cape back.

The beat of my heart picked up speed to reach a gallop. Did they know what I was?

"We are all quite aware that he doesn't particularly like you Y/n," Jack stated with his fingertips pressed together in front of him. "I can assure you, none of us hold any ill will towards you here."

I eyed him suspiciously and remained silent.

"Truly, I cannot understand why he's being so rude to a friend of Red Shoes," he said this almost annoyed, as if Merlin's actions where ruining something for all of them.

Ruining their image perhaps? I glanced towards Snow, who was standing next to me still looking me over anxiously.

Pino then spoke up with a fluttery voice. "I personally have no idea why he would be so cold towards you," he proclaimed with a shy finger in the air. "Y-You're quite lovely I'd say."

The others murmured agreements, far less genuine but far more eager in saying so. It was hard to believe they were saying this for solely my benefit as their eyes all wandered to Snow.

I forced a strained smile to pull across my stiffened face. "Thanks."

Snow finally couldn't take my pitiful state and swept underneath my right arm, taking some of my weight off my unsteady feet. With her hand pulling mine over her shoulder and her another arm around my waist, she lead me towards the house. "Come on Y/n. Let's get you off your feet." She instructed as I leaned against her, the six men staying close in tow.

Pino ran ahead and opened the door for us to step into the cool house. "Careful Y/n," He said standing to the side, keeping a close eye on me with his hands ready to catch me at any point in time.

A genuine smile lifted my lips, the first one I'd given since ending up on their doorstep. "Thanks." It felt like a momentous occasion that one of these men showed me genuine care with no detectable ulterior motive strewn within their actions.

As I hobbled past the home's threshold, Merlin was nowhere to be found. I suppose he wouldn't be keen on sticking around once I got inside.

Snow led me to the couch in the living room and sat me down. I immediately melted into the cushions fabric as my fatigued, ill body welcomed the comfort with open arms. "Thank you." My thanks to the woman was barely above a whisper.

Her face twisted at the sound as she stared down at me, a knuckle caught between her pearly teeth.

Pino spoke up as he grabbed a pillow from the recliner. "Is there anything you need?" He asked, handing the feathered pillow to me.

I smiled and graciously took it in my hands. "Thank you, but no, that's alright. This is really nothing to worry about."

"How can you say that?" Arthur butted in, "You can't walk, you can barely speak, and right now, you're struggling to keep your head up." He pointed out, short and blatant.

"Oh?" I hadn't even realized my neck was bowing back until he pointed it out. I quickly move to correct my posture only for it to deteriorate again mere seconds later. Despite the clear issues I was having, I had no energy or agency to try and explain it away.

He was annoyed. His lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line as he stared me down.

Snow quickly shifted the attention off of me. "Well, what's the plan for finding my father today?" She asked, pulling the mens eyes towards her as she stood straight up, towering over everyone.

The men all scrambled to speak. Plans began to get tossed about willy nilly with me and my odd ailment long forgotten. I offered Snow a tired smile before leaning back into the couch and letting my eyes heavily flutter closed.

I slipped into a restorative, dreamless sleep. Something about resting my bones after conjuring such a draining spell was addictive in its comfort. The voices around me fell away into muffles, then nothingness.

I could've sworn only mere moments had fled past when a harsh clanging of metal jolted me from the little rest I managed to grab. A shot of adrenaline coursed through my now racing blood as I sat straight up, gripping the couches arm rest harshly.

The banging came to an end as I looked about in a flurry, just for my eyes to fall on the little lightning goblin himself holding a pot and a wooden spoon. My eyebrows settled deep into my eyesight before I plopped my head back on the couches back rest and let out a long sigh. "What do you want now?" I grumbled out.

"For you to get up," he snapped, "Everyone has been out looking for Red Shoes' father for hours now except us, and that's because of you!"

I blinked my eyes awake before braving the ice of his eyes again. "Then why are you here? If you want to go so badly then go."

"If I could don't you think I would have?" He hopped off the coffee table and towards a little satchel by the fireplace. "I promised Red Shoes I was gonna watch over you, which I think I've done plenty of today." He sorted through the things in the bag for only a moment longer before tossing the satchels strap over his shoulder. "So since you've slept plenty, I think you'll have more than enough energy to help with the search." His tone was acidic as he wheeled back to stare impatiently at me.

A bored stare was all I could muster. "Uh huh..." My groggy head fell back again as I waved my wrist about lazily. "Just go without me, I don't need a baby sitter."

He bristled as his shoulder squared. "Unfortunately that's not happening," He fled swiftly towards the door. "I'm tasked with watching over you, and I have no idea what kind of magic you conjured out there before, but I know it wasn't good. So if I go and you suddenly die or turn into sludge as some kind of side effect, I'll be blamed for it." He pulled the door open. "So I'd much rather just have you in my sight where you can't go and mess everything up for me."

The faint smell of mountain flowers wafted into the home with the suddenly opened door. That was the only thing pleasant coming from that opening. I groaned heavily again and rocked myself forward to my feet. "Why do you care so much about what Red thinks?" I asked airily as I strode towards his suddenly stiffening frame. "Actually... why are you all so infatuated with her? It's well beyond a crush... it's... almost desperate." I noted thoughtfully.

He didn't respond, keeping his eyes locked sternly on me while holding the door, waiting in the middle of the open space.

I hummed slyly to myself as I grabbed my branch and trotted slowly towards the doorway. "I wonder if it has to do with this curse you find yourself under," I mused, bending at my waist to get a closer look at his face.

He glowered up at me, his knuckles became a whitish green on the door knob.

A mischievous grin lit up my face. "Ahh, I see."

He huffed and whirled away from me, almost slamming the door on my nose if I hadn't been fast enough in catching it. "You have no business butting into my affairs," He stated shortly. "Keep your long, warty nose out of it and I won't blast you into next week."

I shot straight up. "Wha-?! Warty?!" I cried out, absentmindedly touching my nose. A growl fled my chest as I stormed after him, slamming the door behind me. "That's rich coming from you, you little toadstool."

He ignored my dig at him, opting for a more peaceful approach. "How about we don't talk to each other and focus on finding Red Shoes' father," He suggested with a toss of his wrist over his shoulder.

A red hot steam blew through my body as I glared holes into the back of his head. "Fine." The word thread through clenched teeth.

The short man sped down the hill towards the forest that coddled the house in thick foliage. A blessing of shade was granted to our silent search party while I aimlessly followed him like an idiot. Only the forest's ambiance was bold enough to flow within the distasteful tension we held.

Still —even though he was a complete annoyance— I want to understand where his motivations lay. I wordlessly ask the mystics that may be around to offer some clarity into the strange little monster of a man's motivations, as well as his intentions. I breath my intention and wish of learning into the air as inconspicuously as possible, keeping my eyes on Merlin ahead of me who was too engrossed in his own winding brain to pay me any mind.

I kept my eyes and ears ready for any knowledge that may be thrown my way, scanning the perimeter, trying to drown out Merlin's heavy feet against the soil, and the far off cawing of crows. This was all for naught unfortunately, because Merlin spoke up again. "How come those crows are always following you around?" He asked sharply with the audacity to be annoyed.

I sneered at the back of his head and fired back with a question of my own. "Why are you so desperate for Red's attention?"

However, my irritation quickly left as quick as it came. There on the toe of my boot was an earth worm, and a long one at that. My breath hitched as the thought of the near drought floated into my head, a dry harsh spell that's been collectively holding the land hostage for the past few weeks. Yet here was a worm out of the soil and wriggling aimlessly about, and on top of my foot no less. A sign, and one that only confirmed my suspicions about him and his F7 friends.

So, he's opportunistic.

This wasn't much of a revelation, but helpful to know there were signs being sent my way. I had to keep up though so brushed off the little wiggler and I sped forward, landing back at the comfortable distance I kept behind him.

He dodged my question too. "Well whatever the case, can you shut them up? They're extremely annoying."

I scrunched my face as him bitterly. "Don't you think I would if I could?" I chastised with a shake of my head, "Those birds don't listen to a word I say, quite the opposite in fact. I have to listen to them."

A small, unmistakable croaking of a frog stole my attention. Again, an oddity to be out at this time of day. And within this dry patch of land in the forest, far away from any water or stream to swim in? Another sign.

He's confused and misguided.

Possibly tying back to his opportunistic tendencies. Is he confused and misguided because of these tendencies? Or are these tendencies a result of being confused and misguided? I suppose it didn't matter how it occurred, it just matters in knowing what this person before me is like now.

"Well maybe you should use some of your magic. Do something useful with it and banish them." He insisted, a deep frown creasing his face.

I scoffed at him. "You can't banish a magic that's a part of you. That's like cutting off your arm just because of a blemish. It'll cause more harm than good."

He rolled his eyes and sourly sneered back. "Couldn't be worse than their bloody crying." He waved his hand up to the bird flippantly as he trudged on. I opted to remain silent amongst the cawing flock, there wasn't a thing I could say that would make his mood better in the slightest anyway. After all, I didn't totally blame him for hating the crows. They were no picnic, and took years of practice to drown out.

I look back to the scattered multitude of birds following, flapping and landing from branch to branch through the trees. Even for me their noisiness was getting ridiculous.

Maybe I should at least try to calm them down.

I slow to a stop and face the crows, lifting my left palm towards them to receive what they were saying. (Saying is a strong word, it's more of a signal through intuition)

What is going on with you guys?

The flapping of feathers and chaotic cawing were difficult to sift through, the energy was so hectic. Not in warning though, it was more... excited? That was the closest word I could find to describe it.

"What're you doing?" Merlin questioned to my back.

"I'm trying to figure out why they're all freaking out so much." I explained, keeping my focus trained on them, searching for any answer to my question. It was just like they were talking over each other, nothing was decipherable in the slightest.

'One at a time please!'

Only message I could make out was 'hurry' or 'quick' all tangled up amidst the flock.

My brows pinched together 'can you clarify?'

The waves of cawing started to become overstimulating as they all became more and more erratic.

'hurry!', 'witches magic', 'fast!', 'follow!'

The hair on my arms stood on end as their messages began falling into place. 'Where?' I ask back.

Immediately the birds take quick flight towards the East, a sharp divergence from the path Merlin was leading us down. My heart jumped into my throat and I gave chase.

"Wha— Hey!" Merlin yelled after me, clumsily getting his footing to cooperate. "Where the hell are you going?!"

"They caught whiff of a witches magic!" I cried over my shoulder, ducking and hopping around obstructing branches and roots.

"And you're going towards it?!" He hollered, the scrutiny in his voice was near completely drowned by the fresh panic shooting through his body. Two witches is bad news for any sorcerer. I didn't bother explaining, he was already following me anyways.

The crows flew down next to me before scooping back up into the canopy. The sky's blue was that of an ocean and they were the fish jumping out of water as they led.

After hopping and ducking through the forests foliage, the faint scent of a familiar magic powdered itself on the air; spiced yet wintery. The trail became more potent the farther I ran, but Merlin was keeping a good pace behind me. He was far quicker than I'd expect from a little goblin, even gaining on me from what I could hear of his oddly long strides, "Wait!" He cried after me, trying to sound demanding in his tone.

I felt just on the cusp of finding the source of the magic when a large, cool hand grappled my wrist and pulled me back to a stop, yanking my momentum from my body stiffly. A yelp pushed out of my mouth, running free where my speed had dissipated as the thread to the magic is smelt began to become thinner.

I rounded back on Merlin and his hand felt small around my wrist. "What are you doing?!" I all but shriek down at him before anxiously looking out towards the rapidly diminishing trail.

His hand felt bigger around my wrist. "You're running towards another witches magic! Don't you think that's a little stupid?!" He snapped, his hand tightening around my limb.

"No!" Was all I offered as an explanation before turning back to him with a sharp glare.

"Why?! We're looking for Red Shoe's father! Not a witch," He pointed out, "plus, even if she's civil towards you, what do you think a witch is going to do when she spots a sorcerer in your company?"

A sudden reminder rolled over my shoulders. Merlin hadn't any idea who Snow really was, or by extension what her step mother, the Queen was capable of. "Remember when Red said her witch step mother did something to her father? The magic I smell is her step mothers!" Merlin's head tilted with a small pinch in his brows as thought began to fall into place. "So whatever's at the end of this smell is a clue, whether it's the step mother herself, or a trace that might point us in the right direction!" I yanked my wrist from his slowly loosening grip, only to grip his wrist in return. His eyes widened in alarm. "So shut it and let's go." I turned from him and ran again, frantic to pick the trail back up again.

