#the heir apparent

[foolforshera]

The Heir Apparent series is done and the last story in it, The Coronation, has been posted. It's been a hell of a ride.

*****

Finn sat at a table off to the side of Horror Hall and leaned back a little with a sigh as they watched the new Princess of the Fright Zone run around with her friends, Risp and Oney. Finn lifted their fruit punch for a sip as they looked around. The room was full of people and light, so much different then the memory Finn had of sitting there with Artho, Oak, and Izzy in the gloom years before, eating out of a common pot on the floor in front of the imposing stone throne and murals in the room. Things had changed so much, not just in that room but everywhere, especially since Capella had disappeared a little over three years before.

Read the rest at AO3!

#finn #adora #glimmer #bow #scorpia #spop #my fic #the heir apparent

[myhyperfixationisiforgot]

The ATLA renaissance shifting the fandom from Zutara towards Zukka without actually changing the ship dynamic is so fucking funny because most of the time it functions pretty well. However today I saw another 'oh Sokka had this forbidden crush on Zuko from the beginning' and. Look. What happened there? Seriously, did we watch the same show? Fucking nobody likes Zuko from the get-go! He's an acquired taste at best. Jet notably falls for Zuko at first sight under explicitly false pretenses. Sokka has both a brain and a decent understanding of Zuko's early role in the Fire Nation. He would not say that.

#i have nothing against zuko/sokka i just have strong feelings about fanon sokka #to be clear they are negative feelings #like sokka's early picture of zuko is an heir-apparent to the worst genocide in living memory #and there are signs to the audience that this is changing - that zuko is changing - but sokka doesn't ever see those #sokka isn't katara or aang. there's no necklace. he doesn't have positive feelings toward zuko until the western air temple at the earliest #avatar: the last airbender #zukka #sokka #zuko

[otaku553]

More reluctant king sabo au! I realized recently that this au is an excellent excuse for drawing sabo in pretty outfits that he would be absolutely miserable in :)

#one piece au #sabo #king sabo au #I have a very specific idea of sarie in my head. #in which she is largely a product of her upbringing #entitled but due to being given everything she wanted when she was raised #sheltered and poorly socialized because she was always above those who lived outside the castle #Sarie has the potential to be a good foil to sabo. I think their dynamic would be so interesting #because while I don’t think sabo is interested in love at all #I also don’t think sarie understands what love is outside of the fairytales she is allowed to read #and she must have such a twisted idea of love from growing up in the royal family where I’m sure there must have been fights over heirs #not to mention she must have so many people vying for her attention if whoever marries her is apparently third to the throne #it definitely must have been impressed upon her since she was young that she doesn’t marry for herself #or maybe she realizes this and is waiting for a fairytale knight in shining armor to take her away. idk #I do think that to her sabo is an odd superposition of a prince and a knight #I don’t think she ever really falls in love with him. she’s just so alienated from the concept of love and #someone who actually cares about her as a person that sabo being the first one floors her and convinces her she’s in love

[anghraine]

I always find it interesting that no one in P&P has any doubt that Mr Gardiner could and would have shelled out ten thousand pounds to bribe Wickham.

Mr Bennet is determined (at least at the time) to eventually repay him, when he believes Mr Gardiner paid it, but he does believe that. Mrs Bennet simply shrugs off the vast sum of money that everyone believes was expended to preserve Lydia's reputation. Her justification is that she and her daughters would have inherited all her brother's money if he hadn't gone and got married and had children of his own (how dare!). His assurance that she's going to be fine is not an empty one.

Elizabeth doesn't seem to doubt it, either. And earlier, at Pemberley, she assumed that Darcy had mistaken the Gardiners for members of fashionable upper-class society—a believable mistake to make, apparently, and he is surprised that they're Mrs Bennet's relatives. (I mean. Fair.) Their summer trip is likely not a cheap one. They're doing quite well.

In any case, I do think the Gardiners' prosperity and its bearing on the Bennets' situation is kind of overlooked by the fandom.

