#same with summer belongs to you... and summer (man where do we begin)

[topherwrites]

FIC RECS: OUTER RANGE, OUTER BANKS, STRANGER THINGS

If I made a little comment about every single fic or series here, it would be inhumanely long, so I've refrained from doing so and have just put the summaries for each. This is split into two parts, TGM fics and everything else.

I hope that anyone who reads this list finds something that they love on it just as much as I do! If I missed you, I'm sorry, there was a lot to sort through!

SOME OF THESE ARE 18+, PLEASE HEED THE INDIVIDUAL WARNINGS!

RHETT ABBOTT

Yellow Soul by @creatchie8

Trapped in a relationship with your high school sweetheart Perry is like a never ending nightmare of always stepping on eggshells. One winter break changes everything as you are reintroduced to his younger brother, Rhett. Looking for an escape, Rhett provides the perfect shelter you crave.

right where i want you by @sushiwriterhere

Standing there, staring at the cotton balls in the trash, some part deep inside of you decides that it’s now or never with Rhett.

Odds are Stacked by @sunlightmurdock

In which Rhett loses a bet and you lose your virginity.

Wayfaring Stranger by @/sunlightmurdock

Betrayal sends Rhett veering further West, searching for answers and searching for himself. Instead, he finds you.

Much Love by @southpawbitch

you & rhett have found yourselves in a little fwb situation despite the fact that you have a fiancé.

About Last Night by @delopsia

A self-indulgent take on Rhett's best friend coming back to Wabang and surprising him after his final rodeo.

Dancing Beneath the Moon by @/delopsia

How is it that your heart only longs for the ghost of a cowboy? And why do you get the feeling that his heart utters the same for you?

Closing Time by @youvebeenlivingfictional

“You’re having a helluva night, huh,” You comment. “S’that supposed to mean?” “You got a shit bull, then you struck out with that girl…And you failed to bait Luke Tillerson into trying to kick your ass.”

RAFE CAMERON

Untouchable by @boneblushed

It is crucial that the head boy and girl of Kildare Academy work together. Too bad the head girl is you and the head boy is Rafe Cameron.

Glitch by @/boneblushed

Rafe has a bad fall on the ski slopes. A temporary amnesiac, he falls in love with you all over again.

So Gorgeous It Actually Hurts by @/folkloreslovechild (deactivated)

childhood enemies to lovers, the slowest of burns, an unbearable amount of pining, both parties in heavy denial for like 90% of the fic, Rafe’s a total douchebag but he can’t help it (you’re gorgeous).

Euro Trip by @/folkloreslovechild (deactivated)

europe summer trip au!

new light by @outerbankies

you come home from college to spend your last summer before senior year in your hometown of the outer banks. an old friend hits you up wanting something more, and you begin to see what’s really been there all along.

You Belong With Me by @forevermoreharrington

Rafe’s fallen helplessly for his dream girl but she just doesn't see it yet.

tis the damn season by @atlabeth

When your roommate Rafe lies to his family that the two of you are dating, you agree to go home with him for the holidays to help sell it as his fake girlfriend after a generous bribe. It's just three weeks in the Outer Banks with one of your best friends -- what could go wrong?

Armour by @probably-writing-x

Having your heart broken was one thing. But Rafe watching somebody break your heart? That was something nobody could prepare for.

So We Won't Forget by @netegf

you meet rafe cameron at a grief support group while he struggles with the loss of his father. he's trying to be a better man, and you can't help but love him for it.

Hate It When You Leave by @/netegf

you are trying to cope with the fact that you're hopelessly in love with your best friend. He's trying to cope with the fact that you don't go after the things you want… including him.

I Know I Am by @bookofbonbon

For Rafe, it's always been you. He's just waiting for you to realise it too.

STEVE HARRINGTON

redamancy by @sanguineterrain

redamancy (n.) - the act of loving someone who loves you back; a love returned in full // or, four times you kissed Steve Harrington, and one time he finally kissed you back.

dancing with our hands tied part i | part ii by @taintedcigs

in which steve is in love with his best friend's ex.

EDDIE MUNSON

Pearl by @cacoetheswriting

a story about two kids trying to navigate through love and loss, inevitable goodbyes, various reunions, friendships and hardships, joy, heartbreak, plus surviving the upside down - all to the sound of Janis Joplin's Pearl.

#rhett abbott x reader #rafe cameron x reader #steve harrington x reader #eddie munson x reader #rafe cameron #eddie munson #rhett abbott #steve harrington #fic rec list #fic rec

[fan-goddess]

Chapter Two: A change of heart

Catch up on the fic here!

Chapter Summary: All your previous thoughts are thrown out the window as Abrahams prescience looms over you like a sort of ghost. And when you think you’ve sorted yourself out, you get one of the biggest surprises of your life…

Taglist: @valeskafics, @omgbrcat @humanpurposes, @watercolorskyy, @blue-serendipity @anjelicawrites @lexwolfhale @helaenaluvr @scarletbedlam @tumblin-theworldaway

Warnings: F masturbation, talks of arranged marriage, references to erotica books, (if I missed any let me know)

It’s become a strange sort of rhythm now between you and Abraham. He makes sure you know he’s there with a particular knock at the door, four sharp taps to be specific, and when you open the door like you always do, you acknowledge him quickly with a small smile and as little words as possible.

Though now, after the you had visited his home with the pie, he’s been acting different around you. More cocky, more flirty, more annoying. It’s like your fifteen year old selfs mindsets come back to haunt you. When he came to the house on a day he usually did not visit, you remember the blush that was spread on your face when Abraham made sure to compliment your mothers cooking skills, saying he bet yours were just as tasty. If you listened close enough, not that you did of course, you’d dare to think he was making an innuendo.

Yet since as much as you find yourself enjoying the thoughts of him in this new light, his boyish nature and charm certainly puts you off him considerably. Even if his eyes somehow manage to share the same shade of blue as the sky on a clear summers day…

Yet while you thinking one morning with a steadily cooling cup of tea in hand, the familiar four sharp taps knock you from your thoughts as if a sort of siren went off in your head. You take a deep breath before you unlock the door and open it, but it’s with a sort of horror when it suddenly hits you why Abraham had paused and is looking you up and down with a raised brow.

You look down, and realise you hadn’t changed out from your nightclothes into your day clothes. As of right now, you were standing in front of Abraham wearing nothing but an old t-shirt once once belonging to your father, and some worn purple leggings that leaves less to the imagine than you’d like to show the regular people.

You hope he doesn’t notice that last thing, but by the way he hasn’t stopped looking at you with such intensity, you can’t help but think he no doubt already has. Your embarrassment though only worsens when you see Abrahams eyes widen when they seem to skim over your breasts that stick out from your shirt. So with a dark glare, you quickly move to cover yourself with your arms in an attempt to get yourself as much decency as you could get right now. Even though you find yourself strangely thrilled at seeing the usually such stern man so unfocused and possibly even bashful right now.

“Weren’t very successful hunting today. We think the games beginning to pick up on our trails, so we’ll probably try something new next time and hopefully I’ll come back with something more.” He says, his hands awkwardly jerking out to hand you the familiar feeling of twine, where this time only two small rabbits hand by their feet. Their eyes glazed and lifeless as they stare into nothing.

“It’s all right. Can’t blame them for not wanting to be killed and eaten!” You half smile, attempting to joke that to your relief, draws a small chuckle from the almost human looking giant standing in front of you.

“Yeah, I spose so…” He continues to grin, even shaking his head slightly as he still stands in front of you. Though he looks at you suddenly and allows his eyes to take over your body once more, before turning to leave without another words.

You can’t help but feel like the rabbit hanging in your hand at that moment. Staring lifelessly into the distance with your mouth wide open as you think of how Abraham has left you alone in your doorway, with your heart beating faster than usual in your chest.

Your feelings though only seem to become even more conflicted over the next few days as somehow someway, your friends have managed to learn about yours and Abrahams recent involvement with each other. So you bet they take this information and seize it with tight hands, like a shark tasting first blood in the water.

“Oh I bet he’s so handsome up close! God those eyes!” One of them groans with her eyes shut dramatically, whilst the rest of you giggle at her girlish rambles.

“Careful Beth! It almost sounds like you’re in love with him!” Another shouts as you all now roar in laughter at the comical absurdity of it all. Even if you find yourself laughing not as much as the others who all hold their bellies with tears practically running down their faces.

“Seriously though, tell us! What’s he like? Is he really that closed off from everyone? Cause I won’t lie, the whole closed off mysterious bad boy thing works for him!”

“He’s…. definitely something alright….” You say, your mouth turning in a straight line as you’re unable to say how you really feel about it all, even if it all causes such churning in somehow both your stomach and your head. Much to your relief though, one of the girls you’re more closer with than the rest seems to catch on to your unwillingness, and thankfully manages to drag the conversation to some other more ridiculous topic the girls hurl themselves head first in.

The next few hours are filled with so many words filled with so many meaningless things. Some of you talk about clothing and what they’ll wear to random future events, and others whisper with a smirk about the latest gossip on those in town up the road. It wasn’t exactly easy to gossip about a small community you lived with, so you all whenever you could took part in listening with open ears. Usually you’d have joined in by now, laughing and gasping not so respectfully as some girl tells all about how the priests wife is most definitely having an affair with the butcher. Only now, you can’t find yourself able to focus.

Stupid Abraham manages to effortlessly consume your body hourly. It’s so stupid, and dare you even say it, really fucking cliche. A seemingly loveless girl reconnecting with someone from her past, whose suddenly turned super hot, and she finds him so attractive she can’t think of anything else? That’s so you that you want to bang your head against the nearest surface you can find.

The worst part is, is that when you’ve gone home and are laying in bed trying to figure it all out, all you can do is somehow manage to find even more reasons as to why he’s so attractive to you. The complete opposite of what you wanted...

Yet somehow, when you thought about his physical traits in particular, your body turned hot and your brain went to utter ruin.

You think about his arms, and how you want Abraham to use them to lift you into his arms and never let you go. The fact they’re littered with a whole variety of scars and tattoos as well doing nothing but make the heat inside your belly rage like a tornado.

You start to think about his naked chest, and It gets so bad that you find yourself trailing one of your hands under your underwear to your pussy, that with a shuddered breath you realise is practically leaking with arousal down your thighs.

Yet it’s worst of all when you recall his voice, and how he uttered that one specific nickname only he ever calls you, in that specific voice of his. Pretty girl.

It’s like your a teenage girl exploring your body all over again, you can’t help but think. Especially as you begin circling your clit with the tip of your fingers.

Soon though, you find yourself muffling your pleasure filled gasps into your pillow as you continue stroking your soaked folds. Your eyes tightly shutting and your breaths becoming laboured as you imagine what could happen if Abraham was in the room with you, making use of your willing body for his own selfish lustful needs.

You knew how sex was done in theory. Yet still, of course you had never actually seen what a penis looked like in real life. The closest experience being from when you’d snuck out through your window and read the naughty books displayed on the back shelf in the villages library. They had no pictures to help imagine the scene you were reading, but the words they used seemed helpful enough, though admittedly sometimes very confusing in how they were written.

According to the books, the man’s cock was supposed to be hard as it entered you. He was supposed to allow you to get used to his size (that part confused you greatly you must admit), as apparently most of the women in those books needed it, before thrusting his cock deeply inside of you in a rhythmic sort of pattern before he came deep inside her.

You think of Abraham doing this sort of thing with you as you continue to touch your aching pussy with your fingers, and you cannot deny it doesn’t get you somehow even more aroused than what you already were before.

You think of his rough hands covering the length of your mouth in an attempt to silence you, lest the both of you be caught. In your depravity, you imagine that he whispers naughty words in your ear like the men in the books do, and you feel yourself tighten around nothing and peak hard on your fingers. The warm liquid of your essence dripping down your thighs onto your bed from how intensely you came just now.

“What is that fucking man doing to me….” You murmur, closing your eyes and praying you won’t dream of the bastard whose consumed you.

To your relief, your sleep was so deep that night that you find yourself practically incapable of dreaming of anything. It’s so deep in fact that the only reason you wake that morning is because the light coming from your window shines so brightly that it blinds your eyes even when you haven’t opened them yet.

You lay on your bed disoriented, yet your head is still ditzy when you hear a familiar knock ring through your house. A knock you know all too well. Whilst you try to blink to steady yourself, with a groan and an uncomfortable feeling of confusion bubbling within your belly, you dress only to cover yourself of indecency by grabbing a lone long sleeved cardigan hung randomly in your wardrobe.

What’s Abraham doing here so early on a non-delivery day? You think as you open move to open your bedroom door and peak out. All you can see though is your mother and father covering doorway of the front door with their bodies, conversing in such short and quiet murmurs you can barely make out the words.

“What’s going on?” You ask, walking closer to peer around them to see if it really was Abraham they were conversing with, and why it exactly was they were doing so.

Your mother and father say nothing, only looking at each other for a quick second before parting to allow you past. Allowing you to see Abraham standing before you, where like most times, you see him carrying a rope in his hand. Only this time, it doesn’t contain anything like rabbits or pheasants. This time, it’s attached to the muzzle of a giant, beautiful, chestnut coloured horse.

You’re face is no doubt showing your confusion by now as you continue to wordlessly stare at it. Only you’re so focused on the horse, you almost miss Abraham clearing his throat slightly, before stating something that would both shock you to your core and change your entire future together forever.

“I’m here to offer this horse to your parents, so they’ll allow me to ask you to marry me.”

#abraham fanfiction #abraham grantchester #abraham fan fic #abraham x you #abraham fanfic #abraham smut #abraham fan fiction #abraham x reader #abraham imagine #abraham #ewan mitchell character #ewan mitchell fanfiction #ewan mitchell fanfic #ewan mitchell #ewan mitchell imagine #my works

[bethanydelleman]

I finally watched Knives Out (I know, I'm late to the party but that's my brand anyway) and that was such an amazing movie! I kind of just stopped watching movies a while ago, I think it was Marvel's fault to be honest, but this summer watching Crimson Peak and Knives Out, I realized I just need to watch more good movies. Like movies where the foreshadowing actually foreshadows, where the plots (while exciting and surprising) make logical sense, where some people are morally grey and you have to think for a while about what you think of them!

Also, ALSO not spoon-feeding the audience (Persuasion 2022...) For example, and one of my favourite things ever in this movie full of favourite things, what is Marta going to do with the inheritance? We know exactly what she'll do, because we start with watching Harlan's mug being prepared for his breakfast and we end with Marta, standing above the family (as Harlan's room was above them), drinking from the same mug. Clearly assuming the position as head of his family and therefore determined to carry out his will:

[Image descriptions, First photo: from the beginning of the movie, mug that says "my house, my rules, my coffee" Second photo: Marta standing on a balcony looking down at the assembled family. Third Photo: Marta drinking from the same "my house" mug which belonged to Harlan.]

Also, a detective who is smart but actually has compassion? Knives Out, my love.

Lastly, at first I was sad that Harlan died for no reason, but now I'm like, "No, that crazy old man loved that he got to go out dramatically like a mystery novel. He's happy with all his choices."

Excellent movie. Restoring my faith in the medium.

Oh oh! And when Richard says Marta is like one of the family but then unconsciously hands her his empty plate like a servant... I'll stop now.

#knives out #also when she first comes out her fingers are covering the words on the mug #And then after looking down she takes her fingers off of “my house” #I am so in love with this movie! #Everything from the beginning comes back around #The number of lose threads is basically zero #just amazing

[plentyoffandoms]

Eddie Kingston x f/Reader (18+)

Warnings: Some swearing. Descriptive sexual acts. If you are a minor, do not read. Murder. Age gap (Reader is legal age). Oral (m receiving). Abuse of power. Anal.

Just like all my other stories, this has not been proofread, but please enjoy.

Gifs & photos do not belong to me.

Also first time writing like this, sorry if it isn't that good.

I have no idea if anyone would want to read this beside me & one other person, but I can not get the thought of Serial Killer Eddie out of my mind. So if I tagged you & you do not want to read it, that is okay. This isn't for everyone.

Main Masterlist ♡ AEW Masterlist ♡ Eddie Kingston Masterlist ♡ Run Masterlist ♡ Alternate Universe Masterlist

Summary: Eddie is the man who is behind the murders of the local community. He sets his eyes on his next target, the LN family.

YN'S POV:

I ran. I ran as fast I could to get away from the man, no the monster that my Parents allowed to come into our home that we just moved into at the beginning of Summer.

I could of cried at the thought of my Parents, how they trusted our neighbour and invited him over for Dinner.

How the same man just finished hacking them to death. It just came out of no where.

I was just sitting there, listening to the three of them talk about whatever came to mind.

First it was how proud they were of me finishing University and getting my degree in Teaching.

Then it was about how we ended up moving and how my Parents wanted to be somewhere safer and how I moved home to save up some money so I can pay down my student loans.

Then my Mother mentioned how the Patel family over on Herkimer Street, was found with stab wounds and the knife was still in Mr. Patel's eye when the cops finally showed up after the family was reported missing.

I felt the blood splatter over my face before and saw it on my food and hands. I looked up as I heard my Mom scream as well as my Dad.

She didn't last long before she went silent. My Dad yelled at me to run as he and our neighbour started to fight.

But my neighbour was much stronger and you can clearly tell he has been doing this for a long time. I didn't even want to know his name, but I will never forget it.

Eddie.

The man who we got to know over the course of living in our home this past month and a half. He lived not that far from us. The only other house on this long stretch of road.

We ate dinner with him plenty of times and he has even helped my Dad set up our back yard, but that was all a rouse to get close to us.

~

I had no where to hide. I ran the wrong way in my haste to get away from him. I ran up the stairs instead of out the front door, but I wasn't thinking clearly.

I hid in my Parent's room as it had a lock on the door. I made sure it was locked and hid under the bed.

I went to reach for my phone and to my absolute horror I realised it must of fell out of my pocket as I was trying to find somewhere to hide.

The house has gone quiet and I am hoping he left and I can go to the cops, but I heard the backdoor open not once, but twice.

Maybe he thought I went out that way, so I decided to just take a look to see if he is searching the backyard.

But I watched as he poured gasoline over my Parents bodies.

I couldn't watch anymore. I went back to hiding under the bed. But as I laid there with my hand over my mouth and nose, trying not to throw up at the horrible smell of my Parents burning.

It then hit me that with Eddie in the backyard, I can escape. I quickly got out from under the bed and unlocked the door but I was so very wrong.

There he was, just standing there waiting for me. Covered from head to toe in the blood of my only family.

"Hello little girl."

I couldn't even scream as I looked him up and down and slowly backed away from him.

"Now now my dear, you don't think you would get away from me that easily?" He asked me as he walked towards me, closing and locking the door behind him.

"Please don't kill me." I pleaded as the tears started to stream down my face.

"And have you run and tell the Cops? Nah, I'm good."

"Eddie, please, you don't want to do this." I said as my legs hit the side of the bed.

"Oh girlie, for someone so pretty, you sure are stupid." He had a sick and twisted smile on his face as he pushed me back onto the bed and literally climbed on me to hover just above my chest.

His knees on either side of my body as wrapped his hands around my neck and started slowly squeeze.

My hands gripped his wrists trying to pull them off my neck.

"Please," I gasped.

"I knew you would look pretty with my hands wrapped around your neck." He sneered.

"I'll do anything." I tried one last ditch effort for my life. The pressure eased up on my neck but not by much.

"You're not the first one to offer something. Make it good."

"Money?" His grip got tighter.

"I won't tell anyone." He laughed and my vision is starting to fade.

"Could of had fun with you YN."

Then it finally fucking clicked.

"My body." His grip faltered once more and I was gasping for air.

"Go on." I had him intrigued.

"Use me. Keep me alive and have your way with me. Please Eddie. I'll do anything." I tried to give him my most innocent looking face.

"Once I am through with you, you will be begging for me to kill you." I knew that it wasn't a threat, it was a promise.

~

I was trying not to cry out his name as he was pounding into my pussy from behind. The fucker had my arms pulled behind my back and was gripping my wrists in his one hand.

My body was hurting from the abuse it has gone through these last couple of hours and he is no where near done with me.

Hours earlier I offered my body to him. He first got off of me to get undressed and even though I have pictured him naked many times, I didn't want to stay to see it.

I stupidly tried to run again but he held me at the door with his body pushed up against mine.

"You stupid fucking bitch. Should just kill you and fuck your dead body." He sneered at me. I shook my head no and cried out I am sorry and I wouldn't do it again.

He chuckled as he pushed himself away from my body but I screamed as he yanked me back towards the bed by my hair.

Eddie pushed me to the ground and finished getting undressed. I didn't look up at him at first, scared to make eye contact with him.

Then his hand returned to my hair and he pulled my head back so I was looking up at him.

I whimpered at the pain from his grip but also from the sight of his massive cock. He is going to split me in two with that.

"Open up." I shook my head no before I realised what the hell I was doing.

"I wasn't asking. Open your fucking mouth up YN."

My mouth was barely open as he forced his cock into my mouth. I was trying to remember to breathe through my nose as he forced his giant cock down my throat.

I gagged and that just made him moan. "Oh this is going to be so much fun." Was all he said as he placed both hands on the sides of my head and started to move my head back and forth.

Eddie fucked my mouth for so long. He barely pulled out for me to breath. At one point he literally held my head against his pubic hair.

While he did that he covered my nose and I was panicking trying to breath. My screams only seemed to turn him on even more because he was groaning my name.

He let go of my nose and pulled himself out of my mouth. I was coughing and trying to catch my breath before he thrust back into my mouth.

But this time he just fucked my face. "Oh shit. Gonna cum."

'Maybe if he came I would be set free?' Was the stupid thought that came around my mind.

With a roar, he came down my throat for the first time. There was so much it spilled out of the corners of my mouth onto my chin and down my chest.

"Fuck, knew that mouth was good for something besides bitching."

The asshole didn't even wait for me to catch my breath as he literally picked me up and turned me around and pushed me on the bed.

His cock never once softened as I screamed as he thrust into me and he just laughed at my pain. I cried out as he continued to pound into me.

That is when I realised I knew he must of taken of something to stay hard or the bastard is just that much of a sick fuck and is turned on.

~

"Eddie, Eddie, Eddie." I chanted his name as he fucked me. I gave up fighting the pleasure long ago as I couldn't even think straight anymore.

Right now I am bouncing on his lap. His thick cock felt like it was in my stomach every time I took him fully in me.

My hands, which were now tied together with one of my Dad's ties, were on his chest. My head was thrown back as I continued to cry out his name.

"Maybe I'll keep you alive. Use your holes whenever I want too huh?" My pussy actually clenched at the thought of him keeping me alive.