To my surprise he didn't fight me further and instead —after a few seconds of stumbling— fell into stride with me.

"So what are we supposed to do if we run into this step mother of hers?" He asked pointedly.

"I'm a witch, you're a sorcerer. I think we'll have a good chance of fighting her off." I stated boldly and cast a glance back at him as he suddenly began to struggle to keep up.

"R-Right—! But it won't be the easiest fight if her magic is that strong from so far away!" He huffed out, attempting to find his footing.

I rolled my eyes and looked forward, "If it is her, we'll be fine," I lied. I didn't believe it was her, otherwise the level of confidence I held would be scraping the floor.

Merlin was no idiot to be wary if it was her I could smell from here. That in itself would be an impressive amount of magic. But this wasn't her, it was simply a trace of her magic. She isn't impressive, she's horrifying.

"You better know what you're doing!" He called out, running with his legs out in front of him, as if leaning back and letting me drag him forward. "I'm barely in the mood to deal with one witch, let alone two."

I didn't respond and opted instead to yank his arm forward, putting his weight back solely on his own sprinting legs.

The smell became overpowering as the crows cawed louder with less direction. It's close.

I hopped a tree trunk —one I kind of wanted Merlin to stumble over— and finally, finally a large wooden rabbit stood there calmly sniffing about the dirt.

As I came to a stop Merlin flung around me due to our connected arms, coming to a soft footed stop with heaving lungs a bit ahead of me.

Both of our heavy puffing and sudden appearance took the rabbits attention easily. He stared at us both oddly and sniffed our way.

"So... thats what you're looking for?" Merlin asked, looking back to me before his eyes dropped to mine still around his wrist.

I quickly dropped my hold on him and nodded. "Yeah, yeah that's... that's the source." The rabbit was spiced in magic, just as Snow was with those shoes. But this wasn't the end of the similarities.

He squinted and blinked as his attention pulled back to the rabbit. He heaved a few steadying breaths as his eyes inspected the giant wooden animal, hands resting on his hips, "Huh..." he turned to me. "This doesn't seem very helpful."

The rabbit sniffed them hopped closer, his nose twitching like crazy in our direction. I couldn't look away. The rabbit —far beneath the layers of alteration magic— held a likeness to Snow.

A staggering likeness.

"Merlin." I said as my eyes stayed straight ahead.

He turned to me, confused.

I locked eyes with him. "That's her father."

His brown eyes widen for a fraction as they fly to the rabbit then me, then the rabbit again as his shoulders slump. "... you've got to be joking."

#rsatsd #merlin x reader #red shoes movie #x reader #prince merlin #f7

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paperrretro · 1 month

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LIGHTSTRUCK | pt. 12

Pairing: Merlin x Reader

Word Count: 2,619 words

Warnings: None

Summary: Your father accepts a position as Prince Merlin’s magic tutor, and you are unceremoniously dragged along.

(Or, pieces of your unspectacular life in and out of the royal palace, and how a certain idiotic prince somehow gets wrapped up in it either way.)

read on quotev | read on ao3

In the corner of a restaurant, huddled at a table meant for two, you slurp up the last of the noodles and lick the grease off your lips with a satisfied sigh.

Good, authentic Carmarthenian food is hard to come by on Golden Goose Avenue, but this one – this one is promising. A rich broth, fresh vegetables sliced paper-thin, spices that warm your throat like gentle coals in a fireplace. You long to be able to cook this well, but the culinary arts are more different from elixirism than one would think. (For one, the quality of food is measured by how good it tastes.)

“More?” asks the owner, an older lady who reminds you of Fay. (She owns the restaurant with her son. He’s your age, she’d told you when she brought your food. Single. Graduated top of his class at culinary school and takes very good care of her.)

“Oh, no, thank you. I’m so full.” You feel guilty for saying no, even though you’d given in the previous two times. You eye the table next to yours. “But could I have some tteokbokki to go?”

“Of course.”

After paying your bill and sitting for a bit longer to digest, you heft yourself up and grab your takeout, waving goodbye to the owner and her son before finally exiting the restaurant.

The bright sunlight scalds your eyes. Squinting against it, you look around for some signs or a directory. You’re already done with your work-shopping for the day. Maybe you could go browse for some new books.

Just as you reorient yourself and start heading towards Beauty and the Books, you hear two familiar voices coming from somewhere nearby.

“Red Shoes!”

You perk up, curious. Turning around, you catch sight of Arthur and Merlin rounding a corner, hands cupped around their mouths. Behind them lumbers a giant wooden bunny.

“Red Sh – oh,” Arthur cuts himself off once he spots you, blinking in surprise. “Hello. Fancy running into you here. Have you seen Red Shoes, by any chance?”

You eye Merlin, who only meets your gaze for a second before finding a sudden interest in the nearby lamppost. Fine. He can act how he likes, and you’ll pretend he doesn’t exist. “No.”

“Great.” Arthur sighs and slumps forward. “I take my eyes off her for just a few seconds and she up and disappears on me.”

Your brow wrinkles, and you glance around. You certainly haven’t seen Red Shoes since you got here, but Golden Goose Avenue is a big place, and you haven’t exactly been paying attention to the other shoppers. “Maybe she went into one of the stores to shop by herself. Is it really that big of a deal?”

“Well, no, but you never know what could happen,” Arthur persists. “Looks like hers bring all sorts of creeps out of the woodworks.” He shudders. “Speaking from experience.”

Now, that is something you can imagine. Maybe it’s not so great to be so beautiful, you think, if all you get in return are expectations.

“I’ll help you find her,” you offer.

“Would you? Fantastic!”

Walking alongside Arthur as he retraces his steps, you keep an eye out for silky brown hair, a red satin skirt – lovestruck gazes. You hope she’s outside so you can avoid the hassle of looking in each individual shop. Some of them are charmed to keep you inside for hours.

In all honesty, it’s more likely that Red Shoes will find the three of you instead of the other way around, given the heavy thump, thump, thumps that rumble behind the two of you down the street.

You clear your throat during a lull between calling her name.

“So, what’s with the giant wooden bunny?”

Arthur looks up at you and then back at the silent creature. He reaches up to scratch the back of his head before stopping midway and posturing instead. “Just a vicious beast that I rescued Red Shoes from last night. Pretty impressive, right?”

“Ha!” Merlin says, and Arthur whips around.

“Got something to say, magic boy?!”

As the two begin to bicker, you drop back to examine the bunny again. It stares back at you, eyes half-lidded as if utterly unimpressed with the company it has found itself in. ‘Vicious’ is the last thing you’d use to describe it. If anything, it’s calmer than any of you.

You’ve never heard of giant wooden animals living near Risky Rock before. Maybe the increase in monster activity is affecting the wildlife …

“—so I’m not even gonna bother explaining women to you anymore.” A loud scoff from Arthur distracts you from your staring contest with the bunny, and you furrow your brow as he breaks away from Merlin to resume walking. You jog slightly to catch up. “C’mon, [Y/n]. Red Shoes! Red Shoes?”

From the alleyway to your right, you hear someone call out.

“Guys! Guys, I’m here.”

When you turn to look into the shadows of the alley, you can just make out the figure of a young woman in the middle of a group of knights. She waves at you.

You don’t recognize her. Judging by the looks on Arthur and Merlin’s faces, they don’t know her either, so the three of you awkwardly look away and continue on.

“That was weird,” Merlin mutters once you’re out of earshot.

“She probably thought we were someone else,” Arthur brushes it off. “Let’s go, we need to find Red Shoes.”

Merlin nods, but when you look at him, his expression is troubled. He glances over his shoulder and stops walking.

“No, the way those knights were standing around her …” he starts. “Something didn’t seem right.”

You frown. You’d be the first to list Merlin’s many faults, but poor instincts is not one of them; you’ve been on the wrong end of them too many times to count. You think back to the alleyway and wonder what he had noticed that you didn’t. Was the woman secretly asking for help? Were the knights not as relaxed as you thought they were?

Arthur groans impatiently, throwing his arms out. “They’re probably helping her find whoever she thought we were,” he responds. “It’s fine. Now, are you going to help me find our princess or not?”

Your gaze flits from one prince to the other, stopping on Merlin as he continues to look over his shoulder. His fingers twitch, antsy, and his mouth presses into a thin line before he opens it.

“Keep looking for her,” he finally says, turning around and running back to the alley. “I’ll be right back!”

Curiosity eclipsing your pride, you run after him.

“Are you ser – guys!” Arthur yells after the two of you, his voice fading with the distance. “Merlin, stop trying so hard to play hero!”

With Merlin’s stature, it’s easy to catch up to him. “Hey,” you ask once you do, clutching your bags to your chest to keep their contents from clattering around, “what did you –”

“Shh.” He halts abruptly just before the entrance to the alleyway, throwing an arm out to stop you.

You hold your tongue and swallow the impulse to push him right back. Wordlessly, he and you peek around the corner and squint through the darkness.

Oh.

The knights, who had seemed so casual before, now cluster in the back of the alleyway, their weapons raised. And though you can’t see her, you can hear the voice of the young woman from before.

(You hate it when he’s right.)

The soft crinkle of paper by your leg catches your ear, and you glance down to see Merlin holding one of his talismans. Your eyes widen.

“Uh, Merlin –”

“Come on,” he mutters, and the next thing you know, he’s striding towards the knights and flicking his fingers with quiet confidence.

The knights rattle and drop like flies, revealing the cowering figure of the poor woman you’d all ignored earlier. She’s pressed herself against the back wall. As she lowers her arms, eyes round with shock and fear, shame swirls in the pit of your stomach.

You trail after Merlin as he picks a red shoe off the ground and dusts it off. He approaches the woman and offers it to her.

“Your red shoe, milady,” Merlin says.

His voice is gentle, assuring, and soft, and it renders you speechless.

Merlin isn’t gentle. He’s arrogant, and flashy, and tries too hard to be suave. He’s a prince. He’s not a gentleman. But the way he had gone back, and the way he had stayed to speak with the woman afterwards …

Something moves inside your chest. It warms behind your ribcage, and you are startled by the strangeness of it, and strangely frightened.

“… Excuse me, miss, have we met?”

“Um”—the woman tenses, meeting your eyes before quickly looking away, and you are hit with a odd, vague sense of familiarity—“well, that’s kind of a complicated question.”

You open your mouth, only to be interrupted by the sound of Arthur yelling out for Red Shoes outside the alley.

You had almost forgotten.

“Will you be okay?” You break your silence upon your second attempt, lowering the bags from your arms.

This time, the woman holds your gaze, and she smiles a bit bigger, nodding. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay … er.” There are now two pairs of eyes on you as you free one hand to dig around in your satchel and pull out a small bottle. It’s partly to assuage your guilt, which makes you feel guiltier somehow, but, “Here, have this. It’s a deterrent. You spray it.” When she takes it hesitantly, you hastily tack on, “It’s free.”

(Oh, gods, you think. Why would you even say that?)

Merlin tugs at your sleeve, gesturing at the street with his head. “We gotta go,” he tells the woman. “Stay safe.”

You mumble out some semblance of a similar sentiment, and as you leave her, hurrying out of the darkness into the bright light, you bite your bottom lip in embarrassment and squeeze your eyes shut.

“Wow.” Merlin releases you once you’ve both turned the corner, letting out a snort that brings blood rushing to your ears. “I bet princesses would be scrambling in line for your post-rescue care.”

“Shut up,” you grumble, desperately wishing for him to just drop it, drop it. (You know he won’t.) “What – what about that weird act you had going back there? ‘Your red shoes, milady’ – I almost died of cringe!”

“Excuse me? I wasn’t acting,” Merlin replies indignantly. “And it wasn’t cringey.”

“I’ve never seen you be that nice without a motive.”

He huffs up at you. “I’m actually genuinely nice, thank you! You’d know that if you didn’t antagonize me all the time.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the other way around,” you retort.

“Oh, please.” The two of you begin to walk towards Arthur and the Wood-Rabbit, and Merlin’s voice takes on a smugger tone, needling at the part of you that remains young and oversensitive. “You know what I think?” he says. “I think you’re jealous that I was being nice to her.”

“… What?”

“It’s perfectly fine, [Y/n].” He casts a glance at you, a smirk stretching across his cheeks. “If you ever get attacked by a dragon or something, I’ll sweep you off your feet too.”