#honestly i think mrs bennet's response to mr gardiner apparently paying ten thousand pounds for lydia to marry /wickham/ #is pretty repugnant actually #the whole thing about how she would have been his heir #and he hasn't done anything except give presents to her children so he /should/ pay for lydia is. wtf. #(this is also manifestly false since elizabeth and jane frequently stay in the gardiners' house...) #in any case the bennet women were never going to be left out in the cold by the gardiners #anghraine babbles #austen blogging #austen fanwank #edward gardiner #m gardiner #mrs bennet critical

[hisuian-history-makers]

What if the ancient ghosts rigged the Ghost King’s (initially Pariah’s, except they had to link it to his title for it to stick) summons to always have to be answered if the Ghost King was available? Not as if bound to the location, but bound to the summoning circle to listen to the summoner’s demands. The Ghost King has to at least hear the summoner out. Not accept, not dismiss—essentially he was forced to listen to the terms and conditions of a potential deal.

This was to buy them time in case someone managed to summon Pariah Dark while they were preparing to the Sarcophagus of FS.

…Too bad no one happened to mention this little tidbit to Phantom when he got the title through conquest. (Or as the heir) Since the Infinite Realms are infinite, he’s technically available to every dimension and universe.

Clockwork was gonna get soup’d after this!

#danny phantom #danny fenton #infinite realms #ghost king danny #summoning circles #aka the Ghost King has to listen to the ‘terms and conditions’ of the summoner before deciding on whether or not to make a deal #nobody thought to tell Danny he is technically the heir apparent/ghost king #and technically “available“ at more times than the previously always sleeping Pariah Dark #fenton luck strikes again #multiverse #I’m tempted to call this: terms and conditions au.

[goponylover]

Something You Should Know Page 1 Start / Next

If anyone is wondering, Jons wings and eye crown aren't present because they only come out when Jon is using his full power.

#tma #the magnus archives #heir apparent au #tma au #the magnus archives au #tma oc #trans jonathan sims #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin #monster jon #moth jon #lonely avatar martin blackwood #indrani sims #my art #comic art #oc kid

[threadsun]

Content: illness, dying father, pressure for a relationship, casual ableism

It is, far and away, the most boring part of your job. Sitting to receive visitors. Dressed in your finery, listening to titles and names being spoken endlessly, watching a sea of faces you have no hope of ever remembering. Honestly, this has always been the thing you struggled with the most. It's hard to sit still and pay attention for so long. Hands folded in your lap, sit up straight, no bouncing your legs, smile politely, give small nods to show you are engaged without seeming improper...

The endless introductions of the past few weeks have been too important for you to allow yourself to get distracted. Enjoyment is the farthest thing from your mind as you glance over at your father. He looks healthy as ever from afar, but up close you can see the tell-tale signs of his illness. The gauntness of his face. The sweat upon his brow. The dark bags under his eyes. It worries you. But this is what he wants from his final... months? Years? It's hard to say how long he has left. And with what time remains, he wants to help you find your harem. Hence the endless parade of eligible bachelors, most of whom bore you half to death or make your skin crawl.

An odd sound draws your attention from your worries. It sounds almost like a small carriage has come into the throne room. The crowds part, murmurs rippling through the court as everyone watches the arrival of the newest suitor.

The source of the sound quickly becomes clear as two people make their way to where you and your father sit. The one that stands out more is the one who is, well, standing. He has shockingly orange hair and... the most captivating eyes you've ever seen. One green, one brown, both hidden behind faintly green-tinted glasses.

He's pushing the wheelchair of the other man. He's less flashy than his companion, but no less unique. He seems so sweet and curious, as though he's not used to this sort of affair. Which... given that no one appears to have met him before, is no surprise.

"Lord Elias Gallagher and his companion, Doctor Taylor Potts, from Diphylleia."

That explains it. This is, you can only assume, the reclusive youngest child of the rulers of Diphylleia. Bedbound from a young age, he has never once been seen in public. It's at once both startling and flattering to know that he deemed your search for suitors to be worthy of his first foray into society.

With some effort, Elias manages to stand from his chair. It's only for long enough to bow before he collapses back into it, the effort clearly having taken much of his energy. You smile warmly at him, wishing dearly that it wouldn't be so inappropriate of you to reassure him he need not stand or bow for you. Perhaps if you ever get a moment in private with him...