"Yeah, you like that YN? Oh fuck." Eddie moaned as he pulled my down on his chest.

His hands gripping my ass as he planted his feet on what was once my Parents bed and thrust up into me with so much force, I felt like I could pass out.

I moaned quietly as he pulled out and slapped his cock against my pussy. I was thinking he would push back in but Eddie placed me down on the bed.

He grabbed another tie and pulled my legs up and my arms. He tied my four limbs together and my pussy, which had his cum leaking out of it and down to my ass was open fully on display for him.

Eddie got back into position and he was jerking himself off as he placed his cock at the entrance to my ass.

I shook my head no as I begged him not too, but he just smiled the twisted smile at me.

"A virgin there I see? Well not anymore YN." At least he had the decency not to shove it all in at once.

I was crying as his cock was fully in my ass. "Shut up." He growled, but I didn't. The pain was too much.

But Eddie gripped my chin in his hand and spit on my face. He rubbed his spit into my face, which was already covered with his cum, fresh and dried tears and the blood that he spread over it earlier.

"I told you to shut up." He roared as he started to fuck my ass. I was now trying to keep quiet as he pounded into my once untouched hole.

"Should of fucked this one first. Shit, so damn tight. It is practically chocking my cock." Him talking had me clenching my pussy around nothing and my ass around his cock.

Eddie choked out my name as he felt that. "Not gonna last long. Gonna fill your ass with my cum. Maybe I'll fist it later."

I have no idea why the thought of him fisting my ass made me moan but God, just the thought of him doing that had me crying out his name.

Eddie fucked my ass for who knows how long. Every time he was close, he would pull out and calm down enough so he could continue to fuck my ass raw.

The jackass was edging himself to make this go on longer but he was close now. I can feel his cock swelling and he didn't have enough time to pull out to stop it.

With a unintelligible roar, he came. His mouth was hanging open as was mine as his orgasm seemed never ending.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally pulled out my ass. I groaned as his cum immediately started to leak out onto the bed.

"Fuck me. I left that ass gaping." He undid the tie on my legs but not my wrists.

"You're one lucky bitch YN. I think I'm gonna keep you around."

"But I thought," I started to stutter out.

"Thought what? That I would fuck you and let you go? Nah. You're coming home with me. Your mine now."

Part 2

Tag List: if you would like to be added, please let me know. @lghockey @wwenhlimagines @damnnhausen @crowleysqueenofhell @thenerdybaker523 @lilaviolet @eddie-kingstons-wifey @cuzimacomedian @ecarroll1978 @eddiekingstonsgirl89

#aew #all elite wrestling #eddie kingston #reader imagine #female reader #reader insert #eddie kingston x you #eddie kingston fanfiction #eddie kingston x reader #eddie kingston imagine #eddie kingston smut #eddie kingston x female reader #eddie kingston x reader smut #eddie kingston x y/n

[themculibrary]

Peter Parker Has Siblings Masterlist

a calculated risk (ao3) - SailorChibi T, 3k

Summary: "I'm your big brother, Harley," the man says. "This is our little sister, Morgan. We're Tony's other kids."

Peter blinks slowly, trying to parse that out, and cocks his head. "What?"

"You're my big brothers. Daddy told me all about you," Morgan says, wrapping a tiny hand around Harley's neck. "He missed you both lots, but he told me all the stories about Spider-Man."

"Did he now," Peter says, utterly bemused. It hurts to hear her talk about Tony, to think of all the time that Peter has missed. Five years. He's been gone longer than he knew Tony for. The knowledge weighs heavily.

Morgan nods so hard her pigtails bounce. "Yup! He's gonna be so happy to see you again."

"What?" Peter says again.

Harley motions to him. "Get up. We're gonna save our dad."

All in My Head (ao3) - Stars_n_planets91 pepper/tony T, 85k

Summary: 

“Are we good? Do you want to talk about anything, cause it’s been…a little awkward and I—” Peter interrupted Tony’s rambling. “We’re good Tony.” Peter lied. “Are you sure?” “100 percent.” “Ok, well. Goodnight. Love you.” “Night, Tony. Love you too.” With that, Peter made his escape. Afterall. The first step to being normal, was acting normal. Right?

Or an AU where: Tony survives, and Tony, Pepper, Harley, Peter, and Morgon go on a summer vacation. Peter struggles to figure out where he belongs within all the changes, Harley is as sarcastic as ever, and Parker luck has never been...well...Parker luck is still Parker luck...

A Pack of Petered Parkers (ao3) - peppypear peter/mary, peter/wade, mj/peter, steve/tony G, 49k

Summary: “So, let me know if I have this right.” Tony said, setting down half of his burger. “Your dad, after having three sons, each with a different woman, had the bright idea to name them all Peter?”

He tried to imagine three Spider-Men swinging around the city: quipping at supervillains, charging headlong into trouble, being too trusting for their own good - Tony felt his blood pressure begin to climb. “Are they- are they like you?”

“If you mean superpowered, then no.” Peter shrugged. “They’re kinda boring; Tobey’s been married for years, and Andy’s married to his job. Not exciting enough to get us our own reality show.”

–

When Peter invites his mentor for Thanksgiving at May’s, Tony learns a Parker family secret. (canon AU set between Hoco and IW)

Expecting The Unexpected (ao3) - Capsicle2013 steve/tony M, 35k

Summary: When Steve struggles to get pregnant, Tony offers to carry the baby. It's a success and Tony falls pregnant. Everything appears normal. So then why is Steve experiencing the same thing?

From The Ashes, We Rise Like The Phoenix (ao3) - SpiderWidowFam88 peter/gwen E, 110k

Summary: *Tony Dusted instead of Peter*

Peter spent three weeks on that ship, the only thing he has to occupy him is the really old music, paper football, and the ever expanding expanse of space. Peter is pretty sure he's gonna die up there before they even get close to Earth. So with his final moments he records his final words and goes to sleep, even though he knows he might never open his eyes again.

Carol Danvers shows up 30 minutes later...

Harley Finally Arrives! (ao3) - Katieb18 steve/tony N/R, 8k

Summary: Harley is finally coming for a visit and Peter couldn't be any more excited! He loved Harley and secretly thought he was the smartest person he knew. The only issue is that Peter has a green-eyed monster living in him when it comes to sharing his parents. He doesn't like it one bit and has no fear in letting people know. Luckily Steve and Tony know just how to solve the jealousy before it becomes a proper issue.

I'm Gone, But You Left First (ao3) - Lol_ItsPriya pepper/tony N/R, 2k

Summary: Tony Stark was not a good parent, not to Peter, at least. Peter's heart is left shattered, but someone is there to pick up the pieces.

Or where Tony realizes he's been a shitty parent, but it might be too late.

Little demons like to play (ao3) - RaccoonCati G, 4k

Summary: Or how the Stark twins decided that scaring the Avengers while their father was recovering from heart surgery would be fun. After all, the superheroes were oblivious to the fact that kids were living in the Tower.

Parker luck (ao3) - Ghostie_Luther mj/peter, peter/gwen N/R, 14k

Summary: Peters brothers are finally seeing him for the first time in two years! That’s good news, right? Sure it might be hard to explain where the muscles came from, where his glasses and asthma went, how he knew THE Tony Stark himself but it would all be fine! Until, of course, one of Toomes henchmen wants revenge and kidnaps him, Tobey, Wade and Andrew….who have no idea who he is. Fucking Parker luck, right?

Siblings Of The Web (fanfiction.net) - Celgress T, 9k

Summary: There are infinite worlds infinite possibilities. What if in one such world Peter did not come to live with his aunt and uncle in Queens alone? What if his younger sister Teresa came with him? Furthermore what if on that fateful day she to had been bitten by the infamous spider? Behold a reality apart from the one you know so well. The reality of Spider-Man and his sister Arachne!

To Build A Home (ao3) - Ashleyparker2815 pepper/tony N/R, 147k

Summary: When Peter was three years old, he was kidnapped by Steve Rogers. Steve raised Peter as his own son and in the process, lied to him about where he came from. After a field trip gone wrong, Peter’s life comes crumbling down all around him when he finds out the truth of his real family who thought he was gone forever.

Peter now must learn to navigate his new life after coming to the realization that the man who he called dad for seven years is actually his kidnapper.

Two Becomes Four (ao3) - chvotic G, 5k

Summary: "I-it's not just Flash." Peter whispered, certain that Tony had picked it up this time because of the way his jaw tightened. "But it's not bad, i-it's just-"

"Who is it?" Tony asked, wiping Peter's tears away. "It's okay, you can tell me, bud."

"Harley."

Or, in which, Peter is sad and Harley is jealous.

#themculibrary #mcu #marvel #peter parker #peter parker masterlist #family #family masterlist #masterlists

[theotherackerman]

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Any recognizable elements belong to Attack on Titan, Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, A Song of Ice and Fire

NOTES: Check that trigger warning as always. We time skipped. This chapter takes place one month after the previous chapter. This chapter is very eremika heavy and driven. It's also a lot fluffier than I imagined it will be. Also timeline wise, we are drawing close to the close of summer.

TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of attempted suicide, murder, and war.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: NOW, I FEAR I HAVE FALLEN FROM GRACE

The Seven Kingdoms seemed to believe that they were the only affected by the Long Night. 

This was not true.

It was the entire world.

Ice covered the Free Cities, the Ten Kingdoms that the Azumabitos would later rule, and the kingdom that Tyburs would eventually rule. 

Even the great dragon city of Valyria was covered. The dragons tried to fight back with their dragonlords. 

But the Long Night came for them all the same.

It did not care if one was rich or if one was poor. 

The Night’s King was the true villain. 

He had once been human. 

His first crime being falling in love with the Night’s Queen. 

She was beautiful. She had hair the color of snow, eyes as blue as the sky. Her skin was alabaster. 

The moment the human who would become the Night’s King saw her, he had to have her for there was no one more beautiful. 

And he deserved her for he was a King. King deserved only the most beautiful of women. 

So he tried to win her heart. So that winter he sat out to do just that. He would always watch her dancing under the moonlight. Every night, he waited for her.

But there was nothing he could do to make her love him.

First he tried with a dress made of the finest silks and thread spun from gold.

The Night’s Queen laughed and went off into the night.

He left her jewelry. 

“I do not need jewels,” she told him before leaving him. 

Then he brought her gold coin.

She laughed at him once again. “I do not desire your earthly possessions. Besides, I could never be with someone like you. You are something death can touch. I am something you cannot begin to understand. You will grow old while I remain young and beautiful. Your heart still beats, mine is frozen. I will never be yours.” 

So she left the man. 

She stopped dancing under the moonlight.

The man grew angry.

He sent his men to find a way that he would not age, to find out how the Night’s Queen existed. 

The men brought back an answer. He would have to complete an unspeakable act but it would give him what he wished.

So the King did it. 

“What did you do?” The Night’s Queen asked him. 

The king’s form had changed. Horns grew from his head, like his crown. His skin was made up of ice and snow. His men had also changed, becoming more monstrous. There were bones where their skin should be. 

“I have done what you wanted. I have also given you children. Do you see now how much I love you? Do you see what I did for our love?” he asked her.

“You have doomed us all. I cannot love you and you do not love me. I am not a possession. The blood you have spilt will lead to our destruction.”

And the Night’s Queen ran.

She ran to the North, into the mountains where wild dragons resided.

—----------

Mikasa turned the page in the book. 

Nothing. It went onto another story about a girl and an ice dragon.

What had happened to the Night’s Queen? 

Had she been defeated by Lightbringer like the Night’s King?

It was late.

Levi would be returning any day now. 

Things were not good between Mikasa, Annie, and Sasha.

Mikasa had gone to them the moments after the dragon had hatched. She told them everything about her mother, about Kiyomi, and about how the dragon hatchling came into being.

They were angry. 

Angry that once again, she had kept things from them after they had agreed to speak to one another about everything. Yet Mikasa continued to keep secrets. They had shouted at one another, Mikasa’s grief still flowing through her. Sasha and Annie were hurt from her actions. 

She was so damn selfish. 

Now she had a dragon hatchling who was terrorizing her. The long curtains that reached the ground had been burnt on the bottoms.The hatchling, who she had named Rhaena, spent a lot of time in her hair, hanging on the back of her neck or sitting on her shoulder. When she had walked into a meeting with the Minor Houses, they had stared at the hatchling before moving onto the business at hand.

It had been almost a full moon cycle since Mikasa had been attacked, Levi was still at the capitol. He was to escort the princes back with Vulcan. Added protection for the princes after everything that had happened. It had taken two weeks to get everything in place, then it would take two more for them to reach the North.

To be completely honest, Eren Jaeger was the last thing on Mikasa’s mind. When she wasn’t dealing with the Minor Houses, she was making sure supplies were on the correct routes. If that was done, she was checking on the rebuilding after the fire from the Fritz Loyalists. If everything was complete, she was trying to figure out what her mother had done and what a dragon having three heads meant.

Levi had been no help on that. She had written to him about the dragon hatching, the voice she heard. 

Your father used to be obsessed with that phrases. Kenny doesn’t know what it means either. Maybe it’s why you have three dragons under your command. I’ll have Hange look into it. That was what Levi had written her back. Hange had looked into it at the capitol and found nothing. However, Hange was coming to the North. Levi had told Mikasa if she was comfortable, perhaps she should tell Hange everything. They knew more about magic than anyone else.

The suggestion of telling Kenny had crossed both Mikasa and Levi’s mind. But would the man reveal what he knew? Unlikely. If Hange could answer the questions Mikasa had, she would tell them. 

Rhaena was chewing on the burnt curtain. 

“Stop that!” Mikasa remarked as she got up off her bed. 

Rhaena growled at Mikasa as Mikasa got closer. 

“Daor!” Mikasa commanded as she tried to pry Rhaena’s mouth open. 

The hatchling growled again and snapped at Mikasa.

The curtain was out of Rhaena’s mouth at least.

Mikasa was beginning to feel like she had a child. 

A child who could breathe fire and had very sharp teeth. 

“Lykirī, Rhaena. Be calm. You’re safe. You cannot eat the curtains.” Mikasa petted Rhaena’s head.

The red dragon seemed to almost purr.

“Gevī, Rhaena.” 

Mikasa brought the hatchling with her to the bed, allowing Rhaena to sleep on her pillow. 

“Let us hope that Levi returns tomorrow. We need more flight practice,” Mikasa told the dragon as Rhaena curled up, falling asleep almost instantly. 

Mikasa sighed. 

Of course the hatchling had no trouble falling asleep while Mikasa tossed and turned most of the night. She could still see images of the attack, her mother ending Kiyomi’s life. It was all she could see. She found herself sleeping and dressing only in tunics and breeches. Not wanting to be caught unarmed, there was a dagger under  each pillow. Her sword was right next to her bed. 

Anytime she was out of the castle, Meadow and Kayda became her shadow while Rhaena stayed on her shoulder. She would not be caught like that ever again. 

As she blew out the candles for the night, she looked at the drawer when she kept Eren’s letters. She had read them. He did seem truly sorry for the way he had acted, he was worried about her. But was it enough?

She hadn’t allowed herself to think about it until this moment. 

They just felt like words on paper. Her parents had died, he thought she was ill. Those were the simple facts. It was to ease his mind. So many people only thinking about themselves, including herself. 

Where did that leave her?

It left her in a place of anger. 

An anger she disguised from the Minor Houses and the smallfolk. 

Mikasa had been raised to be a queen. She knew how to speak, how to walk, and how to make them think everything was fine. 

She was fine.

She didn’t feel guilt. She didn’t feel anything.

Or that was at least what they saw. 

And it was what Mikasa told herself every night.

She was fine.

She could run the North while her aunt, uncle, and cousin helped the king. 

And when the nightmare returned tonight, she’d tell herself the same thing again. 

—---------------------------

“Kirimvose,” Levi said as he sat across from Eren at the fire they had made.

“Kirimrose?” Eren said wrong.

“That's not even a word,” Levi said as he pinched the bridge of his nose."Kirimvose! Key-RIM-voh-say.” 

“Key-RIM-oh-say,” Eren pronounced the word wrong yet again. 

“Key-RIM-voh-say. Not Key-RIM-oh-say.” 

“I’m never going to learn Valyrian at this rate,” Eren sighed as he leaned back, his back resting on the ground while he still sat on a fallen log. 

“It means thank you so you need to learn it. Kirimvose,” Armin pronounced the word perfectly. 

“How do you say Hello?” Zeke asked Eren. 

The whole ground had committed to learning Valyrian on their trip North. Hange already knew a large chunk. Jean knew some basics.Zeke, Porco, Pieck, and Armin had no trouble picking up the language. Reiner had given up weeks ago. Bertolt had followed Reiner’s lead. Colt, Gabi, Falco, Connie, and Eren were all currently struggling with the language. 

“Rytsas,” Eren answered.

“At least you’ll be able to greet her when we get there,” Zeke nodded. 

“If he remembers it,” Jean snorted.

“Thank you, Jean. You’re being rather helpful,” Eren rolled his eyes from his spot on the ground. 

“What’s her title?” Jean asked.

“Dārilaros,” Eren answered.

“What does it mean again?” Gabi asked from across the campfire.

“Heir. Crown princess or crown prince,” Hange answered.

“So Zeke would have the same title if he were from Valyrian,” Connie added.

“He has the title anyway. It’s just saying he is a crown prince, he is the heir,” Levi said as he pinched the bridge of his nose again. “It’s another language.” 

“This is why I gave up after the first week,” Reiner laughed. 

“Why is Valyrian so hard to learn?” Gabi asked.

“It’s because you’re not used to it. It’s not that hard. It’s not spoken by anyone other than the Ackermans here. King Grisha knows some but not very much. It’s almost a dead language on this continent,” Levi explained. “Some speak it in the Free Cities.” 

“Do they speak the language of the First Men in the Free Cities?” Colt asked.

“The Old Tongue?” Hange looked up from the book they were reading by the fire. “I don’t think so. I always thought the Old Tongue was only spoken by those in the North.” 

“Giants speak the Old Tongue,” Falco piped up. 

“Giants don’t exist,” Gabi argued.

Levi snorted, “Giants exist. They live in the mountains past the wild dragons in the North.” 

“No, the giants died in the Long Night,” Gabi argued.

“No. They didn’t. Why do you think they wanted to build a wall there? They wanted to keep things of magic over there,” Levi argued. 

“Why didn’t they then? And why hasn’t anyone seen one?” 

“The Stone Deceiver,” Hange said as if that explained everything. 

“I have no idea what that means,” Bertolt said as he stared at Hange.

“No one does,” Hange replied ominously.

“Can we continue Valyrian now? We’ll be in the North before we know it,” Eren muttered. 

“You know you could just order us to. You are a prince in case you forgot,” Pieck grinned as she used her knife to cut off a slice of apple. 

“I’m not ordering Lord Levi to do anything. Do you not see what sits behind him?” 

Vulcan raised his head and showed his teeth. For a moment, Eren thought the dragon was smiling at him. 

“Zaldrīzes rȳbus, lo mērī udrirzi Valyrio eglio ȳdrassua,” Levi replied. 

“What does that mean?” Eren asked. 

“A dragon only listens when you speak in High Valyrian.” 

That may be the case but Eren knew that Vulcan knew exactly what was being said. There was no doubt about that for Eren.

The dragon lowered his head, resting behind his rider. It made Eren miss Fenrir. But the wolf had to stay in the carriage for the most part. They went out for short walks in the early morning and then Fenrir was put in the carriage. The same with Vivica. Midnight was stuck in his cage until they reached the North. Midnight was not happy about that. He let Eren know it every time they opened the carriage. A second carriage followed with all their belongings. 

They would reach the Ackerman castle before they knew it. Eren didn’t know how to feel about it. Mikasa hadn’t written him back but he hadn’t expected her to. He was a bit disappointed by it though. 

He had no one to blame but himself for his troubles with Mikasa. He wasn’t even sure that learning Valyrian was the right answer. He didn’t know the right answer. He didn’t even know how to act around her. 

How does one act around their betrothed who had lost so much in such a short amount of time who you repeatedly treated badly because you wanted to push them away and now you who have to live in the same castle? 

Eren ran his hands over his face and into his hair. 

—-------------------------

“Dracarys!” Mikasa yelled at the three dragons who were currently stationed around what would quickly become a large fire. 

Meadow, Kayda, and Rhaena released fire on the wooden structure. 

“The autumn equinox is not for a few weeks,” Sasha said as she walked over. 

Mikasa turned towards her. “It’s the wood that was burnt but not fully burnt from the fires. We replaced any piece that was damaged.” 

“I should have known.”

Mikasa simply nodded as she turned back towards the fire. 

“Did you name her?”

“Rhaena.”

“Valyrian name. Should have known.” 

“Named Kayda from my mother’s language, I felt as if I should name this one in my father’s,” Mikasa said simply.

“Good name.” 

“Thank you.” Mikasa clasped her hands together. 

“Your sword and daggers are done. Whenever you wish to wield Valyrian steel.” 

“Thank you.”

There was an awkwardness that hadn’t been there between them before. Neither knew what to say because there was nothing they could say to one another that would make it better. 

“Rhaena, māzīs,” Mikasa called to the dragon.

Rhaena ran towards Mikasa before jumping into the air. Her wings stretched out, Rhaena flew until she landed on Mikasa’s shoulder. The dragon then proceeded to hide under Mikasa’s hair. 

“Is that why you’ve been wearing your hair down?” Sasha asked.

Mikasa nodded, “she likes to hang onto the back of my neck.”

“Do her claws bother you?” 

Mikasa shook her head. “At first. I have gotten used to it. It makes it easier to smuggle her in and out of the castle without anyone seeing her.” 

“So you’re keeping her a secret for now then?” 

Mikasa nodded again. “I should go make sure arrangements are in order for Levi’s return.”

Sasha nodded.

The two women walked in opposite directions. 

Neither catching the other looking back.

—-------------------

It wasn’t that Annie was actively avoiding Mikasa. 

Yes, she was angry with her.

But it was more of avoiding her father. He was visiting the castle yet again. 

The good thing was Mikasa had not released Annie as her lady. As long as Annie was Mikasa’s lady, her father could not force her to the capital. 

Annie spent most of her time in the training yard, practicing her weaker skills. Then she tended to things within the castle. She spent her spare time finding out where her father was and making sure their paths did not cross.

She was eagerly awaiting Levi’s return so he could throw her father out. 

—----------------------

The castle was waiting in the distance. Levi touched down first. The carriage, the guards, and the princes were close behind. 

Mikasa was awaiting her cousin’s arrival. 

Vulcan roared. 

It was echoed back by Meadow and Kayda. 

Home.

They were finally home. 