You balk. Heat spreads from your ears to the entirety of your face.

That little –

“Took you guys long enough!” Arthur scolds right as you’ve decided to encase Merlin’s head in an ice cube and then yours. “So, Merlin, was I right or was I right?”

“You were wrong, actually,” Merlin snarks. “There was a problem, and I took care of it. [Y/n] can vouch for that.”

“Yeah, right, you really think I’m gonna believe”—Arthur looks to you for backup, only for his face to drop when you glare at the ground and cross your arms—“believe … w-well, that’s …! Fine! Anyways, more importantly, I just saw Red Shoes on a wanted poster, and I have a lot of questions about that, so we need to find her ASAP.”

“Wanted poster?” you ask.

“You didn’t see them? The knights have been passing them out,” Merlin says. “The ones that weren’t busy harassing citizens, at least.”

He pulls out a piece of paper and unfolds it, offering it to you. With distaste curling your lips, refusing to meet his eyes, you snatch it up and read the header and footer.

WANTED, it says. BIG REWARD.

Drawn in the middle of the page is, without question, Red Shoes.

“What did she do?”

“It doesn’t say.”

“I know it doesn’t say; I can read. What did the knights say?”

“Go and ask them yourself.”

“Oh, for the Lady’s sake,” bemoans Arthur, throwing his head back and turning around, “I liked it better when you two were moping. Can you just –” He looks past you and suddenly, his eyes brighten. “Red Shoes!”

He waves his arm. You turn on your heel, catching sight of who you’re certain is Red Shoes dashing towards the entrance of the Avenue. She doesn’t so much as slow down or look over her shoulder.

“Stop!”

You blink, and a gust of wind blows by as two giant men barrel past you. It doesn’t take much to figure out who they’re chasing after.

Merlin yanks your arm a split second later.

“Get on!”

“Get on what –” Realizing his plan, you scramble after him onto the Wood-Rabbit’s back. “What about Arthur?”

Merlin clutches onto the greenery sprouting from the back of the rabbit’s head. “He’ll catch up!”

You yelp as the Wood-Rabbit stands up, grabbing a fistful of moss with your right hand. Your left hand isn’t so lucky.

The creature bounds forward, and you fly several inches up into the air. With a panicked gasp, you wrap your loose arm around the next sturdiest thing and squeeze tight.

Merlin lets out a mix between a wheeze and a cough as you all but crush his lungs. “What are you doing?” he yells, trying to pry your hand from his coat. “Grab Red Shoes!”

The rabbit jumps again, bringing your heart to your throat, and you tighten your grip. “You’re the rescuer, aren’t you?!”

“How can you expect me to – just do it!”

“I can’t!”

“Yes, you can!”

“I can’t!” you shriek just as you catch up to Red Shoes, throwing your arm out. She grabs it, and when the rabbit jumps, she soars upward and lands right behind you.

“I’m okay!” she yells, grabbing the moss on the Wood-Rabbit’s back with far better luck than you.

Merlin looks back, exhaling with relief when he sees Red Shoes. “Thank Morgaina,” he exclaims. The four of you sail past the Avenue’s entrance, and his attention then turns to you, his eyebrows raising as you dig your fingers into his coat again. “See, was that so hard, you big baby?”

“You’re a jerk,” you shout. But your nerves are alight, and your blood is rushing, and a sharp, wild laugh bubbles from your throat for the very first time. “If we die, I’ll kill you myself!”

“Like you could!” he says. You feel laughter rumbling through his chest, fresh and real and alive.

(Your heart jumps into your throat again.)

Behind you, Red Shoes dissolves into giggles. The adrenaline pounding in your head brings with it the hysterical relief that only comes from a terrifying experience, and your laughter joins hers and Merlin’s, cracking the air and leaving your pursuers in its wake.

This curse is going to take years off your life, you think. You find yourself not caring nearly as much as you should.

—

#prince merlin #merlin x reader #red shoes and the seven dwarfs #rsat7d #rsatsd #fanfic #reader insert #yes this fic is NOT dead #i've resuscitated it and it is groaning and limping along like an offbrand frankenstein :')

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kraviolis · 2 years

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i drew all these literally 6 months ago and never posted them wtf theyre so good. anyways, read the red thread by pastafossa

#daredevil #the red thread #matt murdock #pastafossa #jane hind #matt murdock x reader #daredevil x reader #marvel #mine #2022 #it may be a /reader fic but i do see jane as her own character #mostly bcus i cant put myself in her shoes bcus i am not a woman lol #but i still love this fic bcus it is so. compelling. and fascinating.#its got a great build up and great characterization and beautiful dialogue #and it made me CRY #i rarely make playlists for fics that i dont write and i made one for this one

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wanderingmagee · 1 year

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Excalibur’s wielder and The Sorcerer:

[Description]

["I believe the sword will make the right choice today." Father's words replayed in my mind as I stood in front of the legendary sword Excalibur.]

A story set many years after red shoes and the 7 dwarfs movie. Most of the Fearless Seven have settled down and had families of their own, but if they want to retire from F7 they need replacements, others to keep the magical lands safe from monsters and beasts. They must train a new team to take their places, and who better than YOU and their children, huh? How will your new team fair against the dangers of the magical lands? What curses will you guys get casted upon yourselves like your fathers? I can't wait to find out!———————————————————————

Chapter 1: Princess and the sword

“You will still be my daughter rather you pull the sword or not. But I believe the sword will make the right choice today.”

Father’s words replayed in my mind as I stood in front of the legendary sword Excalibur. It was a coming-of-age ceremony father had started with my older brother, Dallan, two years ago. Each of King Arthur’s children would attempt to pull Excalibur from her bashed-up stone prison.

My eyes cast to Dallan, who stood with our parents and six-year-old sister, Shyla. He gave me a thumbs up, but I could tell he was nervous I might free the sword. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t prayed the sword would choose another to free her, like my sister. I knew it was selfish to wish the burden on her.

“How lovely a young woman of eighteen my daughter has become. It seems she was playing fearless seven only yesterday with her little friends.”

Father spoke lovingly, wiping a tear from his eye giving me a proud smile. Embarrassed by his mushy words, I blush, looking to Excalibur. I glance around at the crowd surrounding me and the sword. A bright smile finds my face when I spot some of my childhood friends, children of my father’s friends. Curly red hair catches my attention first: Prince Goran, Son of Prince Hans, and Princess Aurora. My eyes move to the strawberry blonde beside Prince Goran, Princess Juniper, daughter of Prince Jack and Princess Attina. The two gave me big smiles and supportive gestures, which made me smile. I scan the crowd once more, not seeing the one I had hoped would be here today. Frowning, I clutch my dress.

“He promised…”

I mumble to myself, feeling sadness lying within my chest.

“Now, enough of this old king’s words! Let’s witness the choice of the stone on this special day.”

Father had been giving the same speech he had given at brother’s ceremony. Everyone now stared at me expectantly. Focusing back on Excalibur, I gulp, feeling the anxiety in my throat. My shaking hand reaches for the handle, feeling the lather touch my fingertips. With my hand gripping the handle, I take a deep, shaky breath before moving my hand to pull Excalibur.

Excalibur slips from the stone as if it had never been stuck at all. The surrounding crowd erupts into gasps and cheers. I stare at the shaped metal in my hands as if it was a ghost. Fear fills my body. Why me? Why couldn’t it have been my brother? I’m no hero… I’m barely a princess. This is all wrong.

“Excalibur has chosen! My Daughter is the wielder of the sword of legends!”

A hand settles on my shoulder, making me jump back to reality. Father is smiling so brightly it’s blinding me. I look over Mother’s shoulder as she embraces me. Dallan’s figure catches my eye. He looks beyond angry as he clenches his jaw and storms off into the crowd.

‘I didn’t ask for this, dear brother. Please… forgive me.’

I think to myself, watching Dallan disappear. Trying to will away tears, I brought my attention to the sky. Fireworks are going off overhead. Not just any fireworks, I could tell from the feel of familiar magic filling the air. He was here, after all. My eyes follow the trail of fireworks to meet a pair of honey orbs staring back. A charming grin found his lips as he leans against the large white Colum. My best friend since I could crawl, Prince Rainer, Son of Prince Merlin and Queen Snow. He wasn’t hard to miss, tall and handsome as his father, with short dark brown hair and fair skin the only thing different from his father was the rosy hue on his cheeks and he wasn’t as slim as his father was at his age, but it only added to Rainer’s handsome factor.

Father tells the story he’s told us kids a billion times before, of how Queen Snow offered to pull Excalibur for him. I slip away and make my way to Rainer.

“I take it you’re not too happy about free Excalibur, hm?”

I huff out a sigh, reaching up and taking my crown off.

“No, of course not. How could I be? My brother hates me and now I have to live up to everyone’s high expectations of this thing…”

I squeeze the sword tightly as tears well up in my eyes. Rainer steps closer, placing a warm hand on mine and my grip loosens on the sword. I meet Rainer’s soft Honey gaze and he takes my crown, placing it back on my head.

“Dallan doesn’t hate you, he can’t, he loves you too much. He will come to terms with it all, as will you.”

Rainer tucks some hair behind my ear. My cheeks flush as I look away, nibbling on my bottom lip, a nervous habit.

“I thought you weren’t coming.”

He lets out a breathy chuckle, taking a step out of my personal space.

“Well, I’m here, aren’t I? I had to help my father with some things… Don’t pout, Princess.”

My cheeks erupt in color at the nickname and the quirk of his brow. He’s used the royal title to tease me since we were little, and it still gets to me every time.

“Wait, what things?”

Rainer pats me on the shoulder with a nervous laugh.

“You’ll find out soon enough at dinner later.”

Now I was worried. What will I find out at dinner?

“(Y/n), Rainer! There you two are!”

I turn around just in time to get smushed into a hug by none other than Goran. I try to speak, but Goran’s chest muffles my words.

“Uh Goran, you’re suffocating the new Excalibur wielder.”

Rainer crosses his arms, laughing. Juniper, who had run up with Goran, joins in laughing with Rainer.

“It’s only been maybe fifteen minutes. At least let her bask in the light of Excalibur a while longer before you suffocate her.”

Juniper playfully smacks Goran’s arm as she chuckles.

“Oops… my apologizes, (Y/n)."

Goran releases me, and I gasp for air.

“Woo.. it’s alright, Go.”

“By the way, we met your grandparents on the way over. They said they’d like to speak with you.”

With a nervous feeling building up in my stomach again, I look to where Juniper pointed to my grandparents, former King Uther and former Queen Igraine. A frown finds my lips.

“I had hoped they wouldn’t come.”

I hang my head. My three friends give me looks of sympathy. Juniper hugs my arm, placing her head on my shoulder to comfort me.

“It’s just for one day, then they’ll leave again.”

They all knew I was never my Grandparents’ favorite grandchild, not because I did anything wrong, but they have their preferences. My grandparents love and care for me, just not to the extent they do for Dallan and Shyla, likely because they are the most like our father in looks and personality. Whereas I look and act like my late grandmother on my mother’s side of the family, with my (H/c) locks, (E/c) eyes, and (S/c) Complexion. A large hand on my lower back pulls me from my thoughts.

“We’ll be right here. Go, humor them, Wielder of Excalibur.”

“But Rainer.. I-I- eh-”

Rainer gives me a gentle nudge toward my grandparents. My friends give me a thumbs up as I reluctantly start walking. I love all three of them, but they could be so mean… a small smile graces my lips. I held the sword in both hands like I was to present it, or as if it was fragile. Putting on my best smile, I greeted my Grandparents who were engaged in conversation with my father.

“And what of suitors?-”

“Grandfather, Grandmother.”

I bow my head slightly in respect, hoping I did not interrupt something important.

“There’s the Princess of the hour. Well, will you look at our grandchild, Igraine? She will have her own books of legend written of her.”

Grandfather smiles, placing a firm hand on my shoulder. Grandmother smiles as well.

“Yes, dear, such a lovely young woman she has become.”

I give my thanks with a sheepish smile.

“My, what beautiful details on this sword.”

Grandfather takes the sword from my hands, holding it so the sun’s light reflects off its surface.

“I assured you it was a sight to see many years ago, Father, did I not?”

My Father let out a hearty laugh, sticking his chest out proudly as he did. Father then puts a hand on my head in a gentle manner.

“You did, my son. Yet, you never let me see before you placed it back in the stone.”