There are some greetings exchanged, but with so many visitors there's no time for proper conversation. You'll simply have to hope you run into the Lord and his Doctor again soon. With the sweet flushes of excitement on both of their cheeks and the way their eyes linger on you as Taylor pushes Elias to join the rest of the guests, you have no doubt they're as eager to speak as you are.

#sunshine #18+ only #the groom of gallagher mansion #elias gallagher #taylor potts #heir apparent #gn!reader

[azaisya]

"See them, in the corner? You're not getting anywhere in Leyerlai's court unless you win them over first."

featuring my beloved ocs finnelyn roselorre, heir to the rose throne, and his favorites, erytha clippeli and alkion moulla

#oc #oc art #original art #digital art #original character #finnelyn is ofc the heir apparent to House Roselorre; the noble house that specializes in wizardry and enchantment #erytha's one of the many cousins of a massive mage family that basically dominates the arcanist's guild #alkion's the second son to a vassal family w tenuous loyalty to House Roselorre and doesn't get along w his family #special mention to [redacted] for teaching me theatre trompe l'oeil. which i executed v haphazardly here slkjfhgs #candlesart #finn wip #finnelyn roselorre #catchall wizard tag #erytha clippeli #alkion moulla

[foolforshera]

Capella is excited because today, she gets to be trained by her Aunt Juliet, former General of the Bright Moon guard and her Aunt Castaspella's wife. An In-Between series fic for The Heir Apparent.

*****

Capella stood in the Bright Moon gym, pulling her hair back into a bandana. She watched as a squad of Bright Moon guards went through their morning warm up, the sergeant’s loud voice bouncing off the walls. Around the gym various other people, mostly guard staff, were working out. Normally, Capella would be training with them but today was special and she had little pleasant butterflies in her stomach. Today her Aunt Juliet was not only visiting but she was going to come down to the gym and train with her.

Capella knew when her aunt walked into the gym because she heard the hubbub of the gym die down to nothing but whispers. She turned around to see Juliet standing at the door with a bit of a frown on her face, several bags in her hand. Every guard there knew the former general of the Bright Moon guards, who’d led them during the war with Hordak’s Horde and then through most of Prime’s Occupation before falling to a chip, even though most of the people present hadn’t ever actually served under her before she retired. At the age of fourteen, Capella wondered what it was like to be a legend like that, where people stared when you entered a room and what it must be like. It didn’t occur to her that people did the same for her mom and dad, Bow and Glimmer, because they’d always done that and besides, Capella would have thought if she had recognized the fact, they were the king and queen so it didn’t really count.

#juliet #capella #in between #the heir apparent #spop #my fic

[secretwhumplair]

Rescue

1,147 words | Heir apparent

Content | Captivity, kidnapping, exhaustion, broken bones, whumper turned caretaker, past parental abuse, implied: beating, whipping, sleep deprivation

Notes | New series! How exciting! Meet an unfortunate kidnapped princeling and their shitty sorcerer parent!

(To be clear, they're shitty at parenting. They are VERY GOOD at sorcery.)

It had been days of a never-ending nightmare.

Sharru had barely hoped for his parent to come save him in any sort of a hurry to begin with, and with every hour, every blow, what hope he had faded further. It was his own fault, they would think, for being so weak and foolish as to be taken. It would do him good to learn a lesson at the hands of his captors.

His kidnappers had told him they had given their demands, but even they knew. »How long do you think their Majesty is going to leave you to us?« they’d laugh, clearly thrilled to have the son of their beloathed ruler at their mercy. »Best not waste our time together, huh?«

And they certainly didn’t.

He had at first tried to hold himself together, be as dignified as the heir apparent was expected to be, but that mask fell all too soon. He was used to pain, but not like this.

He was so exhausted - he could not even tell whether from sleep deprivation or pain - his head wasn’t working right, at any rate, so that he couldn’t figure out what it was that finally drew them away, he could only whimper in minimal relief. If only they hadn’t left him chained up to the walls by his wrists, his back bleeding from the last whipping.