Levi had missed his bed. 

And he may have missed his cousin a bit as well. 

Sometimes, Levi didn’t know if Mikasa was his younger sister or his daughter. He felt like she somehow was both at the same time. Maybe that was what bothered him about how Mikasa had responded to her parents’ death. They were just blood but they hadn’t been around. It was him, Kuchel, and Kenny who raised her. They taught her Valyrian, how to ride a dragon. What had Yui done but given birth to the woman? 

Vulcan landed next to Meadow and Kayda in the garden. 

Levi jumped down from the dragon. He quickly removed the saddle. Then Vulcan headbutted Meadow. Then Vulcan repeated the action with Kayda. Levi shook his head as he walked away from the dragons. He handed the saddle off to one of the guards waiting outside of the garden. 

He made his way to the front of the castle. The carriage was just pulling up. The guards and the princes were dismounting from their horses.

“Princess Mikasa! Or dare I say, sister,” Zeke said as he hugged Mikasa. The prince picked her up and spun her in a circle. Mikasa’s eyes were wide as Zeke sat her down on the ground. “I would offer my condolences for your family but I imagine you have grown sick of hearing it. So instead, I will say I am happy you have allowed my brother and me into your gracious home.” 

“House Jaeger will always be welcomed anywhere House Ackerman is. I thank you for your condolences,” Mikasa nodded. 

The wolves were released from the carriage, Fenrir made his way over to Mikasa. Mikasa gave him a pet on the head. The wolf’s tongue hung out of his mouth. 

“Rytsas, dārilaros,” Eren greeted Mikasa.

Mikasa’s eyes widened.

Levi was proud of the prince. Eren had pronounced it correctly and not forgotten his words. 

“Ydra ji valyre?” 

“He’s learning to speak Valyrian. He is not fluent,” Levi informed Mikasa.

Mikasa turned towards him. 

“We all have,” Armin said. 

“They’re very bad at it,” Levi scoffed. “I didn’t teach them anything that will help them understand when we’re talking about them in front of them.” 

“That’s rude,” Pieck scoffed. 

“Rooms?” Hange asked. “I’m sure Midnight would like to get out of his cage.” 

“There are guards waiting to show you to your room,” Mikasa informed them. 

“CORN!” Midnight yelled from his cage which Falco was carrying.

“How did you clean him on the way here?” Mikasa wondered.

“It wasn’t easy. We had to lock the carriage and make sure he didn’t escape,” Armin answered. 

“We? Falco and I had to do it!” Gabi yelled. 

“It is too early to be yelling,” Reiner muttered.

“It’s the middle of the day,” Bertolt reminded him.

“It’s still too early.”

“Let’s get to the rooms,” Colt said.

The guards and the princes followed the Ackerman guards.

Levi watched them walk away before he spoke to Mikasa. “I received a raven from Annie and Sasha.”

“So you know how Rhaena hatched then and what my mother did?” Mikasa asked, not looking at her cousin. 

“Yes,” Levi answered.

Mikasa nodded. 

“Where is the hatchling anyway?” 

“Hiding under my hair.” 

“‘She bonded to you?”

Mikasa nodded. “I told her to serve and she responded. I don’t think I could ride her.”

“She won’t be big enough anytime soon. So that doesn’t seem to be the answer. Is Meadow still listening to your commands?” 

Mikasa nodded again. “I haven’t told him to serve. I fear his reaction. I don’t think he would kill me. I do think that he may hurt me or at least scare me.” 

“Best not to take the risk. Anything else I need to be aware of?” 

“I haven’t summoned the flames or even tried since that night. I haven’t seen the ice at all.” 

“I meant in general but I suppose that’s important to know as well. We’ll announce that you have another dragon soon. For now, keep her hidden. I will see what Hange can find out. I brought them to the North for their knowledge. They’re continuing Erwin’s research.”

“Any chance they know what the dragon must have three heads means?” 

“I’ll have Hange look into it as well. Where did you hear that?” Levi asked as an eye peeked through the side of Mikasa’s hair. 

“In my head when Rhaena was born.”

That was strange. It was not the first time that Mikasa had mentioned hearing a voice. Levi didn’t think Mikasa was going mad. He knew she was grieving, he knew she was hurting. She wasn’t mad. She seemed to understand what exactly was happening. 

“What did you name her Rhaena?” Levi asked.

Mikasa looked down, “my father told me stories about her. She was a queen of Valyria. Her husband was usurped and the man who killed him tried to make her marry him. She had him beheaded instead and took the throne for herself. She rode into battle against other dragonlords who came for the throne.” 

“I thought you didn’t want to be queen,” Levi teased her. 

“I don’t. I just…I named Kayda for my mother, I named Rhaena for my father.”

“How are you…”

“I’m surviving. I have this anger inside…I didn’t even know I could be this angry. Then some days the anger fades and I just feel…empty. I wonder why they never told me anything. I try not to allow myself to think about it. I am just trying to find answers.” 

Levi watched the dragon hatchling come out and sit on Mikasa’s shoulder. The hatchling nuzzled up to Mikasa. Mikasa stroked the dragon’s head. 

“I wish I had more to give you.”

Mikasa nodded again. 

“Do you want to tell me exactly what happened?” 

Mikasa nodded yet again. 

So the two of them departed to Levi’s office. 

—----------

It was not surprising that Eren and Zeke had been moved to a different level of the castle. 

Eren and Zeke had a room each with a combined sitting room outside of their bedrooms. 

Across the hall, Jean, Connie, Reiner and Bertolt had smaller rooms with a sitting room outside of them.

Pieck and Gabi had two larger rooms and a sitting room. 

On the other side of them, Colt, Porco, and Falco had their rooms and sitting room. 

Armin had a large room with no sitting room at the end of the hall and Hange had the same on the opposite side. 

Once Eren and Mikasa married, they'd redo the room assignments. 

Eren fell back on his bed while Fenrir ran around with Vivican. Both Zeke and Eren had their bedroom doors open. Midnight had flown out of the window the moment the crow had been freed from the cage. 

Zeke had started unpacking. 

Eren had not.

It wasn't that he didn't want to be here….he did. He just…

His thoughts were interrupted by Gabi and Falco dropping off a trunk in the sitting room.

“Why is this so heavy?” Falco wondered.

“Didn’t seem that heavy to me,” Gabi scoffed.

The two exited the sitting room.

Eren got up and looked at the trunk.

“Zeke, your trunk is here,” Eren said as he walked away.

“It’s not mine. All my things are in here already. That’s yours,” Zeke replied from his room. “You brought it down to the carriage the night before we left. I saw you. Father yelled at you about leaving your room without guards.”

Eren frowned. He didn’t remember any of that.

Opening the trunk, Eren jumped back once he saw what was inside. 

The war hammer. 

He slammed the lid back shut and carried it into his room. 

—-----------------------

Niccolo had arrived in the late afternoon to begin preparations for dinner. 

Sasha was in the forge when he passed by.

He slowed. “Good afternoon, Lady Sasha.” 

Sasha looked up from the helmet she was shining. “You can just call me Sasha, Niccolo. How are you?” 

“I am well. And you?” 

“I am also well. Are you here for dinner then?”

Niccolo nodded, “I am. I am heading that way to begin.” 

“I look forward to seeing you tonight,” Sasha smiled.

Niccolo smiled back.

His whole day was made.

—----------------

Armin had expected to see Annie again.

A part of him had worried about living in the same place as her. Would she be fine with it? Would she ignore him? 

Then Armin ran into Annie while climbing the stairs. 

He was carrying a trunk and hadn’t seen Annie when she was coming down the stairs. Clearly, she had not been paying attention either.

Armin almost fell back a step but chose to drop the trunk. In a split second he saw Annie falling backwards, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her towards him. Weapons fell out of the trunk as the trunk rolled down the stairs.

They froze there for a moment.

At first they just stared at one another.

Time seemed to have stopped just for them. 

Then they both realized they were holding onto one another. 

Armin released her. “I should pick those up. Are you…?”

“I’m fine,” Annie muttered as she stepped back. 

Armin swallowed and just as he was about to speak,Bertolt came down the stairs. 

“Lady Leonhardt, I was hoping to take a walk around the gardens if you wouldn’t mind showing me around,” Bertolt asked.

Annie stared at Armin for a moment. “Yes, of course,” Annie replied before descending the stairs.

Armin just watched her leave.

—-----------------------

Dinner was uncomfortable.

Armin gripped his fork in a deathgrip. No one else seemed to notice but Eren knew Armin’s body language. He was not happy.

“Armin? Is everything…?”

“Everything is fine, Eren,” Armin replied before unnecessarily stabbing the meat on his plate.

Mikasa sat on the other side of Eren. She hadn’t spoken to him, Sasha, or Annie. In fact, she didn’t even look in any of their directions. 

Instead, eyes poked out from her hair. 

There was something alive in her hair.

He couldn’t see what it was.

It just stared at him, watching. 

What could Mikasa possibly have kept hidden in her hair?

He knew she wore her hair braided most of the time but it was down. 

As Eren raised a fork to his mouth, the nose came out. 

Scales. Red scales.

Was that a dragon in Mikasa’s hair? 

Mikasa was too busy discussing something with Hange who was on the other side of Mikasa. 

Eren ate the meat off his fork.

The nose disappeared back into Mikasa’s hair but the eyes were still reflecting the candlelight. 

Eren picked up piece of meat again and put it onto his fork. He held it up. 

It was almost too fast for Eren to get a good look but the dragon blew fire onto the meat. Then it snatched the meat off of Eren’s fork and retreated back into Mikasa’s hair. 

Eren froze.

The eyes were back staring at him. 

Mikasa didn’t seem to notice or she didn’t care. 

It wasn’t long after that Mikasa excused herself from the table and left without sparing a glance in his direction.

Eren’s appetite disappeared.

—-----------

Mikasa knew that Levi had brought Hange here to help. So she used dinner to talk to them about what had happened. 

“Bloodmagic and fire magic are what House Ackerman used. That’s what was torn from your mother’s journal. Bloodmagic can be addictive. It can twisted a person’s mind in ways no one can truly understand. It’s also what fuels the bond between the dragons and their riders. Not all blood magic is dark and evil,” Hange had explained. 

“Would kinslaying be used for bloodmagic?” Mikasa asked softly.

Hange nodded, “it would be a powerful blood sacrifice but it would have horrific effects. Is that what you think happened?” 

“I…I don’t know. Has Levi told you?”

“Yes, he did. I brought some books from Zeke’s library and others from the capitol. I can always write for more if I can’t find answers in these.”

“I fear there may be no answers. I hope you’ll excuse me. I’m going to take my leave now.” 

Hange nodded.

Mikasa stood from the table and began to walk away. Something made her look back. She saw Eren’s body slump down into the chair and push his plate away. Something caught in her throat. She hadn’t meant to ignore him. She hadn’t meant to be rude. She just hadn’t thought of him. Guilt bubbled up in her stomach. She shook her head as she walked away.

She never did the same thing at the same time due to not wanting anyone to catch on her routine. It had been easier when she was meeting with the Minor Houses. Levi’s return guaranteed that she wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon.

Not being as busy meant that the grief had time to burrow in. 

The anger always came first. 

Sadly, that didn’t equal the fire showing itself again. It should have been as simple to summon as when she told her dragons to breathe fire. Instead, it was unreliable.

Then there was the anger that she felt towards Sasha and Annie.

Sure, they were hurt but Mikasa was the one going through the pain. She wasn’t dead. Her dragons wouldn’t allow it. It wasn’t as if she was going to try again to end her life. Mikasa ran hand through her hair as she exited into the side yard of the castle. 

Rhaena came to sit on her shoulder. Kayda and Meadow flew overhead. Mikasa wondered how they always knew where she was now. It was as if their bond had strengthened. 

People smiled and waved as she passed them, regarding her. She wondered how many of them had added to the rumor that she was pregnant with Eren’s bastard. Because no one knew the true reason Mikasa had been sick for the fortnight while she was unconscious, they made up their own truths. 

Worst of all, Mikasa had to hear it from men who reported to the man who might as well be her older brother. Mikasa was glad, however, she didn’t have to be there when Levi dealt with those same people. She knew he would not be happy about such gossip happening. 

People thought she was pregnant when she hadn’t so much as been kissed in the nineteen namedays she’d been alive. She knew she would always be a pawn, never to marry for love. She was for alliances, for land, or whatever else. Her title of heir being taken away, her aunt being deceased should have changed all that. Levi had told her he would cancel the marriage. He didn’t care but Mikasa couldn’t dare to disappoint anyone else. 

Deciding she walked far enough away from the castle, Mikasa turned around and walked back. Kayda and Meadow landed and followed her the whole way. She locked Rhaena in her room while she ran to the library to get more books to look through. She wasn’t sure what she was even looking for. 

She was in the stacks when she heard someone else come in. She thought it was going to be Levi or Hange.

As she stepped out into the main path, Eren was standing there. Fenrir made his way from Eren’s side to her. Mikasa patted the wolf on the head.

“Hello,” he said simply as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Hello,” Mikasa repeated. 

“Sorry. I didn’t know you were here. I can go,” he offered.

“It’s fine.”

The silence was awkward. She didn’t know what to say, clearly he didn’t either. So they just stood there until Eren finally looked away. 

“Were you looking for anything?” Mikasa finally blurted out. 

“Depends on how good you are at keeping secrets,” Eren replied. 

“Depends. Is it going to get me executed?” 

“It’s possible.” 

“You’re not going to usurp?”

“Fuck no. I don’t want to rule. Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” 

“So what is it?” 

“There’s this war hammer….”

“Go on…”

“I brought it here. The thing is I don’t remember loading it into the carriage or even going down to where it last was. It seems when it's out of the trunk, I’m the only one who can lift it.”

Mikasa didn’t know anything about a war hammer besides one the Tyburs were said to possess. It was said to control the Others in the books but there was nothing about whether only certain people could lift it. 

“Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll find many answers here. I know I haven’t.” 

“Were you sick or did something else happen? You….you look too skinny. Zeke said I shouldn’t say anything since you’re grieving,” Eren looked back towards the door. 

Mikasa sighed as she leaned up against one of the bookshelves. “I was unconscious. Whether I was truly ill or not, I do not know. I just know my mind was somewhere else.” 

“Did someone make you unconscious?” Eren asked as he took a step towards her.

Mikasa shook her head. “I would tell you the whole story but I’m not in the mood to have someone else be angry with me.”

Eren frowned as he studied her. 

“What?” 

“I’m trying to understand why someone would be angry with you.”

Mikasa stared at him.

“You look far too much like Levi when you stare at me like that. It's a bit unnerving.”

“You are angry with me most of the time it seems,” Mikasa deadpanned. 

“I am not angry with you. I am angry with myself. I…I didn’t want to drag you into this mess that is me. I didn’t want people attacking you because you’re associated with me.”

“Bit too late for that, isn’t it?” She scoffed as her hands balled into fists at her side. 

“That was exactly what I was trying to avoid,” Eren took another step towards her.

“I am so sick of everyone else around here deciding what is best for me! I can take care of myself! I have a dragon. Not to mention that I’ve spent most of my life learning a sword, a dagger, archery, and whatever weapon Levi could put into my hands. The only reason you drew first blood is because I let my anger get the best of me!” Mikasa threw her hands up. The fire was coursing through her veins again. The anger towards Eren for the way he treated her, the way he made her seem like a fool was bubbling up. “You didn’t speak to me. You didn’t look at me. You left without a word. I got upset, yes. But then I talked to my ladies about it. You would have known that if you wouldn’t have been a coward and left! Then you played me like a fool at the capitol. Do you know what they say about me?” 

Eren just stared at her. 

“They say I have your bastard in my womb, that I wasn’t sick. They whisper about me. I have to hear it from the minor houses. I have to deal with the rumors while you do whatever you please. You decided what was best for me. Why did you write me those letters? Why did you learn Valyrian? Because you didn’t do it for me. You did it to clean your conscience.” Mikasa began to head towards the door. 

As she passed Eren, he grabbed her arm and stopped her. 

“Tell me how to make it right,” his eyes searched her face. 

The tears were welling up in her eyes. 

He brushed a stray hair from off her forehead. 

“I don’t know,” she gently removed his hand from her arm. 

Mikasa left the library.

She made sure not to look back at Eren.

——————-

When Eren arrived back in his room, he was not expecting to see a drunk Armin on the floor while Zeke, Jean, and Pieck all stared at him.

“Now they’re going for another walk around the garden. How many walks around the garden does one need?” Armin asked before he raised the bottle up to his mouth.

“Perhaps you should just tell her how you feel,” Pieck shrugged from the chaise she was taking up. 

“Pieck, you are in the circle of trust not to judge or offer advice,” Zeke scolded.

“Oh fuck your circle of trust. You have the romantic insights of horseshit,” Pieck answered. “You’ve fucked with half the kingdom,” she motioned to Jean. 

“I’ve only fucked you lately,” Jean muttered.

“The coward on the floor cannot tell the woman he’s been fucking for years that he’s in love with her and that one,” Pieck pointed to Eren. “Just walks away. Your circle of trust is not filled with intelligence. Maybe if for once you’d think with your head and not your dick, you all wouldn’t be in this position.”

“I am fine with having the romantic insights of horseshit, thank you very much,” Zeke replied before swiping the bottle from Armin. 

“What did I just walk into?” Eren asked.

“Annie is taking her second walk around the garden with Bertolt. Armin came to talk to you, you were gone. I offered him alcohol. Jean and Pieck stopped by. Where have you been?” Zeke asked.

“Library.”

Jean snorted.

“You can read?” Pieck teased.

“Funny. That joke never gets old. I’ll be back,” Eren said as he turned and left again. 

This time, Eren wasn’t walking away. He was walking towards something.

——————

Mikasa was not expecting a knock on her door. She wasn’t expecting company. Rhaena was asleep. The hatchling slept like the dead sometimes. Surprisingly, this seemed to be one of those times.

Another surprise was Eren and Fenrir waiting on the other side of the door. 

“Can I come in? I thought since everyone thinks you’re carrying my bastard, Levi wouldn’t kill me for coming here. Can’t cause more of a scandal since you’re already carrying my child,” he teased.

Mikasa stepped out of the way and let him with Fenrir into the sitting room. 

“That’s what it was!” Eren exclaimed as he pointed to the small red dragon asleep on the table.

“What? Rhaena?” Mikasa asked. 

“She stole my food! She was in your hair!” 

“She did? I’m sorry. She’s…she’s only a moon cycle old.”

“Where did she come from?” 

“It’s a long story.”

Eren sat down on one of the chaises in the sitting room.“I’ve got time.”

Mikasa sat down on one of them across from him. 

“So where did she come from?” Eren asked again.

Mikasa sighed as she sat down on the chaise across from him. Then she began her story. For whatever reason, Mikasa found herself telling Eren everything. What had happened the night she began ice and fire, what she saw after everything went black and she was in that world, what her mother had done, and how Rhaena had come into being.

Eren didn’t say anything. He just sat there and listened to her. He would nod for her to go on as if he wanted her to know that he was paying attention. There were a few times Mikasa started crying but she pushed on. She didn’t stop and Eren didn’t stop her.

She explained her fears about what all this meant for her, how she truly did believe people would be better off without her. She told them of Annie and Sasha’s reactions, how she hadn’t talked to Annie in weeks. Her first conversation with Sasha in weeks had been earlier that morning. 

“I’m a monster,” Mikasa whispered as she looked down, her face in her hands. 

Eren reached over and gently pried her hands from her face. “You’re not a monster,” he reassured her. 

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m just so angry,” her voice cracked.

“You have a right to be angry. You are carrying a lot of grief, Mikasa. I’ve seen enough people die….I saw Erwin die. He died because of me. You don’t think that makes me angry? He was a great man and he died because I decided to go out one night. I couldn’t just stay in my room. It was my fault. But I can’t give up. You can’t give up. If we do, those who died for us, died for nothing,” he held onto her hands, forcing her to look at him.

“I hate her, Eren. I hate her more than I ever loved her. I hate my own mother. That makes me a monster,” Mikasa confessed.

“She wasn’t your mother, Mikasa. She gave birth to you and left. If you ask me, she’s the monster.”

“She had a reason.”

“I don’t care about her reasoning. If she really wanted to protect you, she’d tell you what was going on.” 

Mikasa pulled her hands back. “I suppose you’re right about that.”

“Of course I am.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes. 

Eren laughed. 

Rhaena flew over from the table and landed on the floor between the two of them. The hatchling studied Eren, cocking her head to the side as she watched him. 

“She is deciding if she likes you or not,” Mikasa teased him.

“And if she doesn’t?” 

“I imagine she’ll burn you.”

“That’s comforting,” Eren muttered.

Rhaena walked over to Eren, smelled him and flew back onto the table. Fenrir lifted his head from his spot on the floor.

“She has decided she will not burn you for now. She decided you could live for now.” 

“Thanks,” he muttered in the direction of Rhaena. 

Mikasa laughed. 

Eren looked over at her and grinned.

—-----------------------

There were several things Levi had been prepared to see when he walked into Mikasa’s sitting room. The candles were still burning and the door left just slightly ajar. This was not one of them. 

Mikasa was curled on her side, asleep on the chaise. 

On the floor, Fenrir was curled up with the hatchling dragon curled into his side. 

Eren was asleep on his stomach on the other chaise. 

The hatchling was the only one who lifted their head.

Levi held a finger up to his lips. 

Rhaena lowered her head back down. 

He walked out into the hall and found a servant. Moments later, the servant returned. Levi ducked back into the room, with two blankets in hand. He covered Mikasa and Eren up before blowing out all the candles. He lowered the oil lamps to the lowest setting.

Then he left, locking the door behind him. 

It was evident that the two of them had fallen asleep talking. If this was how the two of them were to make their peace, it was not for Levi to decide. In fact, it made his life a little bit easier. 

#wmmtb #my writing #mine

[raointean]

Day 7 - Free Day

Zîranû huffed out a sigh of boredom. He had entered Ost-in-Edhil with his clan; his descendant, Rahatzagar, leading him by the hand. Unfortunately, the boy had gotten distracted, no doubt by the tall buildings and strange people, and they had been separated. 

Now Zîranû was lost, blind, and alone in a foreign city full of elves. He didn't trust elves, no one he knew did, but he was beginning to think he may need to ask one for help. 

Just as he was beginning to consider calling out for help, he felt a hand on his shoulder. “Are you in need of assistance, iphandîr?” The voice was that of a man, a young one if Zîranû were to guess, and kind as sunlight on a breezy summer day.

“I do,” Zîranû admitted. “My guide seems to have become distracted and I am afraid I am quite lost.”