Grandfather teases father, making him rub the back of his neck guiltily.

“Come, Love, the rest of the Kingdom is waiting for the Wielder of Excalibur at the banquet.”

I chuckle as Grandmother leads me away before Father and Grandfather bicker about old times.

I now sat in the carriage with my mother, grandmother, and Shyla, watching the trees as we pass them.

“Blanchette, have you thought about what we discussed?”

Grandmother addresses my mother. I tune into their conversation.

“Yes, Mother, I have. I just don’t think it’s quite time for suitors right now. She just pulled the Sword of legend from the stone. It could cause problems.”

My eyes widen as realization hits me. Suitors!? Horror fills my face and heart as I look to my Mother and grandmother.

“It is best to get the hard part over with before they send her to protect the future of her brother’s kingdom.”

There she goes talking like not here. My eyebrow twitches in frustration.

“Suitors? I think I have a right to be included in the decision of this conversation.”

I look between the two older women.

“Dear, don’t take this the wrong way, but you know this decision is your Father and mothers alone.”

I frown, looking at mother in hopes of a different answer, only to receive an apologetic look. I turn away from the both of them, focusing back on the forest with an empty expression. Today was not my day, and the days to follow weren’t sounding any better.

We arrived back at the castle, and guards escorted us to the ballroom. The room, once full of scatter and music, turned silent upon our arrival. Everyone stares silently, then Father draws everyone’s attention to him.

“Our legendary hero has arrived. Let the celebration begin!”

Father bellowed with a hearty laugh. The room quickly erupted in cheers and beautiful melodies. I follow mother over to her friends, or as I’ve called them since I was little, my uncles and aunts.

“Nice going, Kiddo! About time someone got that sword out of that stone before your father went crazy.”

Uncle Merlin greets me with open arms. I giggle, hugging back him back.

“Thank's uncle Merlin.”

“Aw, I want a hug too.”

Aunt Snow said, joining in on our hug. We separate and the Triplets hug my legs, Pino, Noki, Kio. Who are still dwarves after choosing to live with the curse they received many years ago. It’s a long story I never tire of hearing.

“Your favorite uncles have made you a gift to help you with future adventures with Excalibur.”

“Yes, Uncle Noki engraved your favorite (Your choice) on it.”

“And Uncle Kio made sure it was your favorite color.”

The three release my legs and present a (F/c) back scabbard with beautiful engraved Silver accents for durability.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you so much, uncles.”

My gracious smile is contagious as my family around me smiles as well. A familiar figure catches my eye as I look up to see Dallan standing off in the corner by himself. A grumpy look on his face.

“I’m very thank full for the gift, uncles, but do you mind holding on to it for a bit longer?”

I ask, and the triplets nod. I hand over the scabbard, making my way through the crowd to my brother. Dallan spots me and tries to make a run for it, but I block his path.

“Brother, we need to have a discussion. Please?”

I give him puppy eyes and he huffs out a sigh, crossing his arms like a stubborn child.

“There’s nothing to discuss, dear Sister.”

Dallan’s words were bitter. He tries to brush past me, but I hug his arm.

“You know I didn’t want Excalibur. Please, don’t be angry with me.”

I lower my voice for only Dallan to hear as to not cause a scene. Dallan brushes me off.

“Just leave me alone, (Y/n). Enjoy your party.”

Dallan’s defeated bitter words linger in my heart as he retreats from the ballroom. I bite my lip to try suppressing my emotions, but I make a beeline for the balcony doors. Once out on the balcony, I take in a deep breath, feeling the need to scream become urgent. My brother hates me. I’m going to be sent to protect the magical lands, and to top it all off, I’m going to be married off to someone I haven’t even met. I gaze down at the ground from the balcony. It was looking pretty inviting nowadays to just jump. I shake the thoughts from my mind.

“Stop being such a selfish coward, (Y/n).”

I mumble to myself, running a hand through my hair in frustration.

“You’ve never outgrown the habit of talking to yourself, have you, Princess?”

I jump, spinning around to face Rainer, who’s making a worried expression. My cheeks reddened at his teasing and I turn away, putting my hands on the balcony railing.

“And lucky for me, you somehow always hear it.”

Rainer lets out a hearty chuckle at my words, giving me butterflies.

“I think it’s becoming a sixth sense, honestly.”

He gives me a playful wink before leaning his back against the railing next to me, looking up at pink and orange sky. The sun is setting already. I sheepishly glance over to Rainer, only to meet those Honey eyes that are reflecting the sunset. He’s so breathtaking, and he gives me this feeling of safety. It’s easy to forget my problems when he’s present. When had I fallen this hard for my best friend? But he sees me as a sister rather than a woman. Yet another frustration in my life.

“I saw what happened with Dallan.”

Rainer softly mentions as we break eye contact.

“I don’t know what to do, Raine… He could barely look at me.”

My voice quivers with the growing need to cry, hands clutching the railing below them.

“He’s stubborn like his father, but He’ll come around. Just let him cool off for a while.”

I give a small nod at his words. Rainer looks back at me.

“Us being the same age, Dallan has always been angry when he can’t do something I can. I’m sure it stems from the burdens he has on his own shoulders. I mean, how is he supposed to be a king when he turns werewolf every full moon? He thinks it would have been easier to be the wielder of Excalibur rather than the future King.”

I really am being selfish. I hadn’t even thought of that, because I didn’t inherit our mother’s curse like Dallan and Shyla had.

“I’m such a terrible sister. I hadn’t even thought of that.”

I groan, running my hands over my face.

“Hey, Hey, don’t beat yourself up about it. It means you see him as an equal and you don’t think of him any differently for his curse. I know how much you look up to Dallan.”

I meet Rainer’s eyes again, a tear slipping down my cheek as he continues.

“The rest of the kingdom is the problem here. My Mother has always warned me about the people who think appearance means everything, but it doesn’t. It never will. I know it and you know, you’re not selfish, you’re scared. Scared of the future, but I also know how strong you can be, (Y/n). ”

Rainer comes closer, reaching up to wipe the stray tear from my cheek. His eyes seem to search mine, his face leant down to be level with mine. My eyes move to his lips and my cheeks warm under his hand.

‘Too close!’

I think to myself, panicking.

“Rainer! (Y/n)!”

Me and Rainer quickly part from each other and look to Juniper, who came rushing out to the balcony.

“What is it, Jun?”

Rainer asked with a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest.

“King Arthur and Prince Merlin want to see us. Come on, slowpokes!”

Juniper gleefully says. She grabs Rainer by the hand to pull him along. I look at their intertwined hands as I follow behind them. Juniper is in love with Rainer, too. I don’t know how Rainer feels about her or any girl, really. We’ve never talked about crushes or relationships before, but Juniper is better for him than me; I know that, yet the thought makes my heart ache. They are both my friends and I want them to be happy, even if that means I’m not, so I keep my feelings hidden in hopes I wake up and don’t have them anymore. The three of us made our way back into the ballroom, where we found my father and uncle Merlin. Standing with them were the Triplets, Goran, and Dallan.

“Good, you are all here. We’re going to explain why, but not here. Follow us.”

My father motions for us to follow.

“Father, what about the celebration?”

I quickly ask.

“It will still be here. We have important things to discuss first.”

His reply made me more nervous than before. What did we need to discuss that’s so important?

[Thank you for reading have a lovely day! <3]

#red shoes and the seven dwarfs #red shoes and the 7 dwarfs #red shoes snow white #red shoes merlin #red shoes and the seven dwarfs x reader #x reader #ao3 #red shoes and the seven dwarfs fan fiction #Merlin’s son x reader

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tadahoni · 2 years

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Reaching for Something

Request (responded to separately): Got super excited when I saw you opened requests again, so I wanted to make one! This is a RSASTD Merlin x Fem!reader request. On WattPad, I read your story “Something Wonderful” and it was really good! The canon ending really got me thinking though. At the end of the movie, when Regina dies, all her magic and stuff like that gets reversed. So, wouldn’t that mean F7 gets their memories of reader back? I like the theory of this, and if possible, I’d love to see it written! Hope this isn’t trouble

SUMMARY: Merlin is finally living his happily ever after with the most beautiful woman in the world, but after the spell is broken and his memories reappear, there is someone on his mind...

A/N: I'm going to base this off of my story on Wattpad, check it out! Also I wasn't entirely sure how Snow White would fit into this, because I love her so very much and I want her to be happy, but also Merlin. Sooooo... read to find out?!

Never in his life did Merlin ever think he'd be in his house, with his beautiful wife, and wondering if it was right.

Now, don't get him wrong, he loved Snow White to the end of the earth. She loved him for him, and he for her. But memories were flooding in.

And they weren't working in Snow's favor.

Not only had Merlin started to regain consciousness of Y/N, but he remembered everything about Snow's dad.

This had to have been some sort of setup.

It had finally occurred to Merlin that although he though Snow White was, in fact, the most beautiful person in the world, he couldn't bear to continue living with this thought in his head. He sat Snow White down one night to talk. He told her about everything he had remembered, about what his father-in-law had done to him, and about Y/N.

As perfect as she was, so was her response. She was incredibly understanding, and felt anger towards her father for the things he had done to her husband. She understood if he felt trapped in this marriage, and gave the option of divorce. He was floored by how quickly she had becoming understanding of the situation. But she finally admitted something that made everything make sense.

She had fallen in love with his best friend.

Jack was still living with them in the house, and the close proximity of the two drew them closer. Nothing had happened between them yet, but Snow White made it clear that she had in fact fallen out of love with Merlin.

The divorce was mutual, and Jack made it clear that he still loved the two even if he was essentially the driving force between them. But they knew King White wouldn't be happy about this at all. His daughter marrying into a cursed lineage? No dice.

They made a plan.

Jack and Snow White would remarry on a ship to France, where they would move and declare zero passage to anybody with papers from Fairy Tale Island, excluding the Fearless Seven, of course.

They proposed this to Merlin one night. "That's a great plan, you two. I think that will work nicely." The two gave him a look. "What?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. "We want you to come with us," Snow White stated. "And," Jack continued. "We think you should bring Y/N home." It had suddenly occurred to Merlin the real reason why he had gone through the life-changing divorce in the first place. Jack's long lost sister, the thief of Fairy Tale Island.

His true love.

First, he had to find her.

Merlin honestly thought it would be much harder to find the woman he loved, but he actually found her within the first try as he entered Hans's bakery. The redhead was behind the counter, serving a customer a chocolate croissant when he noticed Merlin enter the shop. He looked like he was about to jump out of his nonexistent seat.

"Merlin!!!" He ran over and gave the man a hug as the customer left the building. When the coast was clear, Hans pulled away and whispered: "I heard about you and Snow White from Jack, is everything okay?" "Yeah, everything has been figured out, but that's actually what I came here to talk to you about." Hans pulled a chair out by the bar that was stationed by his workplace for Merlin to sit in. He then placed a plate in front of him with a buttered croissant on top. Merlin could feel his heart skip a beat. "Just like Y/N loved." His head whipped to look ahead at Hans, leaning against the bar. He knew. He remembered. "Is she..." "She's upstairs. I've been keeping her safe in my apartment, selling her maps in the shop for some extra cash for her. She never left the island, she couldn't leave you behind." Merlin paused. There was no way that she would want to see him right now. After he had pushed her away at the door, after he had married the daughter of the man who locked her away. There were a thousand questions running through his head, but Hans seemed to know, because he said: "She wants to see you." "Does she?" "She knows what happened to you. She knows your memory was erased, and once she heard about your divorce, she knew it must have been related to either her or King White's influence on the situation." Merlin gingerly stood, blinking at Hans as if he were asking a favor. Hans nodded, walked to the door of the bakery, and flipped the sign to closed before leading him upstairs.

"You're going to have to be quick about this if you want to make it to France before anyone finds out. I'll be downstairs to reopen. Be smart." Hans left Merlin to search the apartment for his lost love, and that proved to be anxiety-spiking for the man. He checked doors, peeked in closets, nothing. But as soon as hope was fleeting for Merlin, he heard the window open. The man stood back to allow Y/N to enter the apartment without getting startled. He watched her elegantly enter the window, reach up, and close it. Then she turned to face him.

She hadn't changed. The knife she was holding, most likely for safety, clattered to the ground. The girl in front of him was frozen, her expression unreadable. Merlin was unable to find the words until they slipped from his mouth:

"Love..."