There were screams, but they weren’t his screams, for once.

It didn’t last long. Someone entered the cell, and he knew his reprieve had come to an end. He couldn’t even be bothered to look up, he just attempted one more useless »Please…«, unsure if it was audible at all.

But no - he recognized that step.

He was sure who it was when he felt the pulse of heat of his parent’s magic at his wrists. The manacles fell away as if he hadn’t already tried everything to make them. He had never been able to reproduce the magic that flowed so amply through their veins, just one of the many ways in which he was a disappointment.

He collapsed.

He didn’t expect to be caught; he never had been. If anything, he would be punished for being so weak - so stupid as to be kidnapped, so helpless as not to escape, so weak as to now collapse at their feet.

Yet somehow - somehow - a pair of warm arms closed around him and prevented him from hitting the ground. His body screamed out in pain regardless.

Crying wasn’t allowed either, but he couldn’t help it, and what difference would it make now that they’d seen what had become of him?

* It had been over twenty years since Taba had held their son, before he learned how to walk.

They hadn’t expected to do it now, despite everything. They hadn’t - they shouldn’t go soft on him. But then, and they were still reeling with the violence of the realization, it hadn’t done much to protect him, in the end.

And he certainly couldn’t walk now.

There were many things they hadn’t expected. They hadn’t expected the sheer magnitude of the terror that washed through them when they heard their son was gone. They hadn’t expected the irresistible force of rage when they were sent the demands.

It took eight days to find and reach him, accompanied by their bodyguard.

They had exhausted most of their magic in the fight, but there was enough left to set this place on fire-

But no.

They would need it to heal their son.

Their precious little son now lying in their arms.

They had always found him frail, but they- they had never-

They had told themself they were teaching him to protect himself.

They had, they realized, taught him nothing.

They lifted him up into a bridal carry, getting a pained whimper in return; his back was a bloody mess, and that wasn’t half of it. He was crying. They had often forbidden him to cry, and always he would eventually fail.

They hoped he knew he wouldn’t be punished this time.

»Round up all that are still alive,« they ordered the nearest guard on the way out. »And then burn this whole place down.«

* In the state Sharru was in, he had barely managed to comprehend that it was, in fact, his parent carrying him before he was set down.

Of course he hadn’t expected it to last; he was more bewildered it had happened at all, that he hadn’t been made to crawl out after them - a valuable lesson - or at least carried by some random guard. Maybe they wanted to make sure his shredded back, his cracked ribs ached exactly the way they wanted.

Despite all this, he couldn’t help himself. It was ridiculous, and he would likely be punished for such a blatant display of weakness, and he didn’t want it to be them, he wanted it to be someone who actually cared about him - but he nuzzled into their arm, weeping into the fabric of their shirt.

But of course, he was set down soon enough. He tried to pull himself together, to get his wits about him, like he should.

If only he wasn’t so exhausted. His eyes were burning as he tried to focus on his parent, sitting right next to him, doubtlessly disappointed beyond measure, as usual. They were in one of the army tents. With what strength he had, he tried to push himself up, half because he was supposed to, wasn’t he, half to keep his weight off his back. »I’m sorry-«

Their hand caught his shoulder and easily pushed him down. »Stop. Rest.«

He couldn’t hold back a whine, or more tears rising to his eyes. The salty liquid seeped into the cut one of them had drawn across his cheek, burning worse. There was no point in arguing, so he laid back and tried to ignore the pain, all the pain, and give in to the exhaustion and just finally sleep.

He couldn’t. They took his hand and - most of his fingers had been broken under the cruel heel of a boot - he only didn’t wail because he hadn’t the strength any more - it hurt.

Then he felt the familiar sting of heat again. Not enough to burn him or even really hurt, but only just. It took him a moment before he realized - they were healing him.

He had never gotten more magical healing than what was necessary. His parent believed there was a lesson in suffering from the consequences of one’s mistakes.

So this could only mean - oh, no. Please, no. He would be expected to resume his duties as heir at once.

He couldn’t. He couldn’t.