The man chuckled and helped him up. “Yes, the city is vast. To where were you going? Perhaps I can lead you the rest of the way?" There was no hint of the malice or mean-spirited trickery that Zîranû had half expected to hear in the man's voice. Instead, there was only an earnest desire to be of assistance. 

"The marketplace," Zîranû said. "I am sure you have heard that my people have come to sell  our luminous wool?”

“I have!” The man laughed brightly. “Come, the market is not far. My name is Elrond, by the way.”

Elrond handed Zîranû his walking stick, which had been leaned up against the wall beside him, and led him into the streets. “I am Zîranû, and I thank you for your help. I sat there for quite some time and I do not think anyone noticed I was there.” He did not mention that he had wished to avoid notice, but it was strange to him that no one  had even acknowledged him.

A hum drew him from his thoughts. “It is likely they did notice,” Elrond said. “Elves do not experience old age, so they may have thought that you were simply resting.”

“They? Are you yourself not an elf?” He certainly spoke like one. But, Zîranû supposed, Ost-in-Edhil was a great city. Perhaps Men lived here. Elrond was certainly too tall to be a dwarf.

Elrond was silent for a moment. “No. No, I am peredhel.”

“Oh!” A grin split across Zîranû’s face. “Which clan are you from? I do not believe we have met before and I am sure I’ve never heard your name.”

“I… do not belong to any particular clan.” Well that was certainly interesting. Most peredhel babies born outside a clan were abandoned by their mothers or killed by the fearful ignorance of those around them. But then, those children were usually born the bastards of mannish mothers. Zîranû had never heard of a child with an elvish mother and a mannish father. Who could say how such a situation would play out.

“As the herald of High King Gil-Galad,” Elrond continued. “I live among the elves as one of them.”

“Ah, well that sounds like a nice job, young man.” Zîranû had no idea what a herald actually did, but if he worked under the king it was probably a decent position at least.

Elrond laughed. “It is, though I am certainly not a young man. I have lived many more centuries than you yourself in all likelihood.”

“That may be!” Zîranû countered. “But I would guess that I have lived more life. I have loved, lost, and loved again. I have watched my children grow up and have children of their own, and their children after that, and their children after that! I shouted to the sky and demanded the stars tell me my place in the world. When I had seen all I wished to see of this world, I chose to grow old and pass on to the next.”

Elrond was silent for a moment and when he spoke, his voice was thick with emotion. “My brother said much the same before he… departed. I did not understand his words at all then, but I think I have grown to understand their meaning now.”

Zîranû was about to offer his condolences when they were interrupted by the shrill voice of a boy. “Eithweg! There you are! I’ve been looking, but I could not find you and I’m so sorry I left you alone! I promise I did not mean to! It was just- there were so many people and buildings and I-”

“Peace, Rahatzagar. I am well. I even made a new friend!”

#racesofringsofpowerweek2023 #elrond peredhel #various ocs #ost-in-edhil #lord of the rings: rings of power #fanfiction #discussions of mortality

[midnighthangintree]

Eras Tour Setlist and Surprise Songs - International Leg (as of August 25, 2023)

Taylor Swift

Tim McGraw

Picture to Burn

Teardrops on My Guitar

A Place in this World

Cold as You

The Outside

Tied Together with a Smile

Stay Beautiful

Should’ve Said No

Mary’s Song

Our Song

I’m Only Me When I’m with You

Invisible

A Perfectly Good Heart

Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Fearless

Fifteen

Love Story

Hey Stephen

White Horse

You Belong With Me

Breathe (feat. Colbie Callait)

Tell Me Why

You’re Not Sorry

The Way I Loved You

Forever & Always

The Best Day

Change

Jump Then Fall

Untouchable

Come In with the Rain

Superstar

The Other Side of the Door

Today Was a Fairytale

You All Over Me (feat. Maureen Morris)

Mr. Perfectly Fine

We Were Happy

That’s When (feat. Keith Urban)

Don’t You

Bye Bye Baby

If This Was a Movie - June 23

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

Mine

Sparks Fly

Back to December

Speak Now

Dear John

Mean

The Story of Us

Never Grow Up

Enchanted

Better than Revenge

Innocent

Haunted

Last Kiss

Long Live (added to setlist on July 7th for the release of Speak Now TV. Performed on the same koi fish guitar from the Speak Now Tour)

Ours

Superman

Electric Touch (featuring Fall Out Boy)

When Emma Falls in Love

I Can See You (music video released to concertgoers on July 7 and online on July 8)

Castles Crumbling (featuring Hayley Williams) - July 28

Foolish One

Timeless - July 14

Red (Taylor’s Version)

State of Grace

Red

Treacherous

I Knew You Were Trouble

22

I Almost Do

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Stay Stay Stay

The Last Time (featuring Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol)

Holy Ground

Sad Beautiful Tragic

The Lucky One

Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran)

Starlight

Begin Again

The Moment I Knew

Come Back… Be Here

Girl at Home

Ronan

Better Man

Nothing New (featuring Phoebe Bridgers) (added to the setlist on May 5, only to be performed when Phoebe Bridgers is one of the opening acts.)

Babe

Message in a Bottle

I Bet You Think About Me (featuring Chris Stapleton)

Forever Winter

Run (featuring Ed Sheeran)

The Very First Night

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Eyes Open

Safe and Sound

1989 (Taylor’s Version) - Announced August 8th, 2023. TBR on October 27, 2023

Welcome to New York

Blank Space

Style

Out of the Woods

All You Had to Do Was Stay

Shake It Off

I Wish You Would

Bad Blood

Wildest Dreams

How You Get the Girl

This Love

I Know Places

Clean

Wonderland

You Are in Love

New Romantics

Reputation

…Ready for It?

End Game (featuring Ed Sheeran and Future)

I Did Something Bad

Don’t Blame Me

Delicate

Look What You Made Me Do

So It Goes…

Gorgeous

Getaway Car

King of My Heart

Dancing with Our Hands Tied

Dress

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Call It What You Want

New Year’s Day

I Don’t Want to Live Forever

Lover

I Forgot That You Existed - August 24

Cruel Summer

Lover

The Man

The Archer

I Think He Knows

Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince

Paper Rings

Cornelia Street

Death by a Thousand Cuts

London Boy

Soon You’ll Get Better (featuring The Chicks)

False God

You Need to Calm Down

Afterglow

Me! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco)

It’s Nice to Have a Friend

Daylight

Beautiful Ghosts

Only the Young

All of the Girls You Loved Before

Folklore

The 1

Cardigan

The Last Great American Dynasty

Exile (featuring Bon Iver)

My Tears Ricochet

Mirrorball

Seven (spoken transition part of setlist)

August

This Is Me Trying

Illicit Affairs

Invisible String

Mad Woman

Epiphany

Betty

Peace

Hoax

The Lakes

Evermore

Willow

Champagne Problems

Gold Rush

‘Tis the Damn Season

Tolerate It

No Body, No Crime (feat. Haim)

Happiness

Dorothea

Coney Island (feat. the National)

Ivy

Cowboy Like Me

Long Story Short

Marjorie

Closure

Evermore (feat. Bon Iver)

Right Where You Left Me

It’s Time to Go

Midnights

Lavender Haze

Maroon

Anti-Hero

Snow on the Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)

You’re on Your Own, Kid

Midnight Rain

Question…?

Vigilante Shit

Bejeweled

Labyrinth

Karma

Sweet Nothing - August 24

Mastermind

The Great War

Bigger Than the Whole Sky

Paris

High Infidelity

Glitch

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

Dear Reader

Hits Different

Karma (featuring Ice Spice) (Music video released for concertgoers on May 26 and online on May 27)

You’re Losing Me (From the Vault)

#tayor swift #the eras tour #jessielynnposts #im restarting this... i hope this is ok

[ice-sculptures]

Curious anon: what is your ideal setlist?

this is kind of old but there’s no better time to answer it than now

assuming we keep approximately the same number of songs and keep personal events in taylor’s life out of it, i’d want it to go something like this..

miss americana and the heartbreak prince (i actually do like this as the opener if only for the “it’s been a long time coming” portion)

cruel summer for obvious reasons

paper rings

cornelia street

death by a thousand cuts

daylight

fearless

you belong with me

love story (the fearless set was perfect, 10/10 no notes — i didn’t expect her to play fearless the song but I’m beyond thrilled that she did)

tis the damn season

willow

marjorie

right where you left me

champagne problems (i think it deserved to be the final song from evermore)

dress

delicate

don’t blame me

look what you made me do

long live/NYD mashup from the rep tour

sparks fly (this is the part where i cheat and give speak now more songs bc it deserves it 💜)

back to december

haunted

last kiss

i knew you were trouble

red (the song)

the very first night/message in a bottle mashup

forever winter (this is where i cheat again and scrap ATW10 in favor of three songs that add up to about the same time as that one song)

better man

begin again

the 1

seven (like, actually sung)

the last great american dynasty

this is me trying (i do like the songs she chose for the folklore set but i would’ve loved this as a permanent song even more)

illicit affairs

my tears ricochet

cardigan

style

blank space

shake it off (so glad she included this bc if u don’t get to scream the lyrics to this song w 50,000 other swifties then what’s the point of going to this concert?)

how you get the girl

wildest dreams

new romantics

bad blood/should’ve said no, also from the rep tour

tim mcgraw

mary’s song

anti-hero

vigilante shit (let it be known that i am Only keeping this for the choreography 🙏🏼)

you’re on your own kid

karma

#whew. that took a long time #thanks anon!! #answered #anon

[faveficarchive]

FAMILY AFFAIR (Part 1)

by Xero

The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, Argo, et al. belong to MCA Universal. They are used without intent to profit or infringe on copyrighted material. This story is copyrighted to me. No aspect of this story may be used elsewhere without the expressed written consent of the author. This story many not be altered in any way and this copyright information must appear in this work at all times.

Warning: This story contains scenes of intimacy between two consenting adults of the same gender. If this offends you, or you are under 18 years of age, stop reading now. The author accepts no responsibility for noncompliance of this warning.

For the sake of clarity, Xenan is not much bigger than when he first appeared in "Is There A Doctor?", and this is what I think really happened to Solan. This story begins shortly after the events of "A Day in the Life"."That's it Gabrielle...yes...yes! Harder...almost...harder...again...YES!"

With one last pull, Gabrielle flung the fish on the end of her line out of the water, watching it arc over the head of Xena.

"Hey, watch it! Are you trying to hit me with that thing?"

Her eyes twinkling with more than the reflection of the sun off the surface of the river, Gabrielle smiled at her lover. "Now where would I get an idea like that? Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin our dinner by getting it caught in your armor."

"Funny," Xena drawled with arched eyebrows, as she watched Gabrielle retrieve the fish and remove the hook from its mouth. "But maybe you'd like eel instead?"

"Only if I can use your chakram to slice it open to prepare it." Noticing the small smile Xena was trying to keep from spreading into a wider grin, Gabrielle continued. "No? Then I guess I'll stick with the trout instead." After rebaiting her hook, the bard cast the line out into the middle of the stream. "How many..."

"Gabrielle," Xena whispered, trying to get the young woman's attention. Holding her left hand up, she motioned for quiet, as she set her own pole on the ground. Eyebrows furrowed in concern, the warrior concentrated on listening to the slight creeping movements she could hear coming up behind them from the dense brush of the glen. She rested her hand on her chakram, and bent her knees into a slight crouch, waiting to pounce on anyone foolish enough to attack the Warrior Princess and the Amazon Queen. Aware that the bard had also discarded her pole and picked up her staff, Xena waved her silently into a more defensive position as their 'company' continued its approach. With one last quiet rustle of leaves, the intruder strode into their camp. A young intruder, carrying a fishing pole.

"Solan?" Xena, eyes wide in surprise, dropped her hand from her chakram, and stared dumbstruck at the boy.

"Xena!" the young man shouted in happiness when he saw who he had unexpectedly bumped into, not knowing how close he had come to seeing the Warrior Princess in action again.

Regaining her composure, Xena approached her boy, and bending down on one knee, drew him into an embrace. She cradled the back of his head with her hand, and squeezed Solan tightly to her before finally releasing him. "But what are you doing here? And where's your uncle Kaleipus?"

Gabrielle tapped Xena on the shoulder and gave her a slight frown to remind her to go gently on her son. "Not that we're not happy to see you, Solan," the bard told the boy as she too gave him a hug, and then kissed him on the cheek. "But it is a surprise. Is everything all right with you and your centaur family?"

Catching Gabrielle's hand, Solan held it lightly. "Oh, sure, everything's fine. But Uncle sent me to his cousin's village so I could get to know more of my family. I've been here most of the summer."

"But why are you out here alone? It could be dangerous for you, by yourself like this." Xena tried to keep the worried concern out of her voice, but was only partially successful. "What if we had been thieves? You could have been hurt."

"Oh, Xena, I've been here lots of times to fish. You're the only ones I've ever found here. Besides," Solan explained in the bravado of one very young, or one very inexperienced, "..the centaur village isn't that far away. They know where I am."

"Well, ok," Xena replied, but she was not convinced. She stood up. "And since you're here to fish, why don't you join us for dinner? Then I'll take you back to your village. I'd like to meet your uncle's cousin."

"Sure." Shrugging his shoulders, Solan really didn't understand what the big deal was, although he was happy to spend time with the two women. With a little luck, he hoped he could get Xena to tell him more about his dad Borias. He had heard all of Uncle Kaleipus' stories, and he was sure that Xena had a few he didn't know. He was just about to ask when the smaller woman poked him in his ribs.

"Hey, Solan," Gabrielle put an arm around the young boy. "Did you know Xena can catch fish without poles or hooks? Maybe if you ask her nicely, she'll show you how to do it," she said as she winked conspiratorially at the other woman.

"Would you, Xena?" Solan's voice was filled with wonder, awe, and a bit of hero worship.

"Well...," Xena looked to the sky, as if deciding what to do. "Of course, I will, Solan. But first, let me see your hands." She took the boy's hands into her own, and pretended to inspect them closely. "Good, you have nice long fingers, just like me. And do you know why you need long fingers to fish with me?" Xena dropped to her knees again before the youngster when he shook his head 'no'. "Because you have to tickle the fish out of the water," she explained and launched into a tickle attack, getting the boy to giggle in delight when she ran her fingers over his sides.

Gasping for air, Solan threw his arms around the neck of the warrior. "Oh, Xena, I love you!"

The smile left her face and her eyes became hooded with the pain from the knowledge that she could never tell the boy he was her son. Grateful that the youngster couldn't see her expression, she hugged him fiercely to her chest. "I love you too, Solan," she said seriously. "You're a special little boy."

Hearing the note of sorrow in the other woman's voice, Gabrielle tried to lighten the mood for her hurting friend. "Hey, c'mon you two. Those fish aren't going to jump out of the water by themselves, and I'm hungry!"

Xena released her son, and leaned back to look at him. Rising to her feet, she held out her hand to Solan, grasping it lightly in her own. "Ok kiddo. One fishing lesson coming right up."

Solan smiled up at the tall woman, his clear bright eyes matching those of the warrior. "Won't Uncle be surprised when I tell him that fish can be tickled!"

Squeezing his hand, Xena looked out over the stream, not really seeing it. "Oh, I don't know, Solan. I think your Uncle Kaleipus is used to getting surprises from me." She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "C'mon. Like the woman said, those fish aren't going to jump out of the stream themselves. Let's see how we can do."

Gabrielle left her two friends alone while she went to gather wood for a fire. Returning to the camp in a short while, she dumped the branches and sticks she had found and busied herself with starting the fire, smiling to herself every time she heard Solan squeal in laughter. After the small sticks and tinder finally caught, she added a few of the larger branches to the growing flame and decided to see how the fishing lesson was going. As she sat on the bank of the stream, she watched Xena and Solan, both with their backs to her, crouched low over the surface of the water, looking for fish.

"Ok, Solan..see that fish there? It looks like it's right there, waiting to be caught. But it's a tricky fish. So you have to sneak up on it," Xena explained as she dipped her fingers into the water, "...and SURPRISE him!" Lightning quick, she grasped the trout with both hands, and jerked the wiggling fish out of the stream. With practiced ease, Xena threw the fish over her shoulder. It landed on the riverbank, not far from Gabrielle. "Solan, I think you have your dinner right in front of you."

The boy glanced down, and saw a particularly large trout motionless in the shallow water, almost teasing him with its close proximity. Dipping his hands into the stream as he had seen Xena do, Solan carefully moved forward silently, trying not to alert the fish to his presence. Wriggling his fingers near the sides of the fish, he lunged forward and grabbed it, bringing it out of the water to show Xena triumphantly. And just as nonchalantly, he threw the fish over his shoulder as he had noticed the warrior gracefully do.

"Hey!"

Both turned around at the sound of Gabrielle's voce, to find her holding the wiggling fish, her face and upper chest wet with water.

"Oh, Gabrielle! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Solan clambered out of the water, and knelt in front of the smaller woman. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"No, Solan," Gabrielle answered him, although over his shoulder she could see Xena shaking with laughter. "I'm not mad at you. Why don't you pick up the fish, and meet us back at the fire?"

After Solan headed back towards camp, Xena waded out of the shallow stream and approached Gabrielle, still trying to stop laughing.

"I suppose you think that was funny," the younger woman said while flicking fish scales at the warrior, trying her best to glower. Finally laughing herself, Gabrielle shook her head. "Like mother, like son."

Xena glanced in the direction Solan had gone. "Yeah," she said, with unmistakable pride in her voice. Her broad smile clearly showed her love and admiration for her boy.

Remembering that she should be getting dinner ready, the warrior reached down and helped Gabrielle to her feet. She snaked her arm around the woman's waist, and lightly brushed her lips across the bard's, teasing and darting her tongue into that of her lover. "Mad at me for laughing?"

"Hmm, I'd have to say 'yes'," Gabrielle grinned.

Bending down again, Xena playfully tugged on the woman's lower lip, her tongue once more gaining access to taste her partner's sweetness. "And now?"

"I'm afraid so," the bard whispered as Xena grasped her more firmly, drawing her into the warrior's body.

"I guess I'll have to try harder to convince you to forgive me," Xena breathed, leaving delicate kisses and small nips along the graceful column of the blonde's throat, before moving back to her mouth. As her hands roamed over the bard's back, she crushed the smaller woman to her as her tongue twisted and twirled in a sensual dance with Gabrielle's, leaving them both breathless with desire. At last pulling away, Xena took a steadying breath and locked her eyes onto the bard's. "Let me show you tonight just how sorry I am."

"Promise?"

"Oh, I promise," Xena said as she left one last kiss on the bruised lips of Gabrielle. "And you know I never break my promises."

"Thank the gods." Gabrielle grabbed the warrior's hand, and smiling, led the taller woman back to their camp.

They both noticed right away that Solan had been busy. He had found one of their knives, and after splitting the fish to remove the bones, had placed the tender meat into a frying pan. He smiled when he saw Xena nod her head in approval of his accomplishment.

"It seems you've learned a lot since I last saw you, Solan. You really are becoming a young man," Xena praised the boy.

"My cousins keep me busy, and teach me lots of different things. Uncle Kaleipus says it's good to learn something new from everyone I meet."

"And what else have you learned, Solan?," Gabrielle asked as she splashed some wine from their supplies into the frying pan to keep the fish moist as it cooked slowly over the fire. This was one of Xena's favorite dishes, and she wanted to make sure nothing got scorched while she listened to the youngster tell them about the centaurs.

"Well, most of the boys my age in the village already know how to use a crossbow. They've been showing me how to shoot."

Xena's brows knitted in concern. "I thought both you and your uncle decided you didn't want to be a warrior. Did you change your mind?" The woman hoped her son didn't hear the anxiety in her voice.

"Oh, no, Xena! They've been teaching me how to hunt game!"

The dark haired woman nodded in understanding, although she thought the boy was still a little too young to be taught how to use weapons, even if it was only to find dinner. The conversation died down as Gabrielle handed each of them a portion of fish and some biscuits that had been left over from the morning meal. Solan was the first to take a bite, and declare the meal excellent. Xena smiled at the comment, knowing that the recommendation was greatly enhanced by the fact that he himself had caught the fish. Still, she couldn't help agreeing that the food was indeed excellent.

Gabrielle munched on a biscuit, and smiled when everytime Solan's plate got anywhere near empty, Xena jumped up and got him more to eat. The boy had eaten three of the fish and a few of the biscuits when he reached for the backpack he had brought, and pulled out a handful of berries to share, and another surprise.

"Oh, nutbread! My favorite!" Gabrielle's eyes lit up when she spotted the dessert.

"Really? Mine, too," Solan said as he passed her the bread, after breaking off a hunk for himself. He bit off a large piece and smiled at Xena when he saw her shaking her head.

"I don't know how you two can even think of more to eat after what you finished for dinner. Did you guys have a competition going on to see who would eat more?"

"Nope. No one can beat Gabrielle." Solan bit into the bread again.

Catching her lover's eye, Xena winked at her. "That's for sure." Getting up, the warrior picked up Argo's saddle and put it on the war-horse. After she adjusted the straps, Xena turned to her son. "Well, Solan, I think it's time we get you back to the village. I don't want anyone getting worried about you. Coming, Gabrielle?"

"No, I think I'll just get things cleared up around here. You two have fun." Although it wouldn't take long to do the few chores, the bard wanted to give her friend all the time alone with her son that she could. "Just 'promise' you'll come right back," she insisted, stressing 'promise' to make sure Xena understood.

"Oh, I promise, Gabrielle. I promise." Jumping up into the saddle, Xena waited while Solan stood up, and wiping his now clammy hands on his pants, approached Gabrielle.

Suddenly shy, Solan wouldn't raise his head to meet Gabrielle's gaze. Fortunately, the bard was not as timid and bent down and hugged the boy. "Good-bye Solan. You take care."

Finding the strength to return the hug, Solan nodded. "Bye, Gabrielle." Squeezing a little harder, he whispered, "I love you."

Gabrielle kissed the boy on the forehead and whispered back, "I love you too, little guy." She grabbed his hand, and led him over to Argo. Grasping him under his arms, the blonde easily lifted the boy into Xena's embrace. Solan settled himself in front of the warrior, and then leaned against the woman behind him. Xena held the reins in front of him, crossing her arms over the boy's chest. Seeing the shifting emotions covering Xena's face, Gabrielle touched the woman's knee. "You be careful."

Nodding mutely, Xena nudged the horse forward.

-------

A friendly silence grew between the warrior and the boy as Argo slowly made her way along an over-grown trail. The setting of the sun brought a chill to the air, and Xena wrapped her arms tighter around Solan, and drew him further into her comforting embrace.