As if he had given her permission, Y/N ran towards Merlin and nearly tackled him into a kiss, in which he gladly accepted. The passion and love that had been bottled into Y/N throughout the past year as well as the satisfaction of finally seeing the woman Merlin loved again was put into the kiss, so much so that Merlin had accidentally slammed Y/N into the wall, putting his hands on either side of her face.

A quiet, yet firm thumping interrupted the two. "Be smart!"

Merlin glanced from the floor back to Y/N, whose face was pink from blush. "Broom," she said simply. "He gets me with that when I'm too loud up here." "How did I ever live this past year without you in my mind?" The two stared at one another once again, then pulled each other close into an embrace.

It took approximately five minutes for Merlin to catch Y/N up on everything in his life, and once he was sure he finished, he looked at her nervously.

“We need to leave, and I want you to come with me.”

She raised her eyebrows im surprise, blinking twice, then putting her thumb to her teeth to nibble on the nail nervously.

“You don’t need to decide now, just sometime within-“

“I’ll go.”

Well, that was much easier than Merlin though it would be.

“This past year of my life has been hell, and it’s all because I’ve been without you.” She looked up and him, determination gracing her features. “I won’t risk losing you again.”

Merlin smiled and nodded, taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on the knuckle.

“We leave tomorrow.”

#merlin red shoes #merlin #red shoes and the seven dwarves #rsatsd #rsat7d #merlin x reader

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fly-you-dam-fools · 1 year

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Okay okay people, for this summer, which fic would you like to see first?

VOTE VOTE VOTE!!

#moon runes #ish #polls #wips #wip #merlin red shoes x reader #hobi x reader #hoseok x reader #j-hope x reader #oliver wood x reader #tadashi x reader #tadashi hamada x reader

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artemilda · 1 year

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Red Shoes and Seven Dwarfs as Minecraft Players

Included: Arthur x Reader, Merlin x Reader, Hans x Reader, Jack x Reader, Pino x Reader, Noki x Reader, Kio x Reader, Red shoes x Reader

Type: Fluff

Warnings: *nothing*

RED SHOES

♡ She is the one who cutely collects flowers, but also brutally kills monsters like zombies and skeletons

♡ She often just walks around the world, causing her to quickly become Hungry

♡ She has a LOT of food with her

♡ She often goes with you to collect Wood for Pino, Noki and Kio

♡ Of course, after she cut down the Trees, she re-plants them

♡ She often finds Beautiful Fields with many Flowers on them

♡ Then she runs to you and you go with her because she wants to show you this wonderful field

♡ It used to be that she picked Flowers, then she found a Glade and planted them there

♡ She did it in order to play with you longer

♡ She also likes to go with you to the Caves, where you both Scream

♡ This is very funny

MERLIN

◇ He is always traveling

◇ And this means that he needs to Kill, Mine and Build at the same time

◇ Before leaving he asks if you need anything

◇ He also gives you a lot of flowers

◇ More often these are those Blues, so that you don't forget about him

◇ He also carries with him a Flower of your Favorite Color

◇ He often tries to protect you

◇ And if you go somewhere as a group, for example, to the Huge Cave, then he will try to be Next to you

◇ He also tries to flirt with you

◇ But due to the fact that you see only a Minecraft Skin, it makes you laugh

ARTHUR

♤ He always kills mobs

♤ Because of this he has the highest level

♤ He also often goes to Hell

♤ He often brags about his Armor because it's the best of them all

♤ He shares armor and weapons with you, as he has a lot of them

♤ He also protects you all the time

♤ He asks you to go with him to the Caves because he is "Scared"

♤This is of course a lie, but you agree because you need iron and so on

♤He also often stays on the Street at Night protecting the Shared Home that Noki, Pino and Kio built.

♤ When he dies all you hear is "FU-"

JACK

☆ He has the most Beautiful Minecraft Skin

☆ He often goes with Arthur to the Caverns to find Emeralds or Diamonds

☆ He also wears only Diamond Armor as it is the most Beautiful

☆ He upgrades his Weapons and Armor because then it Shines and it's Beautiful

☆ He is also very fast

☆ He doesn't drink Speed Potions, he just works fast with his Hands

☆ So when a lot of Zombies attack in the Cave, he can escape from there with practically no Damage

☆ He often gives you diamonds

☆ Or Emeralds

☆ He also gives you Flowers (Mostly Large Pink or Red)

☆ He also often drinks an Invisibility Potion

HANS

♧ He always Kills Animals and then Cooks them

♧ He has a lot of Raw Meat in his Inventory that he doesn't have enough Space for other Blocks

♧He has Three Chests with only Food

♧ Whenever you want to go somewhere he asks if you have food

♧ You often walk around the World together and talk about different Things

♧ You and him are most often killed by mobs

♧ Is it because you are very afraid of Zombies

♧ Also he will never go out at night himself on the Street

♧ He also has a Shield

♧ But he still dies faster than anyone

NOKI, PINO, KIO

● They always build houses

● They also build Farms, Factories and just Buildings to make this Map more beautiful

● It was that Kio built you a heart

● Noki saw this and built a bigger and prettier heart

● Then Pino saw it and he built a HUGE Heart that was WONDERFUL

● Well, then all over again

● They have their own Workshop

● They are also the ones who always make Weapons, Armor and some other Things for everyone

● They always need some Building Items, which makes others have more Work to do

●They work together all the time

#red shoes and the 7 dwarfs x reader #minecraft #prince merlin #merlin x reader #arthur x reader #prince hans #kio noki pino #prince arthur #kio #noki #pino #hans x reader #red shoes x reader

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kuichihimei · 1 year

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Pov: How would they treat you if you were friends Rsat7d (Friends. Just friends bc we need more friendship fics and I'm here to change that)

F7 + Snow White

Ⅰ Ⅱ Ⅲ Ⅳ Ⅴ Ⅵ Ⅶ Ⅷ

Snow White

♡ Starting with our main girl Snow! I strongly believe that she'd be highkey protective of you.

♡ Not like in an overbearing motherly way, more like... An older sister not liking your new boyfriend kind of way, if you know what I mean.

♡ Like, she would be the type of person who would be really chill with a lot of things (*ahem* considering all the crazy stuff you might get into once you become friends with the seven— *ahem*) but if she sees you uncomfortable or in a dangerous situation, you'd bets believe she would pull you out of that mess ASAP (girls protecting other girls ❤️)

♡ If you're being followed by creeps, she'd definitely confront them (She might even headbutt the creeps like that one knight in Golden Goose Avenue)

♡ Y'alls would be traveling distant lands together for the experience (and for the food). Adventuring & food, it's one of the things you bond over honestly...

♡ She also likes experimenting inside the kitchen (with Hans' supervision of course [He doesn't want you to burn his kitchen down like last time]).

♡ I can also see her as someone you can go to if you want to experiment with your wardrobe. (She'll definitely hype you up if you're feeling insecure if you're trying on something new ❤️)

♡ Picking cute outfits together, doing each other's hair while gossiping about the latest tea, hyping each other up when you're down 'n stuff.

♡ If you're someone who likes sports/likes to work out, you bets believe that she can get on your level despite being really feminine. Let's be honest here, you can be feminine & be able to bench-press 250... We've seen her do both.

♡ Snow White is the embodiment of women empowerment, strong-willed & compassionate (Sign me up ❤️)

♡ I'm so sorry to say this but... You're kind of the third wheel whenever Snow & Merlin go on dates together ( ；∀；).

♡ You don't mind though, Snow & Merlin deserve a proper date every now & then. (Plus we need more Snowlin anyway)

Should I continue this & make headcanons for the other characters?

I'll probably add more if anyone wants them (¯―¯٥)

Ⅰ Ⅱ Ⅲ Ⅳ Ⅴ Ⅵ Ⅶ Ⅷ

#red shoes and the seven dwarfs x reader #red shoes and the 7 dwarfs #rsat7d imagine #rsatsd #rsat7d x reader #red shoes x reader

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wito-chan-bla-bla · 2 years

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Witch, Magician and Distrust (Part II)

You are a student of a fairy princess and part-time witch. Once you get to the “Fearless Seven” who have become dwarves, you decide to take the opportunity and help them dispel the curse. Of course, it’s not that simple. First they need to learn to see the true beauty in other people.

Parts: I

–Why are you going to be a hack? You haven't been our boss for a long time to justify your authority!

–And who will follow this witch if she decides to destroy the nearest city? Who has magic here: You or me?!

–Why can't you just block her magic?! She said you could do it!

–Because I, unlike this witch, keep my word!

You were sighing while sitting on the couch watching the argument between Merlin and Arthur. Hans was hanging around next to you, asking if you liked the berry jelly he cooked. You brought the mug to your mouth, took a sip and smiled at him contentedly. The prince beamed and nodded silently, leaving for the kitchen.

–...That's the way I have to stay at home! – Arthur opened his mouth, but immediately closed it. – Ha! What, there are no more arguments?!

–Shut up already, my ears are starting to hurt, – Jack sighed from his seat in the chair. – We have to go. Finish it.

You continued to drink berry jelly with a disinterested face, watching out of the corner of your eye as the princes gathered for food. Many products could be grown in the garden, but some only needed to be bought. You didn't know where the little green men got the money from, but you didn't want to ask.

Soon everyone gathered at the entrance. You waved to the whole crowd, but only Hans and the triplets responded in kind. Somehow, the best relations have developed with them. Perhaps the fact is that you loved to eat, which pleased Hans, as you always reacted with sincere joy to his dishes, and the triplets got the right to inspect your broom, which was something in between a simple magical object and a mechanism.

So, everyone has gone away, and you are left alone with Merlin. When you heard the sound of transformation, you immediately turned around, and the little dwarf was standing on the floor again, looking at you with a look full of discontent.

–So, what are we going to do? Or we're going to stare at each other with disdain for the rest of the time.

–I'm definitely going to. I won't take my eyes off you, witch.

–Stop highlighting the last word so terribly. And what's the big deal about me being a witch? I haven't done anything wrong... yet.

–I can't read minds, but I don't need to. It's written on your face that you're up to something!

You grinned at him like a maniac possessed, and began to slowly move towards the magician. Folding your hands behind your back, you began to speak in a dangerously low voice.

–Is tha-at so? Is it possible to say this to the face of a person who is clearly stronger than you? – you have come very close to Merlin. You leaned towards him and showed him the sharp fox teeth, which were just a quickly created illusion. – Or do you want to know why I like helping people so much? You know, their flesh is like this…

You didn't have time to finish, because lightning blinded you. After blinking a couple of times to recover, you straightened up and rolled your eyes.

–You're so impatient. I wanted to finish!

–I won't let you do your obscurantism, witch!

–Y-yes, stop calling me that with such disdain!

You sniffed resentfully and turned away from him, only to turn around after just a second. Playing with Merlin like this for a while, you eventually had to run away, because due to constant reincarnations, the magician could not do any business and was constantly hit by objects that he held in his hands.

Screaming wildly with laughter, you ran from room to room until you eventually flew into a random door. It turned out to be Merlin's bedroom library. After looking at the books, you suddenly whistled with respect.

–And you have collected a real collection. Oh, is this the same limited volume on elemental magic?!.

–Don't you dare touch my books, witch! – Merlin was in the room and tried to move you away from the closet, but you were already reaching out to take the book.

–What are you going to do to stop me? – you laughed and picked up the spine with your finger.

The magician did not think long and went behind your back. You were too busy looking at the table of contents to pay attention to Merlin. But when you were suddenly pressed against the closet by something tall, you suddenly remembered that in fact the green low men were tall and handsome young men.

You immediately turned around, and there was a little dwarf in front of you again. Putting your hand on your rapidly pounding heart, you exhaled with relief while the magician folded his arms on his chest.

You blushed, feeling as if you were being pressed into the closet to prevent you from moving a step. Merlin's hand, unnoticed by you, intercepted the precious volume and put it back on the shelf. Thus, the magician pressed you even harder into the bookshelf with his body, and you almost died of embarrassment.

But that wasn't all. Merlin bent down to your ear, hissing aggressively, burning with hot breath, saying: "Don't you dare touch my books, witch."

–You know, in this form I somehow trust you more.

–Eh?..

–I-it doesn't matter…

You looked away from him and hurried away, shamefully feeling a blush on your cheeks.

You walked for several more hours, loitering back and forth, until eventually you sat down in the living room, playing a melody with the help of a bell. Merlin tried to pretend that the sound didn't bother him in any way, and you smiled every time the magician couldn't read another line.