But he couldn’t argue. He couldn’t even beg - it hadn’t worked on his captors, and his parent would despise it. He could only lie back, bleeding and hurting, and quietly weep.

#whump #whump writing #captivity #parental abuse #whumper turned caretaker #royal whump #my writing #heir apparent #sharru #taba #taba how is he supposed to know that #as always there will be a happy ending and in this case it *will* involve sharru getting (mostly) away from taba #... eventually

[gossamerorigins]

The only time when you’d say “this email could have been a meeting”

#I hope you like the alt text #rolled up sleeves #forearms #lee jae wook knew exactly what he was doing #apparently this is a thirst blog now #i can live with that #Lee jaewook #Lee Jae wook #Kdrama #kdrama actor #the impossible heir #disney+ #로얄로더

[puckthisyear]

Nikita Malkin, Crown Prince of PPG Paints Arena.

#this is a nikita stan account #heir apparent #evgeni malkin #nikita malkin

[oddberryshortcake]

I cannot emphasize how much I love both Jamil and Kalim

Both of their struggles are equally tragic in very different ways

The biggest difference between them is Kalim's happiness is more valued than Jamil's (and Kalim as a person is more valuable than Jamil) but no one is actively doing anything to stop the constant threats on his life

Meanwhile Jamil has so much talent and dreams that are just out of reach and only one person can give him the freedom to pursue them (Kalim) at the expense of being left alone without the constant companionship and protection Jamil had been giving him.

But neither of them asked for their lives to be encompassed by incredible wealth and fame, servitude and greed.

And I'm sure under different circumstances their relationship could've been naturally formed instead of being shoved together from the moment they were born.

If Jamil had his freedom and Kalim had independence, then maybe they could come back together as friends rather than being an heir to a great fortune and the servant assigned to him.

#this is exactly why I wrote The Worthy Heir so things would actually work out for them #I know there's this thing where apparently no one who likes one of them ever likes the other and I'm here having always liked both #I just like tragedy okay but I also like when that tragedy can get a happy ending #twst #twst wonderland #jamil viper #kalim al asim

[its-not-a-pen]

art for "Beans of various types" I feel like something bad is going to happen to me.

I feel like something bad has happened.

It hasn’t reached me yet, but it’s on its way.

And it’s getting closer.

And I don’t feel ready.

I feel like I can’t do anything.

--Lake Mungo (2008)

What a lovely day to be young, handsome and doomed by the narrative!

#FAQ: #“op what fandom?” chinese history RPF/romance of the three kingdoms (also tagged as “san guo”) #my writing #romance of the three kingoms #“my Heir Apparent is fine” your Heir Apparent is haunting his own life before it's even over. #you raised him to be a son and you raised his bothers to be warlords #he cant survive in this new world you've created and he can't go back to the way things use to be. you've forced him into a role he doesnt #want to play and he's too dutiful to bow out. he sees the lights dimming but he has to stay on stage until the curtain falls.

[goponylover]

Something You Should Know Page 2 Prev / Next

#tma au #the magnus archives au #heir apparent au #tma #tma oc #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #monster jon #martin blackwood #lonely avatar martin blackwood #jonmartin #trans jonathan sims #indrani sims #my art #oc kid

[ggomos-maribat]

Escapism: Overshadowing and Intangibility

Part 6.1 of Heirs Apparent | AO3

Masterlist

There was a time when Jason didn't believe in being saved. He knew himself what it was like to cling uselessly to hope, to wait for someone—anyone—to come to him at the right moment. He only believed in relying on himself, to wiggle out of a bad situation somehow until he could get away. Even now, he didn't want to stand still, despite the triplets fiercely battling each other. Yet he felt a sliver of helplessness, thinking that they wouldn't stand a chance against a horde of assassins.

Then amidst the inner and outer conflicts, he finally saw it: the true image of a savior.

By the name of Talia al Ghul.

"Hello, dears." She smiled. "Follow me, I'll lead you to the escape route."

Seeing Talia was . . . a breath of fresh air. During his time with her, Jason wouldn't have expected her to have children. But it wouldn't be surprising if she were protective of them.