"Why don't you tell me more about the centaurs you're visiting, Solan? This must be a new camp for them. They weren't here last year when I passed through the area."

"No,they haven't been here long. Lorent and the others..."

"Lorent?" Xena stiffened slightly at the sound of the name. She knew a centaur by that name, but it was so long ago...

"Sure. He's Uncle Kaleipus' cousin. Big, strong, red hair. And you should hear him laugh! You can hear him in every part of the village!"

Xena closed her eyes briefly as old memories flooded her thoughts. She knew the centaur, but back then he had not been known for his laughter. She and her army had practically destroyed his whole nation. It was before Borias had joined up with her, and it was her first attempt to capture the Ixian stone. Acting upon a rumor that Lorent and his centaurs had the stone, Xena and her men had set a trap for the half-beasts. When Lorent insisted that he did not have the gem, Xena's rage had erupted with deadly force. So many had died in that senseless battle, before the remaining centaurs had managed to drive back her warriors. Even after losing much of her army, the warlord that Xena used to be had still been determined to find that stone. Now she was thankful she never had.

Solan felt Xena's arms tighten slightly in tension around him. "Xena?"

"Stop where you are," a deep voice rumbled.

Lost in her thoughts, Xena had relaxed her guard while letting Argo carry them to the village. She looked up at the familiar voice to find a red haired centaur and five companions holding loaded crossbows, all aimed at her.

"Set the boy down, barbarian. I won't let you hurt him." The other centaurs surrounded Xena, boxing her in and cutting off any chance of escape.

The crossbows never wavered as Xena easily lifted the boy from the horse, and lowered him to the ground where he was quickly moved to Lorent�s side by a young centaur. She knew she could probably fight her way out of this situation, but these people were now part of Solan's family. She didn't want her son to have to take sides if there was a fight, and she needed to be sure that he was safe. She kept her hands in clear view and away from her weapons, resting them lightly on the pommel of the saddle.

"But, Lorent! This is Xena, my friend..."

"Xena, Destroyer of Nations, has no friends, Solan. Just be grateful she didn't succeed in kidnapping you, or hurting you." The big centaur lowered his crossbow briefly so he could push the boy behind him, and act like a shield for the child. He then nodded knowingly to the centaur behind the woman.

"Lorent, let me...," was all Xena got to say before the butt of a crossbow hit her on the back of her head. She slumped forward onto Argo's neck, somehow managing to still have the saddlehorn in her grasp.

"Xena!" Solan shouted, and rushed to the horse's side to keep the warrior from falling off. Turning fearful eyes to the big centaur, he whispered, "Why?" The boy felt like his whole world had turned upside down in the last few moments, and his heart beat painfully in his chest when he heard Lorent's answer.

"She has to pay for her crimes. And she has a lot of debt to be answered for."

"Lorent," the boy tried. "She wasn't kidnapping me. She was bringing me home to you. Please don't hurt her, she's my friend!" Solan didn't know what he could do to convince him that the warrior wasn't dangerous. His thoughts whirled between trying to figure a way to get the big centaur to let Xena go, and berating himself in not telling her that Lorent was the lead centaur of the village he was visiting. Solan remembered all too well how both he and his Uncle Kaleipus had reacted when they ran into Xena and the bard the previous year. They had both been suspicious of them; he should have known that Lorent would feel the same way. "Please, Lorent. She was just passing through. If you let her go, she'll probably just leave and never come back." The boy glanced up his friend when he heard a low groan from the woman. She still hadn't moved even though Argo was restlessly stamping her feet.

"Solan," Lorent gently called to the young boy. Holding out his hand, he gestured to Solan to take it. When the boy did, he held it firmly in his grasp and leaned down a bit lower so he could be on eye level with the youngster. "Solan, I can see you care for...this woman. How she convinced you that she is harmless, I don't know. She is the most formidable warrior I have ever had to face. Once we get rid of her, no village will ever have to fear an attack from the Destroyer of Nations again."

The boy wrenched his hand away from the red centaur. "No! She's not like that! She helped me..."

"That's enough, Solan! Now you can either climb on my back and ride to our village, or you can walk...which do you want to do?"

Xena groaned again, and shifted in the saddle. The boy tried to rush to her side, only to find that a large hand held him back. "Solan, get on my back, and don't make me lose my temper!" Lorent turned to the centaur at Xena's back, shaking slightly as he tried to control his anger. "Terek, tie the woman to the horse, and make sure she doesn't come around. I want her safe and secure in a cell before she wakes up."

Nodding in understanding, Terek took some ropes that he found in Xena's saddlebags, and tied the warrior's hands around the neck of the horse, and then bound her legs together, wrapping the extra lengths of rope around the light colored mare. The young centaur then ran his fingers through Xena's hair, at last finding a large sized bump with a dark bruise beginning to form. Still unsatisfied, he moved up to look into the woman's face. Raising one of her eyelids and getting no response from the silent prisoner, he continued to poke and prod the warrior, constantly checking to see if he could get any reaction or movement out of her. At last satisfied that she wasn't faking her unconsciousness, Terek again nodded to Lorent. "We're all set. I think you should take this horse's lead, and I'll follow behind. I want to keep a close eye on this one."

Lorent grabbed Argo's reins, and jerked the horse forward. The remaining four centaurs surrounded the group, still keeping their crossbows at the ready and aimed at the slumped form on the mare. Terek fell into step behind, constantly on the alert from any movement from Xena, or any unexpected action from the nearby trees. Although Solan hadn't said anything, Terek was sure that the woman was not our here alone. She had to have her army camped somewhere, even though his keen hearing hadn't picked up any unusual noises. The young centaur divided his attention between the glade and the prisoner, never dropping his guard.

Solan remained silent as he held onto Lorent's shoulders. He kept looking back at Xena, hoping for some change in the woman, but she had even stopped groaning, and simply hung lifelessly on Argo's back. The boy blamed himself again and again for letting the capture happen. His stomach was in knots with worry about what Lorent planned to do to his friend. He had only seen the cells where the centaurs kept their prisoners once. All he could remember was that they were cold, damp, and extremely dark. Blinking back tears, he clutched unconsciously at his cousin's arms. He knew he couldn't get Xena out by himself, and the only person he knew that would help was Gabrielle.

The ride into the village was silent as each of the centaurs carried out his duties. Even though the warrior had not moved since being tied to her horse, each of the armed guards kept their attention on the woman. They all knew how treacherous and devious the Destroyer of Nations could be. Terek was the most observant of all, knowing that he would be watching over the prisoner until he would hand her over to the prison guards. He almost wished that Xena would move, so he could have the satisfaction of clubbing her again.

Rounding a bend in the trail, a shout went out as Lorent's group was spotted by a sentry. Word quickly spread that their leader had captured the warrior princess, so when they finally reached the village, all the centaurs were in the main square, eager to catch a glimpse of their enemy. Several held large rocks in their hands, ready to throw them at the motionless woman when Lorent held up his hand.

"Wait! No one is to hit the woman until after the trial!" the red haired centaur shouted.

Laughter, jeers, and curses directed towards Xena followed Lorent's command. Not even one centaur had any doubt about what the outcome of the trial would be. Bets were taken on how long the hearing would be, and several jailers were receiving bribes from over eager centaurs willing to do prison work for the next week or so. Only Lorent noticed when Solan dropped to the ground, and approached the warrior princess, brushing the hair off her face.

"Solan! Stay away from her! She may come around at any moment, and I don't trust her!"

The boy stepped away from Argo. He planned to get to Gabrielle as soon as he was able to sneak away, and getting Lorent mad at him would only make things more difficult. Xena still hadn't moved since Terek knocked her out, and Solan was starting to worry that she was hurt more badly than he thought. All he could tell was that she was still breathing; he wished that she would at least open her eyes so he could let her know he was going to help her.

Terek approached the warrior cautiously, first untying her hands from around the mare's neck, and then retying them more securely behind her back. Slipping the bindings from her legs, the young centaur gave a quick jerk, and the bound woman fell from her horse, landing in a boneless heap face down in the dirt.

Solan winced when he heard the woman moan at this new source of pain, but at the same time he was hopeful that this meant she was regaining consciousness. He slowly backed away from Xena and the others, when Lorent called his name.

"Solan, take her horse and put it in the stables. We'll decide what to do with it later."

The youngster approached the big warhorse and hesitantly took the reins. Argo was a little nervous around all the strange people, and she didn't like it that Xena had laid oddly on her, or hadn't given her any commands as they walked to the village. But the boy was familiar, and the horse nickered as her nose was scratched by little fingers. She followed Solan into a stable, and made herself at home by quickly finding some sweet hay to eat.

The boy removed the saddle, and brushed down the horse. After Argo had a satisfying drink of water, Solan led her to a stall and closed the gate door after them. Scratching the mare's nose again, the youngster leaned his forehead against the warm neck, and then threw his arms around the sturdy horse, letting a sob escape. He knew he had to get to Gabrielle, and tell her what happened, but what could the two of them do against Lorent, Terek, and the others? Everyone seemed so happy that Xena was captured, they just weren't going to let her go because he wanted them to. Sniffing back his tears, Solan wiped at his eyes with the heels of his hands, and then ran his fingers through his hair. After patting Argo one more time, Solan let himself out of the stall. "I won't be long, Argo. You get some rest now, and be ready when I get back."

When Solan left the stable, the crowd had already gathered around the jail. There was a line in the dirt, marking the trail Xena had left when one of the centaurs dragged her along the rough ground towards the stone building that contained the prison cells. Winding his way through the rowdy crowd, the boy was able to find a way to the front of the group.

Xena looked worse than before; her legs were scratched and bleeding from being scraped along the cobblestone square of the centaur village, and Solan noticed that she now had a black eye that was already beginning to swell closed. Even though Lorent had ordered that no one should hit the woman until after she was found guilty, it seemed he didn't mind if a few bruises appeared, as long as he didn't see it happen.

The centaur mob followed as Terek grabbed hold of the bindings at Xena's wrists, not caring to see how deeply the tightly wound ropes bit into her skin. He dragged her along the muddy corridor of the prison, at last shoving her unceremoniously into a holding cell. As she fell limply onto the packed dirt, those centaurs who could see what was going on cheered their approval. Solan wrapped his fingers around the bars of the cell, hating what he was seeing, yet unable to stop watching. A centaur he didn't know clapped him on his back.

"This is your lucky day, lad. No one before has been able to capture the Warrior Princess. Justice will be done!" Mistaking the reason for the look of fear in Solan's eyes, the burly centaur consoled, "Don't worry, son. She can't escape. Just you wait."

Solan tore his eyes away from his neighbor to see that Terek was removing Xena's boots, arm braces, and leathers. Leaving the woman in only her black shift, the cautious jailer searched for more weapons. Satisfied that she didn't have anything else concealed on her body, he dragged her to the back of the holding cell, and propped her up against the wet wall. The young centaur quickly untied the warrior's hands, and then attached shackles to both wrists, bringing her arms up over her head, and attaching the irons to a ring imbedded in the rock structure. From this position, Xena could either stand or sit, but it was far from a comfortable position.

Terek leaned down and grasped Xena's chin in his hand. Turning her face from side to side, he shook his head in disgust. "So this is the mighty 'Destroyer of Nations'," he mocked, and then viciously slapped her face. Hearing the roar from the crowd behind him, Terek turned around and threw his clenched fists above his head. The cheering grew louder as those in front could see a trickle of blood winding down Xena's chin.

Solan slipped away from the crowd, feeling close to tears again. He was fairly sure that Lorent and the others would be too busy gloating over the prisoner's capture to notice that he had gone. He found the rail that led to the stream, and as soon as he was out of sight of the village, he broke into a run, pumping his legs as fast as he could to reach Gabrielle.

---

Gabrielle had finished all the camp chores, cleaning up after dinner, gathering enough firewood for the night, and had just repaired a rip in Xena's sleeping shift when she decided to practice with her staff. Even though it was getting late and Xena hadn't returned yet, the bard wasn't concerned. They rarely got to see Solan, so she was happy that her friend could spend some time with her son. She was probably just getting to know the boy's family in this centaur village, and checking that everything with the youngster was ok. Closing her eyes, she relaxed her breathing rhythm and began a warm up kata with her staff, when she heard a loud crashing sound advancing towards her from the trail. Her eyes flew open; she knew instinctively it wasn't Argo, but it was someone or something coming her way. She backed away slowly from the trail's end, twirling her weapon in defensive patterns, waiting to see who the visitor might be. For the second time that day, she was surprised that it was Solan.

The boy burst into the camp, and staggered to a halt before the blonde. Bent at the waist, Solan rested his hands on his knees, and took great gulps of air trying to stop his heaving chest. Gabrielle reached for her water bag and wordlessly handed it to the young boy. "Solan, where's Xena? Why are you here without her?" The bard tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but she was sure that he could hear it.

After taking a long pull of the water, Solan sank to the ground and sat back on his heels. Still breathing heavily, he looked at Gabrielle quickly, but couldn't keep eye contact with her. Closing his blue eyes, he felt tears seep out from the closed lids. "It's all my fault!"

The woman knelt in front of the youngster, and held both his hands in hers. "Tell me, Solan. Tell me."

Still crying silently, Solan whispered, "It's my family. Lorent. My cousin. He...he captured her. And Terek...he hit her. They tied her up and threw her in a cell. Everyone's calling her 'Destroyer of Nations'. Terek knocked her out, and I didn't know what to do." A wordless sob escaped the boy's throat. "They're going to kill her."

When Gabrielle heard Solan's words, she unconsciously clenched his hands in hers as she closed her eyes in pain. Her heart beat wildly against her ribs in fear and panic. How was she going to go up against an entire village that wanted revenge on someone who no longer existed? Opening her eyes, she drew Solan into an embrace. "Honey, it's not your fault," she said as she wiped the tears from his face. "It's no one's fault. But we have to get her out of there. Take me to the village."

---

"Gabrielle, you're not going to let them...hurt her anymore, are you?" Solan's blue eyes, so much like Xena's, stared at the blonde.

The bard got to her feet and helped the boy up. "Solan, we're going to do everything we can to save her. Now come on, I need your help right now. You know the layout of the village. Tell me everything you can." She held the boy's hand in her own as they threaded their way back down the trail to the centaur village.

Solan had stopped crying, but the lump in his throat would not go away. He took a steadying breath, and answered his friend. "Well, they have Xena locked in a cell. I put Argo in the stable, and took off her saddle. Most of the centaurs were at the jail when I left. I guess they wanted to see Xena for themselves."

"And what does the jail look like? Are there lots of guards around?"

The boy shook his head. Starting to cry again, he could hardly answer Gabrielle's question. "I don't know...I don't know! Why did this have to happen? Xena was only trying to take me home...they didn't have to hit her...they didn't..." Solan felt the lump in his throat grow until his chest hurt from all the pent up emotions he was trying to keep inside. He shook his head, hoping that the images he kept seeing of Xena would change, and that she would be all right. But he couldn't forget the last sight he had of her, bloodied and chained to the wall of the cramped cell. He felt helpless that he couldn't stop what had happened, and that Lorent wouldn't listen to him.

"Honey," Gabrielle knelt down and cradled the blond head to her chest. "I know it's hard. But believe me when I tell you that there was nothing you could have done to stop what your friends were doing. But that doesn't mean we are going to give up." The bard caressed the boy's back, helping him to calm down. When she heard him breathing easier, she leaned back and looked Solan in the eye. "I can count on you to help me, right?"

The youngster nodded silently, and then pulled on Gabrielle's hand. "The cells...they're cold, because they're built into a hill. Maybe we can get to Xena from the back of the jail."

Gabrielle ruffled the boy's hair. "That's a start, and a good one. Now come on, and show me how to get there."

The lump in Solan's chest shrunk just a little. Maybe they could get Xena out of the village.

Lorent strode into the common area of the jail, waiting for Terek to join him. They were the only centaurs in the building, the leader having sent the crowd away so he and Terek could deal with Xena. The prisoner had yet to wake up, and he had sent his friend into the holding cell to see if the woman was faking her condition. Although having an unconscious Xena was safer than an active one, he missed having an opportunity to work the woman over. He wanted her awake so he could hear her cries of pain. The centaur leader planned to bring a weakened and defeated warlord to trial, and the pleasure of being the one to bring her to that level made his heart beat fast in anticipation. Hearing a noise behind him, Lorent turned to see Terek enter the room. "Well?"

"She's still out, but I don't think for too much longer, She's reacting to pain more strongly now."

"Well, don't get too carried away, Terek. I need you to be her watcher for when she does decide to join us. I have some plans for her."

Terek's eyes lit up with excitement. Although he was too young to have actually fought Xena in battle, the tales had been told and retold to him. His hatred for the "Destroyer of Nations" burned as hot as with any of the other centaurs. He took great pride in knowing that the centaur leader was choosing him to carry out his wishes, and Terek didn't want to disappoint his friend and mentor. "And what would those plans be?"

The leader answered carefully. "Nothing too physical, she needs to be able to respond at the trial." Noting the look of disappointment on the jailer's face, he hastened to add, "But I do want her 'beaten down' into submission. We'll break her spirit, and then we'll break her."

The young centaur nodded in agreement, a smile spreading across his face.

---

The moon was long past its rise when Gabrielle and Solan entered the village. There were torches burning at the jail, and at a hut that the boy told Gabrielle was Lorent's. Moving quietly, the two friends made their way around the buildings, at last coming to the rise that marked one side of the jail. There were a few small windows at ground level, all of them encased with heavy bars. No lights burned in any of the cells, and Solan was unsure if there were other prisoners being held in the rooms. Walking silently, he at last stopped before one window that he thought was the cell that Xena was in.

"Gabrielle, it's too dark to see, but I think this is it. They chained her to the back wall, and left her there. I hope she's all right..." Solan stopped whispering when he heard a familiar voice. Listening carefully, he could hear his cousin Lorent talking to someone, but he couldn't make out the words. He lowered his voice more, and quickly told the bard that the centaur leader was nearby. Gabrielle nodded, and absently brushed a stray lock of hair off his face.

"Thank you, Solan. Now I want you to do me a favor. Go back to Lorent's house..."

"Why?" the boy gasped between clenched teeth. "I want to help!"

"Honey, I have to talk to Xena, but I'll come and get you when I'm done. And what would happen when Lorent gets home, and doesn't find you there? I promise I'll meet you at your home after I see how Xena is. Please?"

Solan didn't look happy, but he finally agreed to do what Gabrielle wanted; he hadn't thought about what would happen if Lorent didn't find him at home, in bed, asleep. Reluctantly, he slipped away from the jail, after first pointing out again Lorent's house to the bard. The boy knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, but somehow he would convince Lorent that he was. And then he could get back to helping both of his friends to get out of this village. He entered his home quietly, relieved to find that it was empty, and that Lorent hadn't been there recently to check on him. Not bothering to take off his clothes, he pulled back the blanket on the pallet, and turned on his side to face the wall, hoping that Lorent wouldn't look too closely at the 'sleeping' boy.

Gabrielle watched Solan's shadow creep across the square and then enter the lit hut. Turning back around from the corner of the jail, she again found the window that the boy thought was Xena's cell. The bard laid down on the grass, and inched up to the window. She reached inside the cell, searching by feel for shackles as she whispered, "Xena?" Her hand at last felt fingers, stiff with cold and unmoving. Again she called her lover's name, and this time heard a moan in response. "Xena, please...can you hear me?" The blonde wrapped her hand around the motionless fingers, hoping to warm at least that part of the warrior's body. Trying to keep panic out of her voice, she again breathed her lover's name. "Xena...?"

"Gab...rielle?"

"Xena, yes, you can hear me! How...how are you?" Gabrielle continued to clasp and wiggle her hand around Xena's fingers, but got no physical response from the woman.

"Gabrielle...I want you to...find Solan and ...leave."

"Leave? Xena, no, we're going to get you out of here. What are you saying? I can't..."

"Gab...rielle. Please. I don't want either...of you to see what...is going to happen."

"Xena..."

"Please. Take my son...home."

Gabrielle felt Xena curl her fingers into a loose fist, effectively removing her fingers from the bard's grasp. The blonde closed her eyes in pain at the physical dismissal, and pulled away from the cell window. Standing up, she leaned against the wall of the building before moving away to find Solan, ready to leave the Warrior Princess in the cold darkness. However, a sound from Xena's cell caught her attention. Creeping back against the wall, Gabrielle returned to the window to hear what was happening. She heard a door creek open slowly, and a little bit of light fell into the room, but the warrior was still well hidden in the darkness of the rear cell wall.

Terek pushed open the large wooden door to the prisoner's cell, and at once noticed that the woman's electric blue eyes were focused on him. Despite the dimness of the room, the young centaur could feel the warrior's dangerous presence. He was glad that she was still safely chained, and even though she was bruised and bloodied, he could read the intelligence and strength in her face. This one would be hard to break, but he had a few ideas. "Lorent!" the centaur shouted. "Our company is awake!"

Gabrielle sensed more movement, and then heard the lead centaur speak.

"Excellent. Terek, move her to the secure room."

This was a test for the young centaur. It was only Lorent, him, and Xena in the prison, and Lorent would expect him to move the Destroyer of Nations by himself. Swallowing down his apprehension, Terek approached the woman, and with what he hoped were steady hands, unlocked the shackles from the wall. He jerked the chain roughly when Xena remained seated on the cold ground. "Prisoner, come with me!" he growled, and jerked again on the heavy chains as the woman rose to her feet, to tower above the small centaur. Terek looked up into the blue eyes, one of which was only partially open from her earlier encounters with his brothers, and began to feel more than a little afraid of the silent warrior. He knew without a doubt that he was out-classed by the woman, and yet she was letting him order her around. "Come with me," he repeated, but this time without the usual tug on the shackles.

Xena walked into the middle of the room, the cold light from the corridor hitting her in the face. She stopped, and blocking the window with her body from the view of both Terek and Lorent, she turned towards it, knowing that Gabrielle would be there.

As the bard listened to the voices of Terek and Lorent, she crouched by the window, hearing every word. Hoping that the centaurs would have their full attention on her lover, Gabrielle dared to peek into the window. She saw Xena turning towards the window; she saw the bruises, the cuts, the swollen eye, and she saw one more thing. Xena looked directly at the blonde and mouthed the word, "Go," just before she faced the centaurs and then was led from the cell.

The bard sagged against the outer wall of the jail. She felt helpless and useless, since it seemed that Xena was ready to give in to anything the centaurs wanted. Her heart beat painfully when she realized that her woman knew what the centaurs had planned for her, and was deliberately sending her family...Solan, and she, herself, Gabrielle, away. 'I can't...I can't let her do this...sacrifice herself...for what? Protection for me and Solan? Doesn't she know that without her...I would be lost? Oh, Xena,' Gabrielle thought, 'I can't do what you want me to do. I love you too much. And so does Solan.'