–Maybe you'll stop already? – he asked irritably, turning his head to you. – My hands will soon fall off. And you kind of need them, don't you?

–I'm tougher than I look. But thank you for your concern.

–You're such a witch.

–And I'm proud of it!

You sat with him in silence for a while, only the bell and the magic fire made any sounds, dispelling the silence. Eventually Merlin sighed and closed the book.

–Why do you even need this bell? It doesn't look like a magic item.

You giggled, glad that your mentor had enchanted her gift so well.

–My teacher gave it to me when I graduated. Her voice is as beautiful as the ringing of this bell.

–That is, the most disgusting?

–Next time I'll spill my soup on you during lunch.

Unfortunately or fortunately, I didn't have to sit in silence for a long time. You suddenly jumped up, looking out the window in panic. Merlin took out his talismans, running outside, shouting: "Why are you multiplying in front of my eyes?!"

You didn't answer anything, just hurried after him. Stopping on the street, you watched a girl screaming and trying to stay on a broom. Didn't anyone teach her to fly?! You pursed your lips and told Merlin to keep an eye out, since you were going to knock out a stranger.

The magician, to your surprise, only nodded. He began to hold the medallions with his fingers, ready, however, to catch another witch.

You used spells by shooting lightning directly at the broom. Mentally asking the magical object for forgiveness, you watched the girl screaming, waving her arms, trying to get back into the air. Turning away, you allowed Merlin to assume his human form, and here the girl fell into his arms.

You didn't see how the magician's eyes widened slightly when he looked at the stranger's face. But in the next second, she opened her eyes, and both people fell to the ground completely.

You hurriedly went to them to make sure that no one was injured.

Witches differed from magicians in that they felt magic. They were connected to nature and were able to choose strength from it. Therefore, witches felt magical objects better and could even see through illusions.

And you saw. My head was a little dizzy when two images appeared in front of you: a toned beautiful girl and an equally beautiful version of her that had a not so "ideal" waist. Closing your eyes, you tried to focus only on one image, the one that the red shoes were showing now.

While you were trying not to die from a headache, Merlin was already flirting with a stranger. Or was she familiar to you? You blinked a few more times and asked in a weak voice:

–Snow White?..

The girl blinked in surprise, and then rushed to hug you, ignoring the dwarf who was obviously offended by such behavior. But if you suddenly fell from the sky, you would also immediately rush to the person you know.

–(Y/N)! – she breathed out with relief, hugging you around the neck. – I'm so glad that I was able to get out of there alive! You won't believe what happened! Hey, have you always been this short?..

–You're just wearing heels, Snow.

–Oh, right! – she laughed sheepishly and took a step away from you. – You know, your accuracy is sometimes amazing. I already thought that I was attacked, and you just knocked down the broom, – she rubbed the back of her head, and then turned to the immediately seductively smiling Merlin and said: – Thank you for catching me! I would have definitely broken bones if it wasn't for you.

–Okay, Snow, I feel we have a lot to discuss. Won't you come into the house?

–Eh? The house? Are you married to him? – she pointed first at you, then at the magician. Both uttered a harsh "No" at the same time.

The girl shuddered slightly, not understanding such vivid hostility, but nodded. You took her by the elbow, leading her into the house. Meanwhile, Merlin in his human form was straightening his hair. You turned around and looked at him so that life would not seem like honey to him.

So, you, Merlin and Snow White are located in a small living room. While the girl was happily stuffing her cheeks with sweets and washing down the food with tea, the magician poked you a couple of times in the hand and quietly asked:

–Do you know this beauty?

–She is a princess of a kingdom where my mentor and I once stayed. I helped magically decorate a Snow dress for one of the balls, so we became friends.

–Yeah! – he exclaimed softly. – The victory is in my pocket!

–What are you talking about? – you leaned closer to him.

–I've definitely found the most beautiful girl in the world! No, in the universe! So the curse will be lifted soon!

–Do you think so? – you asked sarcastically, ready to disappoint him.

–Of course. The ideal of beauty is sitting right in front of us!

You giggled, and then got up and brought a mirror on legs belonging to Jack. Snow has been staring at you questioningly all this time. Merlin in human form is sitting on the sofa with the look of a winner, crossing his legs.

–So, Snow, – you said, without turning the mirror to her yet, – I'm going to show you your reflection now. Don't worry, okay? I know it's not the real you. Because the real you are much more beautiful.

–What are you talking about, (Y/N)? – whispered the girl, putting aside the cherry pie.

–You'll see.

With these words, you turned the mirror, giving the princess a look at yourself. She opened her mouth in horror and touched her cheeks with her hands, trying to say something, but in the end she just blinked.

–Wh-what? How?!.

–This is the influence of your red shoes, – you pointed your finger at the shoes, pressing sideways to the mirror. – This is a magical item that changes the appearance. In the eyes of other people, you are now a "beauty", – you highlighted the last word and stuck out your tongue, rolling your eyes.

–So it's all an illusion? – Merlin asked with disappointment.

–Why is it an illusion? – you chuckled. – Snow herself is very cute. Maybe she's not your style, you little idiots, but she's definitely a beauty.

–S-stop it, (Y/N), – the princess whispered with red cheeks, lightly hitting you on the arm. You giggled and walked over to her, sitting on her lap.

–Can I see the shoes? – you asked cautiously. Snow nodded.

It was quite difficult to take off my shoes. I had to ask for help from a magician. When the shoes were removed, the true form of Snow White appeared in front of people. Merlin made a disgruntled face, and you hit him on the head with a shoe.

–(Y-Y/N)! – the girl exclaimed in panic, looking at the dwarf lying on the floor.

–He deserved it, – you answered without any emotion, looking at the shoe.

–That's reasonable, – the princess said awkwardly, swallowing, but still putting the magician on the sofa.

You spent the next ten minutes on the couch studying the shoes. Every time Merlin muttered to himself something like, "Damn, I've never been so disappointed," you hit him on the head. In the end, the magician moved away from you to the other side and said nothing more, looking blankly into space.

–Well, – you said later, sitting down on your knees and putting the shoe back on Snow's foot with a playful smile, – these shoes are completely safe. But something tells me that someone very bad wants to get these shoes terribly, so they will be more safe on you. So, Snow, what's there about your story?

The princess nodded at your words and began to tell. Merlin tried to pretend that he didn't care, because he was deceived, but in the end he also listened attentively to the story.

–So we're all in trouble? – you sighed, slapping your face with the palm of your hand. – If the evil witch gets so much power, then we will all die here.

–There's nothing we can do, – Merlin said when you looked at him eloquently. – We are no longer the heroes the world saw us as. Because of your teacher, we've lost almost all of our strength!

–You definitely haven't lost your nasty tongue.

He winked at you and you rolled your eyes.

–And what... do I have to wear these heels forever so that Regina never gets them?

–No, why? We could just destroy her, – you hit your fist on your palm, and Snow jumped.

–You have quite nice and kind ways of solving problems for a witch, – Merlin said sarcastically, and you flicked him on the forehead. To your surprise, this time the magician dodged the blow and even showed you his tongue.

–There is no other choice. Her dark energy will continue to spread and influence this world. If Regina is not destroyed, a war of "evil" for power will begin, and then you will not say that I am too cruel!

–I would not like to kill her… I just... want to find my dad!

–We will definitely help you. I'm sure Regina has something to do with his disappearance! Hey, Merlin, – you poked him in the shoulder, – are you with me?

–Why would I help you or her?

–Because you're a hero?

Dwarf sighed, but nodded, straightening up and stretching.

–I hope I will find the most beautiful princess during the trip and kiss her.

–Why is he fixated on this at all? – Snow asked, covering her mouth with her palm. You shrugged your shoulders, but you told the truth. – S-so he's from the same seven?!

–Yes, it's me, – Merlin waved her hand.

–And you're even cuter than I thought,– the princess giggled. Merlin growled irritably, crossing his arms over his chest.

–You just haven't seen my human form!

–And it seems to me that you are less harmful like this, – you put your head on his little shoulder, and the magician irritably pushed you away. You laughed.

Looking at you and the magician, Snow White just smiled. You couldn't read her mind and at the same time knew exactly what the girl was thinking. Rolling your eyes, you stood up and brushed off the skirt of the dress.

–I need my broom! – you announced, following to the exit.

–Why is that? – Merlin immediately jumped up and rushed after you.

–We are flying to the castle to inspect the place where Snow found her father's diary.

–I'm flying with you!

–That's what I planned, – you winked at him and went outside. – Get the broom, shorty!

–All because of your mentor! – the magician drawled from the depths of the house.

Soon you were standing with a broom in one hand, the princess was next to you, Merlin was silently waiting for you to start flying.

–Are you sure you want to be alone?

–The broom won't hold three. Besides, I still can't move away from what I've read, – she shivered, as if from the cold.

–I left a note on the door, so you can go to rest or even sleep. They won't attack you.

–I hope so, – the girl sighed, and then walked away a couple of steps and waved to you and the magician. – Good luck!

You nodded and sat on the broom. Merlin clung to you from behind, like a tree trunk during a hurricane, and you slowly flew up before rushing forward at full speed. The bell sang its familiar melody, and you laughed, feeling the familiar wind currents. But you didn't feel like laughing when Merlin turned into a human and snuggled closer to you.

The broom lost control for a second from your embarrassment, and the magician clung to you harder.

–Look where you're going! We're reeling! – the prince shouted almost in your ear. – Who gave you a flight certificate?

–Witches don't have a flight certificate!

–I see!

You rolled your eyes and flew on. Otherwise, the flight was safe, although you couldn't get rid of the feeling of the magician's arms around your waist, and his chest pressed so close to your back that you can feel his rapid heartbeat even through the fabric.

You landed in the castle and immediately prepared to attack. Merlin put his hands in his pockets and calmly walked to the high door.

–Relax, there's no one here.

–I feel something terrifying ahead.

–To see this, you need to open the door. Leave it to me.

You nodded, but then remembered how tall the magician was. It ended up with you almost lying on the ground laughing while Merlin tried to open the door.

–Okay, I was wrong! – after many attempts, the prince said, sweating and panting. – Just stop laughing, my ears are already hurting!

You giggled again and walked over to him. The joint efforts of two people managed to open the door. You carefully walked into the hall, and now Merlin has taken out his talismans.

Everything was quiet until you noticed a strange tree ahead, which caused your inner magical landmark a quiet horror. Seeing that you are slightly panicking, the magician grunts and stands in front of you. It would be more effective if he were as tall as before.

You and he slowly moved forward until you stopped a few meters away from the mirror, which seemed to be asleep. You swallowed and put your hand to the ground, immediately pressing your palm to your chest.

–What's there? – Merlin asked without taking his eyes off the tree.

–This creature sucks the life out. Probably because of him, we did not see a single living human soul below.

–And what are we going to do? Shall we destroy this tree?

–No, we can't, – you shake your head. – For greater efficiency, we need to defeat Regina first. In addition, special spells are required that can hit such a large mass…

–So we'll have to do research, – Merlin sighs, shaking his head. – There are no such books in my library. It is impossible to use such powerful striking spells during a team battle.

–We could go to the city for books, and Snow would look for her father in the meantime.

–You know, I'm even surprised that you can say something adequate.

You hit him in the side with the back of your hand, but the magician just smiles. He slightly lowers the talismans to get a better look at you.

Suddenly, some sounds are heard outside, and you grabbed Merlin, hugging her to you. Hiding in the roots of a tree, you quietly hissed in pain, imposing an illusion. The broom remained hidden outside.

The magician noticed that you were wincing from unpleasant sensations, and ordered you to close your eyes.

–What are you planning to do? – you whispered, hissing with terrible sensations, hearing someone getting closer and closer to the door.

–Just trust me. We're under an illusion, aren't we? – you nodded. – Then close your eyes quickly!

You obeyed his command, and the next second you were being hugged and pressed to your chest. Merlin sat down with his back to the roots, protecting you from the pain, and you turned your head towards the door, starting to watch. (Anything to distract from the feeling of the magician's hands gently holding you and pressing you closer to him).

Suddenly the doors swung open and the witch stepped inside. She quickly walked over to the tree and started talking to it in an aggressive voice. You heard only fragments of phrases, because you could not focus on anything but the warmth that Merlin's body gave.

–She wasn't there! Show it to me again!

–Unfortunately, I can't show Snow White. Some kind of interference is bothering me.