"Why should we?" Dick asked warily.

She narrowed her eyes. "Because my children are risking their lives creating a distraction."

True enough, the three were still at each other's throats. When Jason took a look, he saw Danyal on top of Marinette with a knife, while the latter was aiming a rifle at him. But he caught the girl's feral grin when she aimed the gun not at her brother's head, but at the upper deck with the League elders in it.

"You gave them a signal," Tim concluded out loud, eyes wide.

Jason easily followed Talia when she plunged back in the darkness, with his brothers taking hesitant steps behind him. In that situation, there was no one else to trust but her. No, Jason was confident that she would lead them to safety. She guided them back through the winding paths, where there was a trail of knocked-out assassins.

"So . . ." Jason trailed off. "The triplets, huh?"

"Which one have you met?"

"Marinette."

Jason stared at the back of her head. He wished he could see the kind of expression she was making.

"My precious girl," said Talia, "I thought it was better to hide them away."

"I think it was better that way, too."

She only nodded at that. She must've sacrificed a lot . . . Jason thought, to keep her children alive. He hadn't known Marinette (or Danyal) before that time, and she barely talked about her mother. But he saw Talia in her, more than just from her looks. Her snappy remarks were all Talia. Her sharp gaze was all Talia. Her fighting style was similar to the one Talia had taught him.

Hell, even Damian had resembled Talia more than Bruce. And that boy spoke about his mother with pride albeit only on occasion.

They reached the bottom of a staircase when another set of footsteps echoed on the stone walls. Then, a voice rang out from a passage to their right. "Umi!"

Marinette fell into Talia's embrace, head buried on her mother's shoulder. Jason gave some distance for the sake of their reunion, seeing how Marinette appeared so vulnerable.

Talia placed her hands on Marinette's shoulders after they parted. "Listen, my love, I can't be with you the whole way."

"What?"

The woman looked at the path where Marinette came from. "I have to settle things with the opposing faction. But you must escape quickly." 

"But . . . but Damian and Danyal haven't seen you yet."

"I'm sorry, Habibti."

Jason could tell Marinette wanted to hold her back, but Talia headed towards the other way in the blink of an eye. He could see that Marinette was about to follow but he stepped forward to stop her.

"She wants you to get out of here," Jason told her firmly. "You know her. She'll be fine."

Although the tension hadn't left her fists and she still seemed distracted, Marinette stopped herself and continued along the main passageway.

"We haven't seen her in so long," she mumbled, but then shook her head and faced the three of them. "That reminds me, you at least need something to defend yourselves with."

Immediately, she started removing all kinds of weapons on her person (Jason didn't even know how she was able to carry all of it). Tim gaped at her. "How many weapons did you take?"

"Enough."

She tossed a pair of Escrima sticks to Dick, a retractable staff for Tim, and a pair of handguns and small blades to Jason. Jason noticed she kept a small gun and a knife for herself as well. He was reminded of some rumors during his time in the League: there was once an assassin skilled in handling guns, perhaps the best the League had ever seen. Now that he thought about it, no one ever specified that it was a man.

"Where's Damian and Danyal?" Dick asked.

"The separate gates we went into never lead to connecting paths until the exit. An assassin under Mother's faction told us," Marinette relayed. "It got messy in the arena, but we decided to split up so we could rescue the hostages."

"But why return to the same gate?"

She shrugged. "Caught up in the moment. We didn't notice which gate was which so I guess I'm back here with you. If Mother's plans are going well, the others should be on their way out as well."

Easier said than done, thought Jason. There were rumbles heard from afar, scuffles that could only be the clashing of both League factions.

Marinette glanced behind them. "There are assassins following. Let's hurry."

The dark path seemed unending but they picked up their paces, going straight. Footsteps began to sound out louder—Jason knew they'd have to fight back.

The girl in front of them gasped. "A dead end?"

Before Jason could move, Marinette turned back, pushing past them. "I can hold them back."

"There's too many. We'll help," Dick offered.

"No. As soon as they're caught off guard, go and find another path to the exit."

"We're not letting you handle all of them on your own," Jason insisted, "You'll definitely die. It's not fun dying."