Gabrielle moved along the side of the jail, keeping to the shadows. She didn't know how long Terek and Lorent would stay with Xena, and she wanted to see how Solan was doing. Crossing the square as quickly and quietly as possible, the bard approached the house that still had one torch glowing softly from within. She looked into the first window she came to, and saw a small bundle curled on a pallet. Not wanting to startle the child, she whispered his name.

The boy popped his head up immediately. Although his hair was tousled, it was plain that he had not been sleeping. In fact, Gabrielle noticed that he still had his clothes on, even seeing that his boots were tucked under the covers. "Gabrielle?"

"Sweetie, I'm going to go to the stable and get Argo, and then I'm going to leave her part way down the trail to our camp. After your cousin comes back home, and you're sure he's asleep, meet me on the trail. We're leaving..."

"I'm not leaving Xena! She's my friend! I'm going to talk to Lorent, tell him that..."

"Solan..." Gabrielle wished she could reach through the wall and hug the child. "They've locked Xena in another part of the jail. We have to go. We're going to your home, to Uncle Kaleipus. He'll help us..."

"I can't leave her! Who will protect her from Terek and the others? I can't go!"

"Honey, this is what Xena wants." Gabrielle didn't know if she softened the lie for Solan, or for herself. "Please. Your uncle needs to know what's going on, and who else but us would tell him?" The blonde paused, pleading Solan with her eyes. "I'm going to the stable now. Promise me you'll meet me on the trail. Please, Solan?"

The youngster laid his head back on the pillow. "All right. As soon as Lorent is asleep. I'll leave."

"Thank you, honey. I'll see you soon."

Gabrielle looked at the moon. It would soon be dawn, and she knew it would be best if they were on their way to Kaleipus' while it was still dark. As she made her way to the stable, she hoped that Lorent would be soon be returning home.

Argo nickered when she felt a familiar presence rubbing her neck. Gabrielle placed the saddle on the warhorse, expertly cinching down the straps and bridle, and then grabbed an empty burlap bag, filling it with dry oats for the mare. "I'm sure the centaurs won't mind if we take some of their supplies, will they, Argo?" The horse shook her head, as if agreeing with the small woman.

Gabrielle led the horse to the main door of the stable, and peeked outside, just in time to see Lorent enter his hut. She waited to see if he would return to the jail, but was relieved when the torch burning in the home was put out, and things remained quiet in the village. She had no idea where Terek was, but decided it was time to get moving. Glancing at the sky again, she noted that dawn was quickly approaching and sighed with fatigue. She rubbed her eyes to bring more life into them, and felt Argo gently nudge her in the shoulder with her sensitive nose. "Ok, ok, Argo, we're going," the woman reassured the horse as she led the animal behind the stable, unable to resist passing by the jail one more time in hopes of seeing her lover.

Every window in the stone structure was dark; the bard checked every cell and each was empty. Terek's 'secure room' must be far into the building, making any attempt of escape of rescue nearly hopeless. Sending a prayer to Artemis, Gabrielle found the trail to the stream and their camp, and led Argo a short way down the path. She loosely tied the reins around a small tree, and turned around as she heard footsteps approaching. "Solan?"

"Here, Gabrielle," the boy whispered back as he came into view. "I brought some food for us, so we don't have to stop on the trail." He handed the woman a bag filled with fruit, bread, and cheese, which Gabrielle added to their saddlebags.

"That was good thinking, Solan. Now we don't have to take time to get the supplies from camp..." Gabrielle paused as she thought of all that had happened in such a short time, "...so let's get going."

She lifted the youngster onto Argo, and taking the reins, led the horse to a fallen log. Scratching the mare's nose, she offered her an apple from Solan's supplies. "It's up to us, now, Argo. Ready?" the blonde asked as she stepped onto the log, and swung her leg over the saddle behind Solan. She shifted into a comfortable position, and pulled the boy back towards her in a light embrace.

Argo again shook her head as if listening to the bard, and waited for her next command. At the soft touch of the reins on her neck, the horse started off down the trail to the old camp. As she reached the stream, Gabrielle guided her along the water's path, leading her to Kaleipus. Streaks of purple and blue were just beginning to appear on the horizon when her hooves splashed in the shallow stream, making the water fly in curving arcs as the horse stretched her long legs into a gallop. Argo carried her two friends away from the village and Xena, already longing to return to her master.

---

The prisoner was silent as Terek, holding a torch aloft, led her down a slippery, wet slope into a single room cell that was known as 'the secure room.' There were no windows in the cell, and it was completely enclosed in stone and mortar, in roughly a circular shape. The one entrance to the room was a hinged door made up of metal perpendicular slats, directly opposite the end of the slope. The only light in the room came from the corridor area, and since the cell door faced away from the ramp, the cell was in complete darkness. Escape from the room would be close to impossible, since 'the secure room' was essentially a cell within a cell.

Terek opened the cell gate, the hinges protesting the movement in a rusty squeal. Without waiting for orders, Xena stooped and walked into the cell, and then turned to face Terek, her face a mask of impassiveness.

The young centaur forced himself to show the prisoner the same kind of aloofness that she was disarming him with. He followed her into the room, set his torch into a wall sconce, and then released the tension on a winch, dropping a chain from the cell's ceiling. After attaching the Destroyer of Nation's shackles to the chain, Terek made the mistake of looking into her eyes again; the look of raw power and control in the blue eyes shook his conviction and his sense of authority. Once more, he felt that the woman, although shackled, was far from defenseless, and could over power him if she chose to. Gulping back his apprehension, Terek worked on the winch until the prisoner's arms were extended above her head. He hastily grabbed the torch, locked the cell door behind him, and made his way up the slope back to Lorent, leaving Xena in the darkness of the room and her thoughts.

The centaur forcibly slowed his breathing when he reached the main area of the jail. Terek didn't want Lorent to know just how badly the silent prisoner had shook him. After running his hand through his hair, he met his leader at the entrance of the prison.

"How did it go?" Lorent asked, as his eyes looked over the young jailer.

Not trusting himself to say more, Terek merely answered, "She's secured."

A smile finally broke out across the red haired centaur's face. "Excellent. Terek, for now, it's your job to see that the woman does not get any sleep. No food or water, either. Watch her closely. I'll send your relief in the morning."

The young centaur watched his leader cross the square and enter his home. Terek hesitated at the thought of re-entering the jail. The last thing he wanted to do was to spend time with the eerily quiet warrior, but orders were orders. After weighing the options, he decided that not angering Lorent was healthier than guarding the Warrior Princess.

---

It didn't take long for Solan to fall asleep in Gabrielle's arms. The steady gait of the horse rocked the boy into slumber and he relaxed against the small woman, trusting that she wouldn't let him fall from Argo. Unfortunately, Gabrielle's mind was not so easily slowed, as she racked her brain trying to formulate plans of rescue for her partner. The stress and tension of the day did nothing to help her thoughts; at last giving up, she noticed that Argo had picked up her pace with the rising sun. The bard tightened her embrace around the youngster, and let her thoughts drift as the warhorse carried them closer and closer to Kaleipus.

---

Leaving the jail for just a few moments, Terek entered his house and grabbed a blanket to protect him from the cold of the jail and then returned to the secure room to keep watch on the prisoner. Even though he approached as silently as he could, he was startled to find Xena's gaze fixed on him as he came into her view. The silent, watchful mask of the Destroyer of Nations continued to unease the centaur; at last deciding that being uncomfortable from the chill was better than the on-going mental onslaught of her icy stare, Terek entered her cell and threw his blanket over the head of the woman. The prisoner remained silent as he relocked the door behind him. Grabbing a pole that was left leaning against the outer wall of the cell, Terek reminded himself that he could still reach the prisoner with the stick and jolt her into wakefulness if he thought she was drifting off to sleep. He resigned himself to his watch, and hoped his relief would be quick in coming.

Xena shook her head and shoulders as she tried to rearrange the weight of the cloth more comfortably around her. She was glad that she had been able to unnerve the young centaur enough in order for him to make his first mistake. With the blanket over her head, she could at least shut down that part of her brain that had to tell him that she was visibly aware of the jailer at all times. Relying on her hearing to tell her if conditions should change, she took a steadying breath and rocked her weight back onto her heels, wriggling her toes at the same time. Her leg muscles were not protesting their inaction yet, but they soon would be. Xena next stood on her toes, stretching the calf muscles in order to keep them limber. Unfortunately, her arms were another matter. Gabrielle had tried to help by massaging and warming her fingers, but they already felt useless from the lack of adequate blood flow. Xena knew her fingers were still and cold, but the only thing she could do was flex her palms and fingers as much as possible. She didn't want to make any noise, and was careful not to touch or jostle the chain above her head. The warrior did not want Terek to interrupt her mental exercises, and the few physical ones she could do. Xena took another steadying breath, and formed a picture in her mind, forcing herself into a higher mental state that would both relax her and energize her for the ordeal to come. Releasing her breath, she closed her eyes under the blanket, and...

I can feel a few stray strands of straw underneath my boots. My breathing is slow and relaxed as I have nothing to fear. I face an empty wall of a barn; most of the light is behind me, but some sunlight is reaching for me through cracks in this broken down shack. I quietly move my arms in a wide arc at my side, fluidly bringing my hands in front of me, my right hand held above my left, palms inward, in a relaxed pose of both defense and offense. My eyes are closed, and I hear a slight movement behind me, where the door is. It's Gabrielle. I can tell from her light stride that she is alone...and that faint squeaky noise is her slightly damp hand gripping her staff nervously in anticipation of catching me off guard. I breathe steadily and evenly, listening to both the sounds of Gabrielle behind me and the mouse that is scratching around at some grain that is in front of me and to the left. Suddenly, with a burst of energy neither my lover of the mouse anticipated, I open my eyes and effortlessly throw myself into the still air of the barn. My battle cry startles the mouse, and it runs between two bales of hay to avoid me. I hear a soft gasp from Gabrielle as I continue to rise in my jump; when I reach the pinnacle of my leap, I thrust my legs out easily and forcefully. The buckets of water that are balanced on the wooden pillars on both sides of me fly away as I kick them solidly against opposite walls of the barn. I hear Gabrielle gasp again in surprise at this sight; I land in nearly the same spot I was in before I jumped. I can feel a different pattern of straw beneath the soles of my leather boots. I don't pause as I whirl towards my lover. I snarl at her in mock ferociousness as I swing my right leg around in one motion, slashing her staff out of her hands. Gabrielle growls and frowns in frustration as she realizes I have caught her off-guard, and not the other way around. I turn away from her, and quietly move my arms in a wide arc at my side, fluidly bringing my hands in front of me, my right hand held above my left, palms inward.I can feel a few stray strands of straw underneath my boots. My breathing is slow and relaxed as I have nothing to fear. I face an empty wall of a barn...

---

Lorent awoke early in the morning; his excitement of actually having captured the Warrior Princess made the normally heavy sleeper toss and turn for most of the short night. At last deciding it was useless to try to return to Morpheus, he rose and went to check on Solan, only slightly surprised to find the youngster was not in his bed. He was just about to go out and try to find the boy, when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!"

A middle aged centaur entered Lorent' home. He looked a little shaken, as he thought of the best way to tell his leader the news. "Uh, Lorent..."

"What is it, Javet?"

"The prisoner's horse...it's gone. The saddle too. I know I should have put a guard at the stables last night, but..."

Lorent snorted in disgust. "Forget about it. Solan's not here either. He's probably still upset about what we're going to do to his 'friend'."

The older centaur was relieved that Lorent was not that angry at the loss of the horse. It was an excellent animal, and could have been sold for a large sum of dinars if Lorent had decided to get rid of the mare. "Do you want me to go look for them? I'm sure they couldn't have gone far."

Taking a moment to consider his options, Lorent shook his head. "Don't bother. Instead, I want you to relieve Terek at the secure room, and take over guarding the prisoner for this shift."

Javet smiled at the thought of watching the warrior. It was an honor to be picked by Lorent for such a special duty, and he wanted to make the most of his opportunity. At the very least, Javet hoped to make up for the loss of the mare, and work his way into the leader's good graces. It was going to be a good day after all.

---

The damp and chill started to effect the Warrior Princess. Her arms felt like dead weight hanging above her head. She struggled to flex and stretch her hands and fingers as much as she was able, but the tingling feeling in her arms added to her discomfort. Xena made an effort to disregard the painful stabbing sensations she felt when her protesting shoulder muscles managed to contract and relax on her command, and instead, concentrated on her legs. She completed different exercises to keep her legs in condition; at first she would stand on her toes, counting to herself how long she could remain motionless in that position, and then drop on her heels and do the same thing. Trying to stretch every muscle possible, Xena also balanced first on one leg and then the other. Even with the cold, her coordination was fine, but she was starting to feel tired from the lack of sleep. Just as she began to form a mental picture of quiet times past to relax herself, she heard someone coming down the slope into the secure room area. Xena recognized the gait of a new centaur, and let herself become an emotionless mask while she waited to meet her next guard.

"Terek," Javet called out. "I'm here to relieve you from your shift," the grey haired centaur announced as he entered the room. "How's our prisoner been?"

The young centaur felt exhausted, and he knew he looked it from the expression in Javet's eyes. "Quiet. Nothing to report." He handed over the pole he was leaning on, and started to move towards the exit when Javet called him back.

"What's the blanket doing on her head? I thought we were supposed to observe her at all times, and make sure she doesn't try anything." Taking the key from Terek, the older centaur entered the cell, and unceremoniously ripped the cloth from Xena's head and shoulders. The icy look of determination and strength from the woman scared him into speechlessness. Javet had expected the prisoner to be tired and disorientated; instead he was confronted with a true warrior who had the boldness to look her jailers in the eye relentlessly. The centaur suddenly realized that the assignment he had wanted so badly came with a high price to pay. He backed out of the cell, and after locking it, tried to hand the blanket back to Terek.

"Keep it," Terek snorted in a tone of derision. "You might find you need it."

Javet knew he would soon be alone with the prisoner. Wanting to keep Terek with him for as long as possible, he called out after him, "What about my relief?"

"I'll be back at dusk to take your place. And remember," he couldn't help but add a little harshly, "Watch her closely. And don't let her sleep."

In the dimness of the secure room, Javet looked at the warrior who stared back at him expressionlessly. The centaur knew it would be a long day.

It was mid-day before Gabrielle pulled Argo to a halt to give the horse a rest. They were still following the stream, and as the blonde gently woke Solan and helped him down from the mare, Argo moved closer to the water to quench her thirst. The bard slid from the horse and landed with a small splash next to the thirsty animal. Bending down herself, Gabrielle scooped up some cold water and washed her face with it, hoping to keep herself more awake and alert. Solan was stretching his legs when the woman handed him some cheese and apples that she had retrieved from Argo's saddlebags, and then helped herself to some of the food.

"Solan, do you know how much further it is to your uncle's village?"

Swallowing a piece of cheese, the boy glanced around him. "Things are starting to look familiar, Gabrielle. I think by dusk, we should be in Uncle Kaleipus' territory."

"Good. I don't want to be away from Xena for too long. Do you know anything about how the centaurs in Lorent's nation bring people to trial? How long will they keep Xena in that jail?"

Argo grazed on some sweet grass as Solan approached her and started to rub her down. Images of Xena chained in the cell flashed through his mind while he thought back on all he knew about Lorent and his village. The boy's voice was shaky when he answered. "They'll keep her at the jail for several days. They always try to get their prisoners as weak as possible before trial, so they won't cause any problems, or try to escape. During the trial..." Solan struggled with the words as his breath caught in his throat, "...I don't know."

"It's ok, honey," Gabrielle soothed the youngster, and gave him a tight embrace to comfort him. "We'll get there in time." The bard grabbed Argo's reins, and led her back to the edge of the stream.

"Now up you go," she said while she helped Solan into the saddle, and then found a large rock to stand on to follow him up. Argo needed no urging to continue the journey, and broke into a gallop as soon as the two friends were settled on her back.

---

Javet was finding the silence of the prisoner harder to bear than the coldness of the secure room. After wrapping Terek's blanket around him, the centaur found that he didn't have much to do besides watch the woman, who always kept eye contact with him, her one good eye never leaving his face. The gloom and quiet agitated Javet. He couldn't tell what time it was, how long he had been there, and with Xena staring him down, he also began to question who was the prisoner and who the jailer was. He felt as if he were trapped in a home haunted by his enemies, with the only exit out being behind a wall of fire. Hearing a noise behind him, he nearly stumbled in fear when he felt a hand clamp down hard on his shoulder.

"Javet, how are things going?"

"Oh, Lorent!" Javet responded a little too loudly. His beating heart was in his throat as he glanced at his leader. "Everything's fine. No worries."

"Good, good," the red haired centaur murmured while he looked into the cell. The prisoner returned his gaze stoically. "Hand me that pole, Javet."

Wordlessly, the older centaur gave over the pole that he had been holding ever since Terek had left the cell earlier. Lorent slid the weapon between two slats of the door and grinned at the Destroyer of Nations.

"How are the arms, prisoner?" he asked, just as he slammed the butt of the pole into her right shoulder. Without waiting for an answer, he smashed her left shoulder with equal force, and then next attacked her biceps.

Xena didn't flinch at the pain even though the sensations running through her arms were excruciating. A rippling effect passed up her arms and into her hands, making each nerve ending scream in agony. She hadn't been able to keep up with her exercises ever since Javet had removed the blanket from her head; she had to concentrate on breaking him before she could work on improving her situation. Unfortunately, now she was suffering the effects of the last few hours. Her upper body was almost completely useless, and her legs were aching from inactivity.

As if reading her thoughts, Lorent swung at her legs, concentrating mostly on her thighs. He pounded on the same spots continuously until several large bruises developed on the tanned skin. Not finished, the centaur hammered at her calves, the muscles there hard and unpliable from the lack of movement or stimulation.

Xena couldn't keep her body from rocking from the force of the blows; her legs felt on fire, but she never lost eye contact with her tormentor. The woman would not let her former enemy win this battle of wills, no matter how much she suffered.

Lorent could not understand the stamina of his prisoner. Her lack of response at the beating he gave her unnerved him a little, but he couldn't help but try one more tactic to get an emotional or physical reaction from his silent charge. Bringing the pole up to the woman's face, he placed it on her right cheek, turning her head to the left. "Thirsty, murderer? I bet you would like some water right about now," he taunted as he brought the pole to her left cheek, and turned her face back to confront him. The prisoner's left eye was completely closed, but her right eye stared at him impassively. "No answer? Then forget I mentioned it," Lorent said as he turned away from the woman.

Handing the pole back to Javet, he reminded the centaur needlessly, "Watch her closely. She's up to something."

The leader took one more look at the condemned. "Your trial is set for sunrise in two days. Start praying to Ares, or any god that you think will hear you. You'll need all the help you can get."

Without another word, Javet watched Lorent move up the slope to the upper part of the prison. The cell seemed even quieter after the big centaur left. Moving to glance at the prisoner, he wasn't surprised that she was again regarding him emotionlessly. The jailer felt a chill run up his spine; deciding quickly, he unlocked the cell door, and removed the blanket that Terek had left him. He stood out of reach of the prisoner, even though he was fairly sure she wouldn't attack him, and tossed the cloth over the woman's head. After hastily relocking the cell, he moved away from the door in order to put some distance between him and the woman. He did not like his job at all.

When she heard the key move in the lock, Xena let out the breath she had been holding. With the blanket again covering her face, she could concentrate on her physical needs. Her arms had quit trembling from the beating, but her legs were throbbing in pain. As she stretched up on her toes, he knotted calf muscles twitched in agony at the movement. Xena took a deep breath, and forced herself to remain still until the muscles slowly began to relax into a normal position. She closed her one good eye and continued her exercises, rocking from heel to toe, feeling her legs at first protesting the movement, and then accepting the pain and working through it. The warrior tried to flex her fingers, but the cold and dampness of the prison had frozen her fingers into half clenched fists. No matter how hard she concentrated, she could not get the finger joints to unlock. The chill had crept into her bones, and for the first time, she shivered involuntarily. Shaking herself mentally, she began to form a picture in her mind. The sun was warm that day, and it felt wonderful on her back...

The parchment is at last flying in the air. The only one to see it happen is Gabrielle. Minya left hours ago, and even Howar has lost faith in me, but not my Gabrielle. I see her run beside me, the grass of the meadow reaching up to her knees. I stop and watch in wonder as the parchment flutters in the pre-storm wind. The breeze has a taste of salt in it, and I'm sure the storm will be a big one. Will my plan work? It is a crazy one, and even my bard seemed worried at first, but at last gave into my scheme. I let more string out, and the parchment jerks away from me, wanting to be free. I rub my fingers along the coarse twine, and notice a small frayed spot on the string. I bring the parchment a little closer to me, and wind the string around a short stick I hold. I run around the meadow once more, for the pleasure of mere movement, and to see my lovely bard chasing after me. I can hear her breathing in small gasps behind me and it reminds me of other times I have heard those same gasps of pleasure. I turn my head and smile at Gabrielle. She looks at me with those dewy eyes, and I know she knows what I'm thinking. I stop running not far from the woods. The sweet smell of grass engulfs us from all the crushed blades we have trampled in our game. Gabrielle runs near me, but is too excited to quit moving. She jumps around me shouting, just like the children did on Solstice when we gave them all those presents. I look at her smile and melt; her eyes make me want to drown in their pools. I have never and could never love anyone more than my Gabrielle. I glance away from her and back to the flying parchment. I don't want her to read every emotion that's on my face. In my chest, my heart pounds with love for her. Despite everything, we have become each other's lover and family. "We did it, we did it, we did it!" Gabrielle cries, her attention on the straining parchment, as the happiness in her voice reaches me. "Yes," I think. "Yes, Gabrielle, we did it." My bard claps with glee, not knowing that my smile is for her amazing love and trust in me, and not the parchment that dances above our heads.The wind trembles against the parchment. It soars above our heads...

---

It was nearly dusk when Gabrielle and Solan entered Kaleipus' territory. The bard felt exhausted, and was relieved to be able to stop at last. Argo also needed a break, but Solan restlessly slid from the horse before the mare came to a stop, and ran to the hut he shared with Kaleipus.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

The grey haired centaur came out of their hut, surprised to see Solan racing towards him. The boy launched himself at his uncle, grabbing him by the waist in a desperate hug. Kaleipus automatically started rubbing the youngster's back, trying to calm him down. When Solan at last let go of his grip, the centaur leader was surprised again to find Gabrielle approaching him. "Solan? What's going on?" He looked around for Xena, but couldn't spot the woman. "Where's Xena?" The eyebrow above his patched eye rose in worry as he continued looking for the dark warrior.