–What kind of interference?! You are a mirror and a tree at the same time, there should be no interference! Or do you doubt my abilities?!

–There is no way, but I still can't show the image of the princess. Some kind of magic is opposing me.

–This is definitely the magic of the red shoes… Tc! Looks like it's time to sort things out with yourself!

Regina left the room with a quick and loud step, but suddenly she returned with the broom, your broom, shaking magical objects in the air.

–She's definitely here somewhere! Use your magic to find out where the owner of this broom is!

You bulged your eyes, and then rushed forward.

–Merlin ... – you whispered in horror, but the magician was already running, throwing you over his shoulder.

–You! – the witch shouted after you, and you started throwing spells, feeling how hard the hands of Merlin hurrying away were squeezing your sides.

You stole someone else's broom, just knocking it out of the hands of some wooden bear, and shouted at the prince to jump behind you. He clung to your waist, and you hurried away while the magician threw lightning bolts at the irritated Regina.

–Damn it! We've lost my broom! – you shouted as soon as you landed far enough away from the castle.

–And how is your broom different from this one? – the magician asked, rubbing the place where he was sitting on a broom. – Although yours is clearly more convenient.

–Merlin, magical things are not like ordinary ones! My broom is like a daughter to me! Or a son! I can't leave her! Besides, it's a gift from the mentor!

– Is there at least something that she didn't give you?!

–Yes. It's a gorgeous face, – you've pushed your hair back.

–Of the two of us, I'm the only one with a gorgeous face. And even in this form, – now it's his turn to click you on the forehead.

You pouted, picked up the broom and offered to continue the flight. "We have a lot of work to do." The prince nodded and was behind you again, hugging your waist. You might... even get used to it.

#rssd merlin x reader #red shoes merlin #Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs #fem!reader #prince Merlin #Merlin x reader

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the-second-tonks · 2 years

Text

Fandoms I'm into

Masterlist | Nav. | Rules | Taglist

K-pop!

BTS (boy band)

TXT (boy band)

General!

Harry Potter (both era)

Marvel

Anne with an E

The Chronicles of Narnia (all parts)

The Maze Runner Series

The Conjuring (all parts)

Insidious (all parts)

All of Us Are Dead (k-series)

Little Women

True beauty (k-drama)

Lord Of The Rings (all parts)

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them

Professional Single (cdrama)

My Unicorn Girl (cdrama)

Lovecrossed (cdrama)

Unforgettable Love (cdrama)

Unrequited Love (cdrama)

A Love So Beautiful (cdrama)

Red Shoes and The Seven Dwarfs (animated)

Hello , Me! (Kdrama)

Dear.M (Kdrama)

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paperrretro · 1 year

Text

LIGHTSTRUCK | pt. 11

Pairing: Merlin x Reader

Word Count: 1,960 words

Warnings: None

Summary: Your father accepts a position as Prince Merlin’s magic tutor, and you are unceremoniously dragged along.

(Or, pieces of your unspectacular life in and out of the royal palace, and how a certain idiotic prince somehow gets wrapped up in it either way.)

read on quotev | read on ao3

The front door hardly cracks open before you push your way into the F7’s home, hand buried in your satchel to grope around for the five test tubes of the day.

“So I’ve been doing research on transformative magic, and I’m gonna need some blood –”

“[Y/n] –”

“Not a lot, just half a tube so I can add it to one of the solutions.” You find all of the tubes and pull them out, followed by your collapsible test tube rack, and set everything on the coffee table in the living room. Now to find your needle and syringe. “If you’re okay with giving more, that’d be better, but –”

“[Y/n]!”

Hans snaps his fingers in front of your face. You tear your gaze away from the depths of your satchel to glare at him.

“What?”

He fixes you with a desperate look, eyes darting towards the couch. You slowly follow his gaze.

There is a taller, unfamiliar person in the living room.

“We have a very special guest.”

It’s no joke. Squished in between Jack and Pino is literally the most beautiful woman you’d ever seen. Shiny-soft brown hair, clear skin, slim and dainty figure, the whole package. And she looks very concerned.

“Oh.” You stare. “Who are you?”

(Hans slaps a hand against his forehead.)

The girl’s surprised expression gives way to an easy smile as she stands up. “Red Shoes,” says Red Shoes, extending a hand. You glance down at her shoes. They are, in fact, red. She must be from a Western Kingdom. “Um, it’s nice to meet you? [Y/n], right?”

You nod, more perplexed by the minute. Her hand remains extended, and it suddenly occurs to you that you’re supposed to shake it. So you do, quickly and briefly. “Sorry. Are you cursed too, or something?”

Her brow furrows. “… ‘Too’?”

“Aha, ha, HA,” Jack laughs loudly and runs over to you, pushing you towards the kitchen. “Cursed! You’re so funny, mon ami. Obviously, she’s not, and obviously, we’re not, either. How could you ask that of someone you just met? It’s not polite.”

“Well, why else would she be here –”

“Let us catch you up.” With a grunt, Jack and Hans shove you into the kitchen and slam the door shut. Jack drops the façade and shakes you. “Do not ruin this for me!”

“Who is she?” you ask him with a frown. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing! She’s the most beautiful woman we’ve ever laid eyes on, and she doesn’t hate us!” Hans whispers, pulling at his hair in excitement. “She could break the curse!”

Your frown deepens. “I’m already working on it. You don’t need to bribe her.”

Jack clicks his tongue. “Not bribe her,” he admonishes, rolling his eyes. “Woo her. We’re not barbarians. And no offense, but this way is going to be less painful for all of us.”

“And quicker.” Hans scratches the back of his head when you look down at him, slightly hurt. “I’m sorry, [Y/n], but you know that the most certain way to break curses is to follow the rules. We appreciate everything you’ve done for us, but it’s been a year already.”

Something small and ugly sprouts in your chest; you’re not quite sure what it is, but you don’t like it. You try to bury the feeling.

Less painful. Quicker, they say.

What you hear is that they don’t need you. And the voice that says it doesn’t belong to either of them.

Jack continues. “She needs our help as well, so it’s not like we’re taking advantage of her.”

You perk up, latching onto the information like a leech. “So she is cursed. I can help her, too. What is it?”

Hans shakes his head with a sigh.

He explains the whole thing to you, how Red Shoes crashed into their home and asked for their help to find her father, as well as how none (none! Jack had exclaimed in disbelief) of them are really her type in their true forms. She seems to have a liking for short and green, for some reason. No curse, just a regular old royal kidnapping.

You’re sorely disappointed after Hans finishes.

“You really think if she kisses one of you, you’ll turn back?” you ask.

“Most likely. I mean, she’s gorgeous. We just have to get her to like us back.”

Your arms cross. “And what does your fearless leader think of this whole thing?”

Probably coming up with ways to win her over as we speak.

“We’re all on the same page. It’s just a matter of who gets kissed first,” Hans replies. He fiddles with his fingers and looks toward the closed door. “We should come out now. I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

As the three of you file back into the living room, you spot none other than Fearless Leader himself. He’s leaning against the front of the couch, one hand on the couch cushion next to Red Shoes to prop himself up, talking to her about something or other. And the look on his face while he does so – oh, you know that look. Nothing good has ever come out of that.

“[Y/n]!” Red Shoes brightens as you approach, and you see how Merlin’s face falls when her attention is drawn away from him. “Merlin was just telling me about how you guys grew up together. That’s so sweet.”

Sweet isn’t the word you’d use to describe his presence in your childhood, but you nod anyway. “What’d he tell you?”

“About how your father taught him magic, and how Merlin would help you outside of lessons.” (“Oh,” you say, catching Merlin’s eye. He shrugs. You resist the urge to punt him into next Tuesday.) “You guys must’ve had so much fun. When I was little, I used to pretend I had magic.”

“It’s just something some people are born with,” you respond. “It doesn’t make anybody special.”

“It makes them a little bit special,” Merlin counters. “I mean, the extra responsibility to protect, and all. Not that we’re better than everyone else.”

“Yeah.” Your tone is flat.

He coughs, turning back to Red Shoes. “Anyway, we used to spar quite a bit when we were kids. Would you like a demonstration?”

Oh, he did not.

Red Shoes’ eyes light up. “A magic spar? That’d be so cool. Only if both of you want to, though.”

Merlin says your name in a questioning, coaxing tone, and you glare at him. “You did say that you’d spar with me sometime, remember?”

“No,” you lie. But then you make the mistake of glancing over at Red Shoes. She looks absolutely pumped up, and you realize that disappointing someone as nice as her would be like kicking a puppy. Your next words come out through gritted teeth. “But I guess I could use the practice anyway.”

“You could.” Merlin grins, elbowing your leg as he walks past you towards the door. “Anybody else want to watch?”

“I place my bets on Merlin!” Pino says as he runs outside, and you wither.

“Me too!” says Noki.

“Five gold pieces!” adds Kio.

“Thanks for the votes of confidence,” you grumble, pulling out your packet of talismans as you follow close behind.

“I’d root for you, but sadly, I am broke,” Hans says in an obvious effort to comfort you.

“Sure.”

You don’t know what’s worse, Merlin going easy on you or him absolutely destroying you in front of everyone else.

Either way, you know that you’ll lose.

In the clearing in front of the F7’s home, the triplets draw the boundaries for the spar. You take the side farthest from the edge and closest to the house. Merlin takes the other.

He makes a show of stretching and cracking his knuckles. “Ready?” he asks.

“Whenever you are,” you mutter, shifting into first form.

Merlin puts his hands together, and lightning bursts over him in a wide, majestic arc. He springs toward you.

You slam a talisman on the ground. Throw your arms up into the air. Water flies up from the paper and takes the brunt of Merlin’s attack. You redirect the crackling water towards him.

He dodges. Shoots a lightning bolt at your feet.

Your ankle rolls painfully as you jump out of the way, sparing a glance back at the scorched earth where you were once standing. “Hey!”

“Oh, come on. You can handle worse!” he shouts, already charging forward again. “With the way I am, we should be even now! Red Shoes, watch this!”

You just barely manage to duck his next lightning bolt. Thinking quickly, you feel for a specific piece of paper and pull it out just in time to counter the lightning spidering around his fist.

The ensuing blast sends both of you almost to the opposite edges of the arena.

Bones aching and head spinning, you push yourself up onto your feet, locating Merlin just as he recovers as well.

“Hey!” he protests angrily, brushing himself off. “That wasn’t an elemental talisman just now.”

“You can handle it,” you retort. “Don’t aim at my head!”

“Fine!”

Before you know it, Merlin’s behind you. You’re struck in the shoulder by something hot and painful.

Blue lightning.

When you turn around, there are cracks of it on his hands.

You grip your shoulder and swear loudly. It’s anger and hurt and frustration. When had he learned blue lightning?

“Got a few tricks up my sleeve, too.” Merlin shakes his hands out. He leans to the side to look behind you and grins, chest puffing out. His cheeks turn rosy.

Irritation strikes you like a fist.

He’s not even paying full attention to this spar. To fighting you. It’s all a show to impress Red Shoes.

And you don’t like it at all.

Why?

“I’m tapping out,” you announce, walking back towards the house.

“What?” Merlin runs after you. He grabs your wrist and tugs. “You can’t just quit! I was winning!”

“You did win because I’m tapping out,” you growl, shaking him off. “Don’t use me just to make yourself look good for a princess.”

His eyes move to your shoulder. “… Did it hurt that bad?”

The hesitance in his voice makes you stop only for a moment. You reach up defensively, fingers hovering over the burn. His magic buzzes underneath your skin.

It’s not the worst you’ve gotten from fighting Merlin, and you’ve got a salve that’ll heal it in no time. But you’re still hurt.

“No. I just need to go home now.”

“But why?”

“Obviously, you guys have a handle on your cu – situation. I have to fix my burn and brew some more potions.”

“We have some of your healing potions here.” He’s trying to get you to stay. You can’t believe it. “Let me just –”

“I’m going home,” you snap, closing your bag of talismans with finality.

Merlin flinches back, then glares at you. “Fine, then.”

Red Shoes calls out for you. You close your eyes and then open them again as she runs over, her eyes wide and worried. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I tapped out. Merlin won.” You nod at her. Despite your wounded pride, you can’t bring yourself to be angry at her. She’s so good it’s infuriating. “I have to go now, so I’ll see you around, Red Shoes.”

“Oh.” She seems like she wants to say something more, but just smiles instead. “Okay … well, see you, then. The spar was really cool to watch!”