She scoffed. "I've died thirty-six times, Jason. You're not special."

". . . What?"

Gunshots rang out of the blue as Marinette wounded the assassins one by one with a careful aim. Yeah, there's no way in hell we're leaving her here, Jason decided. He lunged for an attack, facing their assailants head on and using his knife on them. His brothers followed suit, much to Marinette's voiced protest.

Suddenly, an assassin stopped on his own, pausing as if paralyzed and suddenly banged his head on the wall to drop down unconscious. Others mimicked the same movement though doing so one by one.

"What the fuck?" Jason heard Tim whisper under his breath.

"Danny?" Marinette lowered her gun.

"Oh you rang?" The voice of a child echoed in the tunnel just as the last body dropped. "Wait, you mean Danny with a 'y'?"

As if the day couldn't get stranger, a little girl materialized in front of them from a wisp of . . . something otherworldly, yet strangely familiar to Jason. The only way he could describe her is that she looked like a younger version of Marinette.

"Ellie," Marinette blinked in surprise. "You're Ellie, aren't you?"

The girl, 'Ellie', crossed her arms while looking at Marinette. "How do you know my name? How do you know my brother?"

"Because he's my brother, too."

What? Jason's head was spinning.

"Danny doesn't have other siblings," Ellie narrowed her eyes.

"That you know of," Marinette said, "For now, you just have to trust us, okay? We have to get out of here."

"But Danny and Jazz—"

"Should also be on their way out," Marinette cut her off. "Do you know how to get out of here? Did you come here alone?"

The little girl grimaced, "Ehm, technically Sam and Tuck are with me but I just got ahead of them. Oh! But I met Batman and these two cool heroes on the way here. We split up after we connected comms but I lost the signal."

"Batman? You met Batman?" Dick repeated.

"Uh, yeah the old man."

"The two heroes, who were they?" Marinette's face twisted into a frown.

"Viperion and Ryuko!" Ellie's blue eyes practically glittered. "They were really cool. I want to be like them."

When Jason looked at Marinette, her face was unreadable. On top of that, Jason didn't expect Bruce to actually come to the base on his own without backup.

"Are we not going to talk about how you two look alike?" Tim chimed in. "And what the fuck just happened? Did those assassins just . . . die?"

"Oh yeah, we do look alike." Ellie's eyebrows raised, like she had just realized it.

"Um, hello?" Tim poked an unconscious assassin with his foot. "Are they dead?"

"I overshadowed them."

"Over-what?"

Meanwhile, Marinette sighed and rubbed her head. "It's a long story but not my story to tell. We should focus on getting out of here. Ellie, do you know the way out?"

"It's over there." Ellie gestured towards the supposed dead end. "That wall actually opens up."

The child glides past them and disappears into the wall. Jason had to do a double take. A few seconds later, the wall makes a rumble and a portion of it slides to the right to reveal a narrow opening.

"Um, again, what the fuck," Tim stared at the new pathway in astonishment.

Marinette's shoulders visibly sagged in relief. "Thanks, Ellie. We have to hurry; more assassins might be behind us."

----

Danny was pretty sure the boom they just heard was an explosion. He ran through the shaking tunnels, feeling the dust sprinkle on top of him. They want to stop our escape, he cursed inwardly, and also the other faction. Looking behind him, he could see the three Parisians running their breaths ragged.

He closed his fists. If things get worse, I might be forced to transform. Them too.

"Umm, does this count as an emergency to transform?!" Chloe shrieked after another cacophony of blasts reverberated.

"Save your transformations," Danny told them before Adrien could reply. "We don't have a way to recharge your kwamis if your timers run out. I'll protect you."

"Are you gonna enlighten us how?" Alix asked.

Danny was planning to make up a lame half-truthful explanation when they saw that their path was obstructed. Rubble covered up the entirety of the opening, creating a dead end in the small passage.

"Is there another way out?" Adrien breathed out.

No . . . we'd have to come back all the way where we came from. Danny clenched his jaw. Mother's attendant said this was our only path.