As soon as Kaleipus finished asking the question, Solan again threw his arms around his uncle, and buried his face on the centaur's chest.

Concern etched across his brow, Kaliepus glanced at the bard. "Gabrielle?" He couldn't help but notice the haggard look to the woman, and the dark circles under her eyes.

"Lorent has her. He's going to kill her."

A muffled moan came from Solan, and Kaleipus could feel the boy tighten his grip on him. Reaching behind him, the centaur unclasped Solan's hands and brought them around in front of him. He grasped the boy's chin, and tilted it up so the youngster could look him in the eye. "Son, I need your help. I'm going to take Gabrielle to our hut, and I want you and your friend Gowan to take Argo to the stable and brush her down. Can you do that for me?"

Solan silently nodded his head, and after gathering the mare's reins in his hands, he walked over to his friend's home. Soon the two boys were headed to the stables.

"That should keep them busy for awhile," Kaleipus noted, and snaked his left arm across the bard's back and under her left shoulder to support her. "C'mon, let me take you to my home."

The woman remained silent even as Kaleipus drew out a chair for her at the table, and gave her something to eat. Gabrielle chewed mechanically, not even noticing what the centaur had put in front of her. After finishing off her meal with a small mug of ale, the bard continued her silence, simply staring at the table before her. She seemed incapable of initiating any conversation, while her mind whirled in working out some escape for her lover.

"Gabrielle," Kaleipus started, breaking the blonde�s concentration. "I think I have a plan, but I have to ask you something personal first. Are you and Xena...partnered?"

The bard clenched her jaw as she tried unsuccessfully to hold back some tears. "Yes," she whispered. "Xena and I were married in an Amazon ceremony last year." A few tears spilled on her cheeks as Gabrielle continued, "You don't know how hard it was to see her in that prison..."

Kaleipus helped the woman to her feet, and led her to a sleeping pallet. "Don't worry, Gabrielle. We're going to get her. I want you to sleep now, because tomorrow we're going back to Lorent�s village. You need to get some rest."

Without protest, the bard lay down on the soft pallet, not even bothering to move back the blankets. Kaleipus untied her boots and removed them before throwing an extra cover over the exhausted woman. Her eyes closed immediately, the ale and her exhaustion working quickly to send her to Morpheus.

Kaleipus returned to the table, and finding a blank scroll, quickly wrote something on it, before rolling it up and attaching his seal to it. Just as he was ready to leave his hut, Solan returned from the stables, with the young dark haired Gowan in tow. "Son, I have to talk to Agenor for awhile about Xena. You must be hungry..why don't you two get something to eat, and I'll be back soon."

Nodding mutely, Solan turned to his friend, and opened a cupboard to look through their supplies. Gowan grabbed some fruit to complete their light meal, and helped his friend with cutting up some nutbread while Kaleipus left the boys. He headed to the main square, looking for Agenor, his advisor and oldest friend.

The blond centaur was with a group of men and centaurs, discussing recent politics relevant to his Nation. Glancing up, Agenor noticed Kaleipus, and invited him over to join the debate. "Kaliepus! You can answer this question! Danaus, here, is certain that..."

The older centaur grabbed Agenor's arm. "Not now, my friend. I need your help in something."

The confident smile of Agenor left his face to be replaced by a worried frown. "What's going on? Have the scouting parties brought back bad news?"

Kaleipus shook his head. "It's nothing like that, but it is important. I want you to take this scroll to the Amazon village in the deep woods. You know the one, don't you? Ephiny is their current queen. And you need to hurry."

Agenor took the scroll from his leader's hands. "I'll leave right away."

"Thank you, my friend. And please hurry."

Dipping his head once in understanding, the blond centaur took the southern exit of the square, headed for Amazon territory.

After watching him leave, the leader turned back to his home. There were nutbread crumbs on the table, but the boys were nowhere to be found. Kaliepus cleaned up the area, and then started a small fire in the hearth to ward off the night's coming cold. Thinking that Gabrielle might need another blanket, he took one from his own bed and went to check on his sleeping guest. He found Solan next to the bard on the pallet, his head resting on her shoulder, both of them sound asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, Kaleipus gently shook the blanket out over the two of them. They both needed as much rest as they could get, because they would be headed back to Lorent�s nation very soon.

---

Xena didn't know what time it was, but she knew the guards would be changing soon. She could hear Javet pacing outside her cell, and could feel his mounting anxiety over being left alone with her so long. Due to his pacing, Xena again had to temporarily stop her exercises. Her legs were beginning to shake with inaction, and her arms were long past being able to do any sort of movement at all. She tried to lick her lips, but her dry tongue had no moisture to give to her parched lips. Deciding to try breathing relaxation methods instead, she slowly drew her breath in and tried to clear her mind when she heard Terek start down the sloped tunnel to her cell.

Even though Javet was expecting him, he still jumped when Terek arrived. "About time you got here!" he challenged, trying to cover his fear.

Terek looked tired in the dim light. "Well, I'm here now, so you can go," he said as he grabbed the pole away from the other centaur. "And where's my blanket?"

Without saying a word, Javet motioned with his head towards the cell. Terek shook his head and rolled the pole between his palms. "Get going, and don't forget to come back tomorrow."

Unbelievably, the older centaur practically ran up the slope, avoiding eye contact with Terek. He was happy to finally leave that silent woman to someone else's care.

Xena remained motionless in her cell, listening to the two guards talk. Even though she was still chained and locked up, she could still have an effect on the jailers. She waited to see what Terk would do next.

The young centaur approached the door to the cell. It looked to him as if the prisoner had not moved in all the time he was gone. The blanket covered her head and shoulders, and her bare feet were planted firmly on the ground. "Xena?" the guard asked. Not really expecting a response from the woman, Terek continued, "I'm supposed to make sure that you don't go to sleep, but I can't do that with the blanket over your head. I could nudge you with the pole to see if you're awake, but I'd rather not do that. Or, I could take the blanket off, and ah...I really don't want to do that either. So...can you somehow let me know you're awake?"

Xena claimed this as another victory, and not a small one. She had managed to get Terek to see her as a person and use her name, and get beyond the 'Destroyer of Nations' title. Past dry lips, she managed to say, "I'm awake."

"Ah...good. Real good. I'm going to leave you alone now, but I'll have to ask you every now and then. All right?" Terek waited for a reply, but none came. He moved away from the cell, and leaned against the tunnel wall that led to the upper jail. Another long night. He knew it would not be his last at the jail.

---

It was shortly before dawn when Agenor returned to his village with his guests. With the light of the moon, he directed them to Kaleipus' hut, and knocked lightly on the door. Almost immediately, the door swung open. Kaleipus had not been able to sleep, and had finally decided to just get up and wait for his friend.

"Come in, come in. I'm so glad you got my message and were able to get here so quickly." The centaur leader moved away from the door, inviting his guests inside.

Ephiny entered first; she was not dressed in her ceremonial leathers as queen, but instead garbed as a warrior. Behind her paced a small centaur, only about one year old. Ephiny grabbed his hand, and led him to the one-eyed centaur. "Kaleipus, this is my son. Xenan, this is Kaleipus. He is leader of this Nation." Xenan shyly hid behind his mother, but smiled when Kaleipus ruffled his hair.

"You are both welcome here. And Agenor, thank you for your help. We'll be leaving soon, but should be back in a few days time."

"Don't you want me to go with you? I would be more than happy to be a scout for you on the journey."

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea. I don't want Lorent to think of us as a warring party, and I don't know how he is going to react to us when we arrive. Return home, my friend. And thank you again."

After Agenor left, the centaur leader turned to Ephiny. "I'm going to gather up what supplies we'll need. Why don't you go wake Gabrielle? She's through there," he indicated, pointing to a doorway. "Solan, my son, is with her."

Bringing Xenan with her, Ephiny found the two still curled up on the bed. The amazon knelt on the ground next to her friend, and gently brushed some stray strands of hair off her face. Gabrielle still had dark circles under her eyes, and Ephiny could only imagine what the bard had been through. Stroking her cheek, Ephiny whispered, "Gabrielle?" to the sleeping woman, and watched as the muscles around the woman's eyes began to twitch into wakefulness.

"Xena? Can't we sleep a little longer?" The bard finally opened her eyes. "Ephiny..? What are...oh!" She threw her arms around her friend and buried her face into the soft curly blonde hair of the amazon as all the events of the last day and a half washed through her.

Ephiny rubbed her friend's neck as she comforted the hurting bard. "Gabrielle, it's time to go. Are you ready?"

The bard didn't answer; instead she just nodded her head up and down against the other woman's neck. She released her grasp on the amazon, and turned to Solan, kissing him on the cheek.

"Solan, honey, it's time to get up."

The boy sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes gently with his fingers. When he finally did open his eyes, the first thing he saw was a small centaur staring at him. "Solan, this is my friend Ephiny, and her son Xenan. We're all going to Lorent's Nation." Gabrielle squeezed Solan�s shoulder reassuringly.

Naturally shy, and being caught staring at the boy, Xenan again hid behind his mother. Although he was being raised in both the Amazon's camp, and the camp of his father's relatives, he didn't know too many human children. This was the first boy he had ever met, and he didn't know what to expect. Solan looked friendly, but Xenan decided to let him make the first move.

Any further conversation stopped as Kaleipus entered the room. "Ready when you are."

The small group made its way to the stable. While Kaleipus saddled one of the village's horses, Gabrielle got Argo ready for the journey. She watched her eat an apple as she checked the saddlebags, and to see if they had enough provisions for the road. At last satisfied, she led the horse from the stall, and helped Solan into the saddle. Getting up behind the boy, she turned to see Kaleipus hand Xenan up to Ephiny on the stable horse's back. The little centaur�s eyes were barely open from having stayed awake all night during the journey from his mother's village; Ephiny cradled him in her arms and settled him down for a nap.

The sun was just peeking over the edge of the horizon when Kaleipus led the small group out of his village.

---

"Xena?" Terek asked. "I'll be leaving soon. Are you...um..."

A raspy voice croaked, "Yes," in a barely audible tone. Xena's feet were so cold she could no longer feel them; her legs were buckled at the knees, most of her weight resting on the shackles at her wrists. She could now feel her arms and shoulders, because it seemed as if her shoulders were being dislocated from trying to hold her up. Her thoughts were not as clear either; she could not concentrate and it was harder and harder to enter the mental state where she could relax and recall specific details of events she shared with Gabrielle. She tried to lick her lips again, but it was a useless effort. The chains above her head jangled constantly from her shivering. Still, she refused to give in to her jailers. She desperately tried to call up images in her mind to take her away from her reality. The only thing that came to her was a vision of Gabrielle's face. The blue-green eyes looked at her fondly as she smiled quietly at Xena. Holding this picture in her mind, Xena worked to forget about the pain in her body as she waited for her trial.

Gabrielle and her friends only stopped once for a brief rest and to water the horses as they made their way to Lorent's village. Again following the river, they reached the campsite before dusk where Solan had first found Xena and the bard. Even though Gabrielle wanted to push on immediately, Kaleipus called a halt to their journey so they could go through their plan one more time. Since he didn't want to go to war against his own kin, the leader hoped he could reach Lorent through reason.

"Gabrielle, you're to stay hidden in the woods while we talk to Lorent. I don't want him to think that the Amazon Queen would be another easy 'capture', and until I can find out what he's thinking, I want you safely out of sight. Ephiny will call out the signals to you to let you know if it's safe to come in, or if we need your help, ok?"

The bard nodded as Ephiny nudged her horse closer to Gabrielle, holding out a large saddlebag.

"What's this?" Gabrielle asked, and took the bag from her friend. Opening it up, she saw her queen's mask wrapped carefully with a blanket to protect the delicate feathers.

"Just in case we need the Queen to help us out, Gabrielle."

The young blonde squeezed her friend's arm in gratitude. "Thank you."

"And if you hear this call," Ephiny continued, as she cupped her hand to her mouth and made a distinctive bird whistle, "that means we need you as Queen. This call," the regent said as she imitated a different bird, "means Gabrielle, Xena's friend is needed."

"All right, let's get going," Kaleipus said and headed down the trail to the village. The others followed quietly behind, lost in their own thoughts and concerns. When the centaur saw the trail widening, he stopped and helped both women from their mounts. "Gabrielle, you'll wait here with the horses. Ephiny, Solan, and Xenan and I will try talking some sense into my cousin first. Hopefully he can still see reason and what's good for the Centaur Nations."

"Good luck,' the bard whispered as they walked away, and sent a heartfelt prayer to Artemis.

Xena could barely keep her head up. She felt so numb from the cold that she couldn't feel anything at all. Only the constant thirst reminded her that she was still alive, still conscious. Javet had been silent all day, not speaking a word to her. She didn't know if she should be grateful or not for the quiet; any noise might help her stay awake, but the silence made her lose track of time. She couldn't remember if Javet had just arrived, or would be leaving soon. For all she knew, the guards could be arriving and leaving at different times to confuse her and keep her off balance. She thought her trial would be soon, but even that idea seemed hazy at the moment. Taking a deep breath, she tried once more to focus her thoughts. A picture of Gabrielle entered her mind, and she struggled to hold onto it while she shivered in the damp cell.

--

Kaleipus and his group were spotted quickly as they entered the village. The centaurs recognized Solan, and most knew Kaleipus, but the woman and the little centaur were strangers to the camp. Nobody challenged the group as they made their way to Lorent's hut.

The red haired centaur was already awake when he heard the commotion from the square. He opened his door to find his cousin and the others on the stoop. "Well, Solan, it seems you brought your uncle here to try to save your 'friend'."

"Yes, he did. He knows injustice when he sees it. Why don't we go inside and discuss it, Cousin?"

"Her trial is tomorrow, and we should see justice then." Lorent would not back down to his older cousin; he was the leader here, and he would define what justice was. Spotting a familiar face in the crowd, he shouted, "Terek!" to get the centaur�s attention. Having caught the centaur's eye, he motioned him over to join the group. "Terek, it seems we have to convince my cousin here that the Destroyer of Nations is evil. Let's all go inside."

The village hummed with rumors and questions about the meeting going on in Lorent's home. A few centaurs dared to stray close to the building in order to eavesdrop but little could be heard. Those that did hear bits of conversation made their own rumors to spread around.

"Lorent," Kaleipus started, "this is Ephiny and her son Xenan. Ephiny was married to a good friend of mine, who died needlessly due to ignorance between men and centaurs. It seems to me that you are doing the same thing."

"Cousin," the red haired centaur snorted in laughter. "If your friend died needlessly, the woman will not. She has done more to harm the Centaur Nations than any other person. You are witness to that fact. This trial is justified and long over-due."

Kaleipus shook his head. "The Destroyer of Nations is no more. Xenan wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Xena. The warrior helped deliver a member of our Nation. Is killing one woman important enough to destroy the alliance we have with the Amazons?"

"A nice story. But it's only your word against mine. And what do I care about the Amazons? There are no Amazons in my territory."

Realizing that there would be no reasoning with his headstrong cousin, the older centaur turned to Ephiny. "Regent?" He nodded his suggestion to call the Queen, and turned back to Lorent shaking his head. "If you only knew what you were doing..."

"I know exactly what I'm doing! And it's something that should have been done long ago!" The leader glanced at Terek, but the young centaur would not look him in the eyes. In disbelief, he realized that the prisoner had somehow gotten Terek to respect her, to sympathize with her. That thought alone made his anger increase another notch. He watched as the strange Amazon opened the door to his hut and gave a brief whistle. "What's this supposed to prove?" he demanded, hands clenched at his side.

"I want you to meet one more person before you seal our fate. You must reconsider!"

Lorenz snorted in disgust at his duped cousin.

--

Gabrielle was going through a mind clearing exercise that Xena had taught her when she heard a whistle. Unfortunately, it was Ephiny's first whistle, the one that meant Queen Gabrielle was needed. She put on her mask, and walked purposely into the village.

When the centaurs saw yet another strange woman enter their village, a new round of rumors and whispers broke out. No one stood in her way as she walked directly to Lorent's hut, somehow knowing which dwelling belonged to the Centaur leader.

The Queen was grateful that the mask hid her eyes from Lorent. Inside, her heart was beating painfully fast, and she had to struggle not to let her hands shake. This was the centaur who had her lover, and her life was in his hands. She knew she had to be strong for all of them.

Barely glancing at the small woman, Lorent turned to Kaliepus. "And who is this? This little person is going to be the one to stop me from serving justice to the prisoner?"

Ephiny spoke up. "This is Queen Gabrielle, Queen of all the Amazon Nations."

Lorent laughed in disbelief. "Again with the Amazons? Cousin, I've told you, I don't care about them. The trial is set for dawn tomorrow. You and all your Amazon friends are welcome to attend..."

Kaliepus cut him off. "Well, if you don't care about a war between our two Nations, then how about a civil war?"

"What are you talking about?" the younger centaur scoffed.

"Xena is Queen Gabrielle's partner. And Solan, my son, is...also Xena's son."

---

Lorent lowered his eyes and looked skeptically at his cousin. "Are you telling me, Kaleipus, that you and the Destroyer of Nations..."

"Of course not, cousin. Borias is the boy's father. And Xena is his mother. She gave him to me when..." the older centaur stopped explaining when he heard the door slam behind him. Through an open window, he saw the retreating form of Solan, running for the woods. Kaleipus shook his head in anger and frustration at his lack of thought and compassion for his son. He should have known that all this information would come as a shock to the boy; unfortunately, he had been focusing so long on how to help Xena, that he completely forgot that after so long, Solan might not be ready for, or like, the truth about his parents. "Gods, I'm so stupid," he muttered to himself. "Ephiny, would you and Xenan go after him? I don't think my boy is ready to see me, or Gabrielle, yet."

Nodding, Ephiny reached down to grab Xenan's hand, and followed after Solan.

[quietplace26]

Final part~

Here are the fluffy pups~

Haruka (Spring, Fragrance): 6

Fuyuhiko (Winter, Boy, Prince): 5

Natsumi (Summer, Beauty): 3

Werewolf!KK au (7)

"Finished!" Akito smiles as he closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair with a happy sigh of relief. He finally finshed his newest story and sent it over to his editor. If all goes well, it will be published in no time!

He's broken out his thoughts by a tiny hand grabbing his pants leg, tugging on it with a whine.

Looking down Akito sees it was his youngest pup, Natsumi.

She was pouting up at him cutely. Her tiny fluffy ears were twitching restlessly on her head and her tiny little wolf tail was doing the same. "Up! Da! Up!"

Akito could never say no to his kids.

"Oh! Natsumi!" He quickly scoops her off the floor and into his arms, nuzzling his face against her's playfully. She squeals happily and returns the nuzzles excitedly.

"Come on. Let's go find everyone else." Akito carries his giggling pup out his room and into the living room, where he finds Mari chilling out on the couch, watching tv.

She had time off from work so she was crashing at his and KK's place for the time being.

The pups love her, and Akito loved it when ever she had the chance to visit, but KK was still rather terrified of her. Akito just thought his old wolf was being dramatic.

As he passes her, Akito teasingly calls her a couch potato. She just blows raspberries at him.

When he steps outside on the porch, he's greeted by the sound of squealing and laughter.

KK was playing with their older pups. Haruka, who was the oldest, and Fuyuhiko, who was the middle child and only boy.

Even after having three pups with KK, he still couldn't get over the fact that he, a human male, created these precious little pups.

Haruka was without a doubt a female version of Akito. She had his looks and personality down to a t. A protective older sibling that would do anything to look after her younger siblings.

Fuyuhiko on the other hand was a of mixture of Akito and KK in looks, but personality wise, he's very, VERY timid. However, he did seem to inherit Akito love for stories.

As for their youngest pup, Natsumi, Akito knew for a fact she was going to be a female version of KK. KK even agreed with him, saying she reminded him of himself when he was a pup.

Speaking of KK, it looked like he lost whatever game he was playing with the pups, as he was laying face down in the dirt with his pups sitting proudly on his back.

Akito laughs at the chaotic scene in front of him, letting the three wolves noticed how they were being watched.

"Daddy!" The two pups jumps off KK and darts over to Akito. "Did you see it? We won daddy! We beat papa!" Haruka bounced around excitedly as she pointed over to KK, who was getting up with a pained groan.

"I'm getting too old for this..." KK groans again as he walks over to Akito. "Finally admiting that you're old, old man?" Akito teased him.

KK snorts at his comment, giving him a fond look. "Brat."

Natsumi, who had been dozing off in Akito's arms, finally notices KK. "Pa!" She quickly begins squriming in Akito's arms, making grabby hands at KK.

KK plucks the squirming pup out Akito's arms and gives her an eskimo kiss. "Hello to you too little one." She giggles happily, cooing as she nuzzled against KK's face.

Shifting the giggling pup into one arm, KK wraps his free arm around Akito, and proceeds to herds his other pups back into the house, proclaiming that it was time for lunch.

"Did someone say lunch?" Mari's voice comes from in the kitchen. "How convenient! I'm making some sandwiches right now and wouldn't mind some help~"

"Me and Fuyu can help!" Haruka says as she tugs Fuyuhiko into the kitchen with her.

"Please don't make my kitchen a complete mess Mari." Akito warns his sister as she began pulling out all sorts of food that clearly didn't belong on a sandwich. She just ignores him and begins making lunch with the pups.

"Our kitchen's gonna be a complete mess by the time's she done isn't it?" KK huffs as he places Natsumi onto the floor, letting the little pup wander over to her older siblings.

"Yep." Akito sighs out, watching the pure chaos that was happening in his kitchen with fond exasperation.

It still felt unreal to Akito. A few years ago he was working a dead end job that was more or less sucking the life out of him, making him utterly miserable. But now he had everything ever wanted!

He had an amazing lover, three adorable kids, his sister was happy, and his dream of being a famous writer was finally coming true!

Strong familar arms suddenly wraps around his waist, tugging him back against a familar body. KK his rest his chin on Akito's shoulder and gives him a curious look. "What's going on in that pretty head of your's Aki? It must be good since you're smiling."

Akito just hums, leaning back against KK with a even bigger smile. "Just thinking how lucky I was to have met you KK~" He says as he playfully kisses the wolf man's cheek.

This leads to KK attacking Akito with kisses of his own. Every part of Akito's face was attacked. His forehead, nose, cheeks, and then finally, his mouth.

"Hey lover boys! Get in here before these pups of yours eats all the food!" Mari yells from the kitchen, causing the happy couple to cease their makeout session.

KK rolls his eyes as he and Akito walked into the kitchen, muttering how it wasn't his pups who were going to eat all the food. "I swear that girl has a black hole for a stomach..."