“Yep.”

You leave. The guys and Red Shoes bid goodbye to you, but you only return it half-heartedly. The walk back to your shop is miserable.

Whatever it is you’re feeling, you’ve got to get over it and fast.

—

#prince merlin #merlin x reader #red shoes and the seven dwarfs #rsat7d #rsatsd #fanfic #reader insert

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writingouthere · 4 months

Text

singledad!Sukuna x neighbor!reader-Sukuna and Yuuji really want you to join their family! role reversal from my other series, think this will just be a one-shot though. Yuuji is Sukuna's brother but he's raised him since he was a baby and Yuuji calls him dad.

cw: Sukuna is manipulative and also a murderer but everyone's happy and you're both aware so it's okay. this is really just fluff.

"I....want you to be my mommy?"

Sukuna scowled as Yuuji looked more confused than ever.

"No, no that is not what you're saying kid. You're just going to tell her about how the other kids' mommies on the playground make you feel left out."

"But they don't, Megumi's mommy always gives me a snack when I'm hungry!"

"That's not his mommy, that's Megumi's daddy," Sukuna corrected, wondering if this was just a hopeless endeavor. He could have easily followed a plan this simple when he was four, but Yuuji was too soft. This was what happened when you raised a kid in a stable, loving environment. They lost the ability to go for the jugular when needed.

"But Megumi's daddy calls him mommy?" Sukuna didn't hold back his groan. You were going to be coming back from your morning walk any minute. He didn't have time for Yuuji to not get basic directions or to explain the dynamics of that Gojo family.

"Look when we go out there, just look sad and I'll handle the rest."

"But I'm not sad, I'm happy. We're going to the park and Megumi's mommy is bringing mochi today!"

"Shit kid, do you want a mom or not?" Sukuna asked, trying not to roll his eyes as be bent down to snap on the velcro straps on Yuuji's light up sneakers.

"I don't need a mom, I have you," Yuuji said. He looked uncharacteristically defiant and Sukuna couldn't help feeling proud of his little brother.

It had been touch and go when Yuuji was a baby. Sukuna had still been a kid himself and they didn't have any money and Yuuji's mom was even crazier than Sukuna's. Their father nowhere to be seen. Since Sukuna and Uraume had spread the pieces of his corpse around the city.

Sukuna pushed these memories aside and ruffled Yuuji's hair. "I know you don't need one, we only need each other." Yuuji nodded, his little head moving with all his conviction. "But it might be nice, right?"

Yuuji seemed thoughtful before finally biting his lip and looking down at his sneakers. He tapped them, making the red and black lights flash.

"She's really nice, I like her."

"I like her too," Sukuna said and he heard the sound of your sneakers slapping against the tiled hallway. "So let's go and look sad, okay?" Yuuji nodded, determined now and Sukuna grabbed his backpack before the two brothers went out into the hall.

You were just taking your keys out of your bag and you turned to the brothers, a smile on your face. "Good morning gentlemen, it's nice to see you. Heading out?"

That was when you noticed Yuuji's downturned expression. Sukuna saw your face shift into one of concern and he resisted a smirk.

Sukuna cleared his throat and squeezed Yuuji's hand. Good boy. "We're heading out to the park, you know the one by the high school."

"Oooh, that's nice. You like that park, right Yuuji? You said it was the biggest one in the whole city," you crouched down so you could look Yuuji in the eye and Yuuji seemed to forget he was supposed to be sad for a minute because he jumped up and down, the lights of his shoes flashing in the dim hallway.

"Yeah, it has the best swings too!" You ooohed and aawed appropriately while Sukuna tried not to smack his head against the wall. Maybe he and this kid weren't related after all, fuck.

Yuuji seemed to notice his expression because he stopped jumping to look down at feet. He put out his lower lip and used the tip of one of shoes to mess with a scuff mark on the linoleum. It would have made a more pathetic visage if his shoes weren't still lit up.

"Yuuji," you said, coming closer so you could kneel on the ground in front of the boy. The sight of you on your knees did something to Sukuna, but he pushed it aside to see what the brat had in mind. So far, he wasn't impressed with the performance. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just," Yuuji let out a sad sigh that wouldn't get him a gig in a car commercial. "Megumi and his mommy will be there and it makes me feel sad because all the other kids have mommies and I don't." God, there was no way you could be buying this, Sukuna looked at you and saw that your eyes looked a little watery.

Huh, look at that. Maybe he wouldn't have to kick the kid out, after all.

"I'm sorry Yuuji, that must be hard," you said and you reached out and swiped out where Yuuji had even managed to shed a tear. Sukuna felt so proud. "But I know that your dad is really excited to take you and the two of you are going to have so much fun!"

"Could you come too?" Yuuji asked and you bit your lip. Yuuji looked up and batted his little doe eyes at you. "It would make me really happy if you came with us. We could all have fun together."

"I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"It wouldn't be intruding," Sukuna cut in. "If you're busy though no worries, I know we'll have fun just the two of us. Right, Yuuji?"

Yuuji bit his lip and Sukuna could tell he was torn between showing how excited he was to spend time with his dad and being 'sad' so you would join them.

You looked between the two before seeming to come to some kind of decision. "If you don't mind waiting while I change, I'd be happy to join you two. Should I bring anything?"

"I think we're all set. We'll wait outside for you," Sukuna said and Yuuji went up and gave you a big hug that you returned.

Sukuna took Yuuji outside to wait for you, the kid occupying himself with a mostly washed away hopscotch chalk sketch. Sukuna alternated between watching him and texting Uraume who was claiming to be over him and his nonsense. Sukuna would take it more seriously if Uraume hadn't been saying that for going on twenty years. He knew they loved him, fucking sap.

Soon, but not soon enough, you came bounding down the stairs. A scarf tied around your neck, your turtleneck exposed by the open top button of your coat. He couldn't keep letting you be single, looking all pretty like that. He was too greedy for that.

Besides, looking the way you did and knowing your big heart, it was just a matter of time before some nice loser tricked you into settling with them and he just couldn't have that. The idea of you taking someone else home to your warm apartment with it's million throw blankets and a cookie jar, an actual cookie jar, he was convinced you kept stocked up just for Yuuji, made him want to commit another murder.

"Ready?" you asked and Sukuna nodded while Yuuji took your hand in his right and Sukuna's in his left.

"Let's go!"

Yuuji's enthusiasm was contagious and the two of you chatted all the way to the park. Sukuna saw some people shoot you all looks as you walked. Sukuna was used to people viewing him with suspicion, even fear. His tattoos, dyed hair and general demeanor making people cross the street to avoid him. Something about you and Yuuji seemed to balance him out though and people reacted as if they were just looking at a cute family going out on a Saturday.

You didn't seem to notice either way and just continued talking to Yuuji about some new anime for kids Sukuna had probably had to suffer through but hadn't retained any memory of.

As soon as you all got to the park, Yuuji took off with barely a good-bye. You seemed concerned and Sukuna bumped your shoulder with his. "Don't stress, he just sees the Fushiguro kid over there. See, they're already fucking around."

He pointed to where Yuuji was chasing around a scowling dark haired boy the same age as him. Sukuna didn't buy the scowl for a second.

He had once run into the kid and his weird dads at the grocery store and the kid had scolded him when he figured out Yuuji wasn't with him. Sukuna would have knocked the kid down a peg if he wasn't actually four years old and if his 'mommy' didn't low key give him the creeps. Sukuna was pretty sure he wasn't the only person guilty of homicide currently at this playground.

"That's so cute," you cooed and Sukuna nodded along while he took you over to some picnic tables. Unfortunately one of them was already occupied.

"Aww if it isn't Sukuna. How nice it is to see your lovely face on a Saturday morning!"

"Gojo."

Sukuna was ready to leave it there but then the bastard got up and walked over. His partner continued sipping on a large cup of boba, watching from his seat although he gave you a little wave.

"Who is this, new girlfriend?" Gojo asked tilting down his sunglasses to look you up and down.

You laughed and introduced yourself while Megumi's parents did the same. Gojo grabbed your hand when you held it out and kissed the back of it, his lips curved into a smile even as he lingered, his fingers clearly holding onto where your pulse would be. Sukuna moved closer to you and put a hand around your waist, the gesture a clear sign for the other man to back off which Sukuna knew Gojo understood because the bitch fucking smiled at him.

Sukuna didn't necessarily take any of Gojo's flirtations seriously. He flirted with every mom and dad on the playground, including him when they first met. He'd even seen him flirt with the guy who worked the ice cream truck so egregiously the kid had looked on the verge of passing out. His partner never seemed bothered and Sukuna wondered if he was just that secure in the relationship or if he hoped someone would finally come along and get the annoying man away from him.

As usual though, Gojo lost interest quickly and went back to his husband who didn't say anything as Gojo lay across his lap like some kind of housecat.

"There are children here," Sukuna said. Mostly out of spite and not jealousy that the two of you weren't curled up like that.

"Don't be homophobic," Gojo said and you snorted before looking innocent when Sukuna shot you a look.

"Alright, let's go see what Yuuji's up to." Sukuna went along with your excuse, mostly just because he liked the feeling of your hand in his. The two of you wandered closer to the playground where Megumi and Yuuji were currently engaged in a game with some other kids that Sukuna couldn't have possibly guessed the subject of.

The kids alternated running around the large structure, disappearing into tunnels, jumping down to hide underneath slides and behind climbing walls. Every time Yuuji popped back up to view he would wave and call out to you both. Sukuna still felt a little warm whenever the kid called him dad and the look you gave him after made him feel caught.

"So, I can see why Yuuji was so sad those morning. Megumi's parents are just vicious monsters," you said and Sukuna was so taken aback he knew his expression didn't hide it well. You smiled and swung your hand that was still in his, turning so you could look at him.

"I don't think that's what the issue was," Sukuna managed and you nodded.

"Right, it must have been because he's so lonely," you said before the two of you were interrupted by the sound of children's ecstatic laughter. You both looked to where Yuuji was now being chased by an entire horde of children.

"I'm the curse, you have to catch me," he yelled out and the other children screamed and laughed as they tried to grab him. Yuuji had never had a hard time making friends and that was very evident in the way he got kids of all ages, even the quiet ones to join in on his game.

"You can have friends and still be lonely," Sukuna argued and you gave him just the softest look. It wasn't fair for you to see through his schemes and still look at him like that.

"Are you lonely, Sukuna?" You got closer to him, your hand still got in his and you were so warm. "Maybe I should come home with you, then?"

Sukuna couldn't have stopped himself from kissing you even if he wanted to, which he didn't. He let go of your hand so he could cup your face in both of his palms. You moaned your approval into his mouth and he responded by nipping your upper lip, pulling you up to meet him as he leaned down to kiss you. Sukuna was about to risk another arrest by taking you right here in the park before a familiar voice called out to the both of you.

"Hey now, there's children here."

Sukuna turned to give the infuriating dumbfuck a piece of his mind when you distracted him by pulling him back to you and giving him a quick peck on the lips. He could leave the fight with Gojo for another day, he supposed. He knew he'd win anyway.

You're smiling and you look so happy and Sukuna doesn't feel the least amount of guilt in getting you here. Even if you knew it was a trick.

Although.

Did this mean you knew that all those times he was "stuck at work" and needed someone to watch Yuuji were a lie too? Or that he actually could cook and the one time he set the building fire alarm off had been because he started an actual fire and not just him burning dinner and two of them didn't actually need you to invite them to dinner so much? Did you also know that your radiator hadn't just stopped working randomly but he had broke it, knowing you would call him because your super never answered, and when he said a part was still missing and you would just have to stay the night at his and Yuuji's place-

Sukuna looked at you more closely and you just kept smiling.

As Yuuji called for the two of you to come help him and Megumi on the swings, Sukuna wondered if he had ever trapped you, even once. Or if you had just let him catch you.

Watching you push Yuuji as the boy screamed for you to go "higher, higher!" he decided he didn't care. Fuck, it might just be better. Knowing you were maybe as crazy as he was.

shout out to the dad at the park today who had the audacity to play with his toddler and have a cute dog at the same time.

also I liked the end of this so much I may just write a prequel of Sukuna and reader taking turns gaslighting the other into a relationship, we'll see.

Edit: wrote the prequel, here!

#jjk sukuna #jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen sukuna #ryomen sukuna #sukuna ryomen #sukuna x reader #sukuna x y/n #sukuna x you

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