"I can transform and Cataclysm—"

"No." Danny made his voice firm. "We don't know the extent of its destruction. This whole tunnel might collapse . . . I have an idea."

He gulped down his uncertainties and turned around to face them. "Everyone hold hands. We're going through this."

Alix tilted her head. "What? Have you actually lost your mind?"

Danny held his hand out. "Just trust me on this, alright? It's the only way."

The other hesitantly formed a link: Alix at the rear, Chloe in front of her, then Adrien taking Danny's hand. The blonde boy seemed to recoil a little when he felt his skin. "Um . . . your hand's really cold."

Despite the situation, Danny chuckled. "So I've been told." He checked the path where they came from in case there were pursuers. "Listen . . . whatever you do, don't let go."

Chloe huffed. "That definitely doesn't sound ominous."

"Just relax. This'll be quick."

Tugging the group forwards, Danny turned intangible and passed it on to the rest. They swiftly walked through the rubble, reaching the other side of the blockage. Fortunately, the rest of the path seemed open.

"What the heck was that?!" Chloe gawked at their surroundings.

"You can let go now." Danny ran a hand through his hair. "It's a power of mine. It's hard to explain in detail right now but it has something to do with me being half-ghost."

"I'm sorry, half-ghost?" Adrien's eyes widened.

"This and that happened and now I'm half-dead," Danny smiled, looking at their different reactions. Adrien looked like he had just obtained a puzzle piece about an oddity. Alix was looking at her hands, muttering to herself. Chloe's expression said something like 'am I being ridiculed right now?'

"Don't think too much about it—"

Danny stopped, sensing a presence ahead of them. A presence nearing them. He moved forward, ready to shield the others if things turn south, then he saw who had just approached them.

"Damian?" A gravelly voice rang out.

Danny calmed his stance. "I'm not Damian."

Batman seemed to have reacted but he kept silent. Danny wished he could see behind the cowl. Sure, I wanted to meet him someday but Ancients, why now?!

"Huh, you are shorter than I expected, Mr. Batman sir." Danny gazed at the masked figure of his biological father.

"That's really Batman?!" Chloe whispered behind him.

"We're currently headed to the exit," Danny explained with a steady tone. "The others are separated but they should be on their way out too. I'm Danny and these are Adrien, Chloe, and Alix."

Batman, too, took on a more professional demeanor. "You match the description of the ones who went missing in the bus incident. But the ones I came here for—"

"I said they should be on their way out too, old man." Dami-akhi wasn't kidding when he said the old man was crazy stubborn. But then again, we all got it from him. "You're not getting through that rubble. It's blocked. So please escort us to the exit, 'kay?"

"How did you get through?" Batman pressed on.

". . . It's a secret." Danny put a finger to his lips. "Can we get a move on now? This place can go kaboom any second you know."

The vigilante finally relented, turning the other way to lead them along the path. Danny could hear the three conversing among themselves, debating why Batman would go through the effort of rescuing the Wayne children in a faraway location.

"Do you know an 'Ellie'?" Batman asked suddenly.

Danny stiffened for a moment. "Ellie? Ellie's here?"

"Yes, we met at the entrance and split up at a fork along with two other heroes, Ryuko and Viperion. I lost contact with them a while ago as well as the Batplane, which Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley are piloting."

This girl . . . He didn't expect her to actually get herself involved. And Tucker and Sam are here too?! A part of him wanted to tell off Batman for not stopping them, but he knew how persistent they were. Especially Ellie, who was an entire force to reckon with on her own.

Tucker and Sam are piloting the Batplane. Ancients, my friends are crazy.

"Shit. Ryuko and Viperion are here too?" Adrien caught up with Danny's pace.

"Parisian local heroes?" Batman asked.

Adrien held his tongue and looked away. Danny made a mental note to help steer the conversation away from the topic of Paris and Miraculi if anything came up.

"I have to ask you as well, Daniel, what your relation is to Damian Wayne and Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

Wow, interrogation time already? Danny let out a scream of frustration in his head. Can we, like, escape from here first?

"It's just Danny." He kept his expression neutral. "And isn't it obvious, Batman? They're my siblings." 

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