"What was that KK?" Mari was cheerfully smiling with a knife in her hand, twirling it between her fingers slowly.

KK flinches at the sight and nervously shuffles behind Akito, muttering a quick, "Nothing!"

Akito, while finding the whole interaction amusing, claps his hands together to get their attention. "Mari put that knife away, and KK, get over here and eat before the pups eats everything."

Sometimes Akito swears KK and Mari give him way more trouble than his actual pups do... but even with all the trouble they cause, Akito would never wish for them to change~

#ghostwire tokyo #ghostwire: tokyo #akito/kk #werewolf au #werewolf!kk #writer!akito #the pups are fluffy #i will throw hands at anyone who dares touches these pups #the pups are angels #mari scares werewolf!kk #mari has a knife #long post #mpreg mention

[inprometheanfire]

starter for @ofprevioustimes​ | vane & eleanor

That’s the hard part, isn’t it? To choose between what’s right or wrong when the heart’s going to do what it wants anyway. There are only two things in a man’s life that he will not relent from: for the woman he loves and for his life’s true course. Yet Vane always finds himself thrust in the middle of other people’s wars and never standing at the helm where he belongs. Like a true leader. The kind of leader Teach knows he can be. Isn’t that why he took Vane on as his protege and son? Like Teach sees something in him that he can’t, someone better and stronger who only needs to lay claim to those very wants burrowed within that same heart. Or maybe that strength was always inside of him and Teach had seen it all along. He doesn’t know. But that’s what happens to one’s self-assurance when beaten so hard and so many times by their task master. Confidence is shaken, doubt is bred. And all they’re left with is a hollow shell of who they used to be. But not anymore. Vane slips out of bed, though he doesn’t try very hard not to wake the nameless woman beside him. Another prostitute, which is but one of the many riches afforded to the pirates on this island. Even if they do not always bring in a large profit, they’re still allowed this one form of amusement. Among many others, of course. In Nassau, anything goes. There are hardly any limitations on what one may do unless it conflicts with another’s claim. He throws the expensive blanket aside to swing his feet over the edge of the mattress, lowering his head into his hand as he reflects on what to do now. The best course of action. The truest course of action. On how to convince Miss Guthrie that he is worth the investment, if she’s willing to make it. It’s still early in the day.  A curtain of light weaves through the swaying branches of trees outside, filling the room with a subtle warmth reminiscent of a childhood summer that never belonged to him. Through the opened window, he can hear the bustle of people as they gather through the town and begin their work. Voices fill the air and commingle with the cacophony of exotic birds found only in the tropics. And, in the distance, the faint roar of the ocean’s waves fade into a mere whisper when it finally reaches this part of the island. There’s a stark contrast between the quiet of this room and the noise outside. It reminds him of the inner turmoil from within. The way it’s festered over the course of time and turned into something that cannot be silenced. Not anymore. Just as soon as he’s out of bed, he dresses and then leaves the room to make his way downstairs of the brothel. From there, he heads to the tavern where he knows Eleanor Guthrie awaits so that he may speak with her about their future plans. To rid New Providence Island of Edward Teach whose intentions are to take it over for himself. And what about him? What’ll be left over for Vane who has remained by his side? Because Vane, the protege and son, will always play second to Teach. For all of his father’s bolstering claims of his strength and fearsomeness, Teach means to prevent him from advancing ahead as if afraid that Vane will overtake him. It is for this reason that Charles desires an unbreakable connection with an ally who will support him in this endeavor. They both want the same thing, after all. With the removal of Teach, Miss Guthrie will have procured full ownership of the island. And Vane will, in turn, step in as captain of his own ship. That’s where Miss Guthrie comes in. He’ll explain as much to her when they finally get to talking. He’s allowed entrance into her office, so he saunters in and then sits on the provided chair across the desk. “Miss Guthrie, before we begin, I should remind you that this is going to cost you. But I can guarantee the price will be worth it.”

#eleanor ; ofprevioustimes #interaction ; vane & eleanor #char ; charles vane #verse ; no choice but to be my end #ofprevioustimes

[astarionenthusiast]

taylor songs i haven't written for

PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS BEFORE YOU REQUEST

this is a list of every taylor swift song and i'll be marking off ones i've written for as i continue writing. i am open to writing multiple for the same song, but if you want to request one with a song that hasn't been written yet, this is the place to go!

my hardcore swifties will notice this list is missing several songs. i typed this list out manually and chose to skip over songs i am not comfortable with writing, whether that be because of the song's personal connection to taylor or myself or simply because i do not want to write something based on it. if you have a favorite song by taylor that is one i took off, please don't make a request for it.

I DO NOT WRITE NSFW, please do not request that. i will happily write things that are suggestive. i'm also not great with angst, but i can do it if necessary :)

requests do not have to based on taylor songs! they don't even have to be based on songs. as long as you are operating within the rules stated above i will take any requests!

an asterisk (*) indicates a song that has multiple entries based on it.

a pen 🖊️ indicates a work for this song is in progress!

Taylor Swift

Tim McGraw

Picture To Burn

Teardrops On My Guitar

A Place In This World

Cold As You

The Outisde

Tied Together With A Smile

Stay Beautiful

Should've Said No

Mary's Song (Oh My My My)

Our Song

I'm Only Me When I'm With You

Invisible

A Perfectly Good Heart

Fearless (Taylor's Version)

Fearless

Fifteen

Love Story

Hey Stephen

White Horse

You Belong With Me

Breathe

Tell Me Why

You're Not Sorry

The Way I Loved You

Forever & Always

The Best Day

Change

Jump Then Fall

Untouchable

Come In With The Rain

Superstar

The Other Side Of The Door

Today Was A Fairytale

You All Over Me

Mr. Perfectly Fine

We Were Happy

That's When

Don't You

Bye Bye Baby

If This Was A Movie

Speak Now (Taylor's Version)

Mine

Sparks Fly

Back To December

Speak Now

Dear John

Mean

The Story Of Us

Never Grow Up

Enchanted

Better Than Revenge

Innocent

Haunted

Last Kiss

Long Live

Ours

Superman

Electric Touch

When Emma Falls In Love

I Can See YOu

Castles Crumbling

Foolish One

Timeless

Red (Taylor's Version)

State Of Grace

Red

Treacherous

I Knew You Were Trouble

All Too Well

22

I Almost Do

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Stay Stay Stay

The Last Time

Holy Ground

Sad Beautiful Tragic

The Lucky One

Everything Has Changed

Starlight

Begin Again

The Moment I Knew

Come Back...Be Here

Girl At Home

Better Man

Nothing New

Babe

Message In A Bottle

I Bet You Think About Me

Run

The Very First Night

All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Safe & Sound

Eyes Open

1989 (Taylor’s Version)

Welcome To New York

Blank Space

Style

Out Of The Woods

All You Had To Do Was Stay

Shake It Off

I Wish You Would

Bad Blood

Wildest Dreams

How You Get The Girl

This Love

I Know Places

Clean

Wonderland

You Are In Love

New Romantics

"Slut!"

Say Don't Go

Now That We Don't Talk

Suburban Legends

Is It Over Now?

reputation

...Ready For It?

End Game

I Did Something Bad

Don't Blame Me

Delicate

Look What You Made Me Do

So It Goes...*

Gorgeous

Getaway Car

King Of My Heart

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

Dress

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Call It What You Want

New Year's Day

Lover

I Forgot That You Existed

Cruel Summer

Lover

The Man

The Archer

I Think He Knows

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

Paper Rings

Cornelia Street

Death By A Thousand Cuts

London Boy

False God

Afterglow

It's Nice To Have A Friend

Daylight

All Of The Girls You Loved Before

folklore

the 1

cardigan

the last great american dynasty

exile

my tears ricochet

mirrorball

seven

august

this is me trying

illicit affairs

invisible string

mad woman

epiphany

betty

peace

hoax

the lakes

evermore

willow

champagne problems

gold rush

'tis the damn season

no body, no crime

dorothea

coney island

ivy

cowboy like me

long story short

closure

evermore

right where you left me

it's time to go

Midnights

Lavender Haze

Maroon

Anti-Hero

Snow On The Beach

Midnight Rain

Question...?

Vigilante Shit

Bejeweled

Labyrinth

Karma

Sweet Nothing

Mastermind

The Great War

Paris

High Infidelity

Glitch

Hits Different

#vienna speaks #navigation #vienna writes

[zootplayz]

Aliens to the Left of me, Enemies to the Right

So at the end of my last post I said Jamie was having a slow start. Guess what he's on his last post! Honestly I can't believe it but Joanna really stole the spotlight. Somehow I managed to complete all of his required skills, which I was getting worried about. But with all his boxes checked and his daughter just beginning her adventures it's time to pass the torch and wrap things up here. Summer in Oasis Springs is unbearably hot but Joanna doesn't seem to notice. It's as if she was made for this climate.

There are rare occasions when she takes a breather and lounges in the kiddie pool.

But those moments are rare and usually when she doesn't have any school work to get through before dad gets home.

Because once he gets home the two are inseparable.

Whether they're outside looking at the sky, where Dad finally told her is where she came from. Or inside watching movies.

This father and daughter can't be separated. When Joanna goes to bed though Jamie has been seeing someone.

An abandoned and homeless alien who's been living in their neighborhood. Things started when Jamie heard rustling in his yard to discover the young man rooting in the garbage for food. Initially Jamie was hesitant up to this point his only interactions with aliens were for experiments. But this poor guy just looked so lost and sad Jamie's charitable soul just had to help him. Eventually things between them became romantic and despite wanting 4917 in his life Jamie is worried about how his daughter will react. It's only been the two of them for so long. Jamie decided that on Joanna's birthday he would introduce her to 4917 who is now calling himself Neil and using a sim disguise thanks to advice from Jamie. Jamie: Me and Neil have been seeing each other for awhile now and he just has nowhere else to go. His family just left him to fend for himself in an unfamiliar place. Jo: Then we have to help him Daddy! Jamie smiles.

Jo: You love him don't you? Jamie blushes. Jamie: Yeah, I do. Jamie responds taking Neil's hand in his. Jo: Well I'm glad. You two seem happy. But is Neil alright Daddy? He's glowing. Neils face turns bright red and Jamie pats his hand. Jamie: It's ok Neil. Joanna, Neil is like you. Joannas eyes grow wide. Jo: You mean you come from the sky too?! She exclaims at Neil who nods. Jo: But daddy can we trust him? Those sky people haven't exactly been nice to you. Neil: I would never hurt your father he has been the only one who has ever been kind to me. Jamie: Neil's different sweetie, trust me. ???: Different? Pfft they're all the same! Just like you Who's. Claiming you want to help people but the only ones you ever help are yourselves.

Jamie: I'm sorry, do I know you? There's really no reason to bring such hostility to my daughter's birthday. ??: That little whelp? She'll amount to nothing just like her father my mother was right about you. Self righteous, goody two shoe do gooders! All you do is stick your nose where it doesn't belong and other people like my mom lose everything. Jamie: Wait a second is your last name Beethoven. The old man scoffs. B: You know it is. Jamie: My mother told me about you. Said the only reason she didn't go to the authorities about the unethical experiments your mother performed on aliens was because of you. By all rights your mother should of gone to jail. B: For what? They aren't sims! They're space garbage! Like your little disgusting family here. Furious Jamie gets to his feet. Jamie: Don't you dare talk about my loved ones that way! We have done nothing to you and were just enjoying a nice day out for my little girls birthday. I want you to apologize and leave. B: I think not.

Old man Beethoven attacks Jamie and despite being a pacifist to his very core Jamie has no choice but to defend himself. Ultimately winning the first and only fight in his life. Jamie: It didn't have to come to this. I tried to be polite. Just go home and leave my family alone. I never want to see you again!

Beethoven is now enraged.

B: You young whelp! How dare you talk to me like I ... I.... Im..... Jamie: Oh Watcher. Sir are you alright? Beethoven looks at him with pure hatred but can't say a word as he falls to the ground, dead.

Everyone at the quiet park is shocked. How did such an innocent and pleasant day out end like this? After Grim collected the soul of the Beethoven man he asked whose birthday it was. Jo: It's mine, sir. Grim: No need to call me sir, young lady my job is done and I'm officially off the clock. You don't think I can get a piece of cake do you? With childlike wonder Joanna replies. Jo: Sure, just let me blow out the candles first.

It was indeed a memorable birthday and not one I think anyone will forget anytime soon. Jo especially. But she's young and processed the whole event without totally understanding everything that transpired. She just went on with her life.

Dad's boyfriend Neil moved in and got himself a job working in a bar. Where juiced patrons are less likely to notice glowing. He also promised to help Joanna build the rocket ship she's working on to one day see the stars for herself.

N: Just you know don't tell your dad. You know he'd never approve. You know how unpleasant his experiences with our people have been.

Jo: No duh, Neil they came again last night when he was helping me with my school project. It was scary actually seeing him grabbed like that.

Jo: One second everything was fine then bam being sucked into the sky. Why can't they leave him alone? N: I don't know Jo, I sometimes wonder if our people have any conscience at all. Joanna wants to make sure that when she's ready to journey among the stars she is ready to take on whatever or whoever will be waiting for her. Taking on a strict exercise routine with a strong focus on rock climbing and the strength and endurance that requires.

As you can see once again the yard has undergone a transformation but whatever Joanna wants Jamie makes sure she has it. Though what all those metal scrap pieces are for is beyond him. He was never very mechanically minded. A good joke, good music and good conversation were more his speed. Too bad his mother is no longer around she would know what Joanna is up to. Joanna is so unlike her father she has goals. Big goals and dreams and she plans on getting them. All of them. She will see her homeworld one day and she is going to do whatever it takes to get there. Her best friend Wanda, who has no dreams of her own, wants to help her. Joanna had been worried about telling her friend that she wasn't a normal sim like her but after too much sakura tea and rose petals Jo blurted it out.

W: An alien?! Is that why you're glowing? It's not just the tea is it? J: No, it's you.

With her goals ahead of her and a plan in place with Wanda at her side, Joanna is ready to be the next doctor who.

Part 02 Read the full article

#2nddr #drwho #drwholegacy #gen02 #gen2 #jamie #legacy #notsodrwho #nsdw #sims4 #sims4legacy #thesims #thesims4

[eabwriting2023]

ANY QUESTIONS - DAY FOUR

As I see you before me with all your smiling faces I bet your wondering “Who is this woman and why is she interrupting the last day of school?” Well, the answer is very simple and I shall tell you in precise detail. I would tell you to lean back in your seats, relax and enjoy my presentation but alas, you are at school, which means and I do not care otherwise you must obey the rules.

I want to see your young, scrumptious faces staring up at me with backs straight as planks of wood with legs and arms by your side. Of course there shall be no interruptions or no questions till the end, hands down at the back there!

We start at the very beginning, a fabulous place to start as you might say. We were all young once, even me would you believe it? All crawling and Scavenging for that sense of belonging. Your parents, how wonderful they are? Taking you in, looking after you all, what do they get in return? Many, many hours of crying and whinging. Life is so unfair!

This is where we start a new chapter of your life. Here. Stuck, day in day out doing the same

laborious activities. Some may call this a prisión, you cannot escape until whoever is in charge lets you, disgusting meals, decor left to be desired, but you would be wrong! Prison is far more cruel and ugly you have it far too easy here!

Somehow you have managed to go through this life just scraping by until we reach today, the big moment in your lives when the gates are opened and you are set free like baby birds falling from cliff tops.

You are finally let out into the big wide world, where life is your oyster! Only, sadly not. Society will always have rules and you will obey unless you really do want to end inside prison…

Some will move onto college, then university where even though you say “I’m free to do what I like.” Is that really true? Classes, and work schedules, hurrying to hand essays in time, is it really that much different from where you are now?

Ah, but some of you sat in front of me are probably thinking, “Once I leave this dump I’m working for myself, I’d rather earn my own money than to keep bowing to the man.”

Yes, at first, everyone seems swell. Freedom and responsibility without voices breathing down your neck… until it does. Unlike now as you ignore your teacher yelling to finish a Maths problem you have company bosses with stern looking faces, macho men and women thinking they’re far too important for the likes of you.

As I look upon you all, I sense fear and uncertainty, panicked eyes with life dying slowly. You probably think that by the end of this little chat I will raise your confidence, everything is going to be okay, your doing great hunny.. that’s what your parents would say, wouldn’t they?

Yet again, you are fooled, your tiny minds cannot comprehend the fact that someone really doesn’t care one tiny bit about you. You are a leach, prying upon its victims for nutrition and you won’t stop until something comes along to end it.

If that is what needs to be done, let me be the one to do it. You have had life far too good, handed to you on silver platters. WAKE UP and smell the chemical roses, take off your hue glasses, Life isn’t far.

As for I, I am you, far from now in the distant future, clinging on for any hope. You could say I was the ghost of future you in a sense…

I have been your future and I hope you all have a fantastic summer thinking about your mortality, Any Questions?

#creative writing #writing #life #comedy #nanowrimo

[themculibrary]

Hope Van Dyne Masterlist

all the stars (are closer) (ao3) - bevioletskies scott/hope T, 31k

Summary: Scott is a washed-up comedy actor and an ex-convict, unable to find enough work to pay child support. Hope is a famous action star and the daughter of one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples, still struggling with the circumstances surrounding her mother’s death. When Hope’s estranged father casts them in his directorial debut, a romantic drama with a script that’s more truth than fiction, they find themselves tangled in a mysterious conspiracy that just might explain what really happened to Janet Van Dyne all those years ago.

come over (we don’t need no reason why) (ao3) - anyorangeslices scott/hope E, 39k

Summary: ‘Hope van Dyne really hates dating apps, but she doesn’t let that stop her from using them.’

Hope matches with Scott on Tinder. They try - and fail - to keep things casual.

Echoes of the Past, Hope for the Future (ao3) - starbuck92 scott/hope T, 9k

Summary: Her breath caught in her throat, her thoughts beginning to spiral away from her as the reality she had struggled to come to terms with crashed upon her like a thunderclap. Yes, they had won that day, but it felt almost insignificant next to the enormity of what she had ultimately lost: Tony had died and she had been gone five years.

“Only people who are capable of loving strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but this same necessity of loving serves to counteract their grief and heals them.” ― Leo Tolstoy

Good Summer (ao3) - gnimmish scott/hope T, 3k

Summary: Hope isn’t falling in love with Scott. (Really. She isn’t. Stop looking at her like that). But they have a good summer, anyway.

[Set between Ant-Man and the events of Civil War, a look into Hope and Scott’s relationship before Scott messed it up].

Hit & Run (ao3) - f_romanoff_13 scott/hope T, 3k

Summary: "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but there's been an accident"

There's nothing like almost losing someone to make you realise how much you need them.

Hold Back The River (ao3) - GoddessOfDestruction hank/janet G, 7k

Summary: Seven snippets, seven years of Hope's life and her relation with Hank (and Janet) from her birth to the day Hope learned about her mother's alleged death.

Home (a place where you belong) (ao3) - casualwonderlust scott/hope T, 10k

Summary: After the events of Ant-Man and the Wasp, starts off right at that cute scene between the Langs and Hope. Before that horrible mid-credits scene.

Hope and Scott rebuild. They become partners; they become family. This is their story.

if all my defenses come down, will you lay it all on me now? (ao3) - dearingsattler scott/hope G, 1k

Summary: Scott and Hope keep tiptoeing around each other. Janet decides she's had enough and gets involved.

Takes place after amatw, pretends the snap never happened

In the Cool of the Evening (ao3) - imaginationrunsfree scott/hope M, 7k

Summary: After Germany, his second arrest and his betrayal, Hope Van Dyne is not sure she ever wants to see Scott Lang again. But when he has a dream about her mother trapped in the Quantum realm, she's willing to put her feelings aside to help bring her back. Little does she realize, doing so may not be as easy as she thought. *MAJOR spoilers for Ant-Man and the Wasp.*

in time (ao3) - coalitiongirl hank/janet N/R, 7k

Summary: Hope…Hope, her darling girl, is a stranger she loves more than life. There had been thirty years in the Quantum Realm to think of her, to drift into sorrow and longing and wonder at the daughter she hardly knows. Now, she sees Hope and she can’t breathe.

Janet Van Dyne, after her homecoming.

Rage Makes Fire Hotter (ao3) - Tempest_Raining scott/hope G, 4k

Summary: Hope van Dyne was not happy with the Rogue Avengers for what they did to themselves, the world, and Tony Stark. In fact, she was pretty pissed. Perhaps it was time she let them know it.

Or: The One Where Hope van Dyne Scares The Rogue Avengers For Various Reasons.

She's Somebody's Hero (ao3) - plinys scott/hope G, 1k

Summary: “Are you gonna be my new mommy?”

sometimes it can weigh a ton (ao3) - CallicoKitten scott/hope N/R, 2k

Summary: Anyway, the point is: Hope is awful with kids. Always has been, always will be and she's apparently picked the worst time ever to drop in on her not-boyfriend at his brand new Avenger-approved apartment.

Strange, Impossible Things (ao3) - Dorasolo scott/hope T, 8k

Summary: A small blossom of hope unfurls in his chest as Barton’s cell phone starts ringing. Scott is heartened to think that Hope is alive somewhere in San Francisco. Maybe she’s looking for him right now the way he’s been looking for her.

Endgame POV from the world’s greatest grandma.

then we could be heroes, just for one day (ao3) - katana_fleet scott/hope T, 2k

Summary: The next six months are the best of Scott’s life. He’s free from house arrest (YES), they found Janet in the middle of the quantum realm (beyond cool), and nothing’s going wrong (here’s hoping he doesn’t jinx it).

He has Cassie and Hope. He’s free. He doesn’t need anything else.

This wonderful plan, without danger or loss (ao3) - derevko_child scott/hope T, 19k

Summary: When she sees men in dark suits hovering by the front door, she immediately knows that at some point in the past few days, Scott Lang made a very poor life decision.

Wherein Hope and Hank argue their way to a search and rescue operation by breaking a few laws and encountering an Avenger or two.

when you leave me for good (ao3) - PilotInTheStars scott/hope T, 5k

Summary: The aftermath of Scott's death as Hope tries to pick up the pieces.

Will you forgive me? (ao3) - alexandradanvers scott/hope G, 3k

Summary: Scott and Hope were happily dating. But one run off to Germany tears them apart and sends the FBI after Hope and Hank. Scott and Hope aren't allowed to see each other, but it's not like they want to and they could.

With her new Wasp suit, can one visit change everything?

#themculibrary #mcu #marvel #ant man #hope van dyne #hope van dyne masterlist #masterlists