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howtofightwrite · 2 years

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How physically active were actually "medieval" noble women? I know is a long period but I usually see people complaning about noble women in fantasy doing stuff such as hunting or riding horses. I have seen a couple of illustrations of fencing manuals with women in them too.

We, as a culture, especially in the US, have a very bad habit of using the British Regency/Victorian era as the gold standard for how women all over the world were treated throughout history. And the truth is, it ain’t that way. It never was, because women in this exact era used to duel each other in other parts of Europe and often did it topless.

Yes, this is real. We have records of it.

Was it all women, all the time? No. Was it often enough to mention? Yes.

There’s a really good article by Kameron Hurley, “Women Have Always Fought” that goes over the history of women warriors and the laziness of specular fiction in detail. This is a particularly great few paragraphs from the article that covers where our popular conception that women don’t fight comes from.

“Women have always fought,” he said. “Shaka Zulu had an all-female force of fighters. Women have been part of every resistance movement. Women dressed as men and went to war, went to sea, and participated actively in combat for as long as there have been people.”

I had no idea what to say to this. I had been nurtured in the U.S. school system on a steady diet of the Great Men theory of history. History was full of Great Men. I had to take separate Women’s History courses just to learn about what women were doing while all the men were killing each other. It turned out many of them were governing countries and figuring out rather effective methods of birth control that had sweeping ramifications on the makeup of particular states, especially Greece and Rome.

Half the world is full of women, but it’s rare to hear a narrative that doesn’t speak of women as the people who have things done to them instead of the people who do things. More often, women are talked about as a man’s daughter. A man’s wife.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Check out some of these real women below.

Empress Maude, the daughter of the English King, Henry I, was named her father’s heir after her brother died. While her cousin Stephen stole the throne after her father’s death, she raised an army and took the country into a civil war to take it back. They fought it out for the decade it took for her son to reach adulthood, and laid the groundwork for Henry II to become king. There’s a great novel by Sharon Kay Penman, When Christ and His Saints Slept which chronicles the civil war. If you’re interested in medieval history, I recommend reading it. Her daughter-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, also led an interesting life. (It should be said, real history got to the denied female heir fights for her throne before George R.R. Martin.)

There’s great videos from Xiran Jay Zhao discussing the Chinese warrior queen Fu Hao of the Shang Dynasty and Wu Zetian, who became China’s first female emperor. (Yes, you read that right. Emperor.)

There is Khutulun, the Wrestler Princess and the great-great granddaughter of Gengis Khan, who is one source of our “defeat her in battle to marry her” tropes. She issued this challenge, “defeat her in wrestling, she’ll marry.” She scammed would be suitors out of 10,000 horses. Western male authors are so threatened by Khutulun, they’ve kept trying to rewrite her history by making her fall victim to the power of love. (No, seriously.)

There’s also Hojo Masako, the Buddhist nun who deposed her own son when he proved incompetent and ruled Japan as Shogun. Here’s her wiki entry too.

The Amazons of Greek Myth were real in that they were actual Scythian women who went to war. (As Scythian women did, just like their men.) They terrified and terrorized the Greeks so much, they became immortalized in their mythology. Don’t believe me? Here’s an article from National Geographic and this one from Live Science.

There’s stories like this all throughout history from big events to small ones. (You can find more over at Rejected Princesses if you’re interested.) There are female warriors, female generals, noblewomen who took command of their husbands’ forces, widows who took to the sea to get revenge on those who wronged them, women who rode with their husbands to battle, female assassins, female leaders of rebellions, etc. The women of the Japanese samurai class were trained to fight, and fight they did. Women warriors, queens, and politicians are all over mythology too. You’ll often see these women come out of the upper echelons of society because money creates options, but they are there. Many of those stories are lost to history, in some cases purposefully, and there was a long trend among archeologists that assumed because a person was buried with male grave goods, the body had to be male. We’re now finding out that isn’t true. There’s a significant portion of warrior corpses that have turned out to be female. Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla chose to post a notice about it in response to these exact criticisms you’re questioning.

Those people you see complaining online? They’re clinging to a version of history that doesn’t exist. More, we know it doesn’t, because popular culture is hungry to the point of desperate for aggressive, confident, and competent female characters. If they were truly a lie, they wouldn’t ring true for so many people.

The history we’re taught today largely downplays women’s achievements, contributions, and successes while uplifting those of men. It’s a fact. Go look at famous female figures anywhere, you’ll find the same story at play over and over. Historically, fantasy as a genre largely portrays a world that is, in fact, fantasy, but that fantasy has nothing to do with women doing things they’re not “supposed” to. There’s no clubhouse. There’s nothing unrealistic in imagining your female character is a kickass queen who defeats overconfident men in wrestling competitions and robs them of all their horses. It’s not unrealistic to come up with an ending that doesn’t conclude in tragedy, violent deaths, them “learning their place,” or even locked within the bonds of an unhappy marriage. (Shocker!) Some did, but the truth isn’t universal. It’s not even unrealistic to imagine they might have supportive male family members, love interests, and followers who happily (gasp) assist them in these endeavors. Maude, for reference, had bastard half-brothers who helped her instead of trying to take the throne for themselves.

History got here before fantasy authors. There’s nothing unrealistic about reality. Popular conceptions and common knowledge fed to us by the majority male dominated culture isn’t always the truth. Reality is, it’s the stories we see normalized across the media spectrum that are wrong. The ones that insist women are objects, who commodify their pain, and reframe their stories to ensure the focus remains on men. While this is changing, women are still often treated as the NPCs of male driven stories.

The people you hear complaining? They want storytelling traditions to stay that way, for the Great Man values countless narratives have reinforced to remain unchallenged. Funny as it sounds, they’re threatened by the very existence of narratives that countermand that centralized focus on men being superior, that there is a stratified gender hierarchy, and men taking their place as the sole, worshipful focus of a woman’s existence, much less these female characters being important in their own narratives. If these people weren’t threatened by female characters being people, they wouldn’t say anything. They’d just move on in apathy.

Reality is people are complicated. There’s room for all stripes in all colors and contexts. It’s no secret that history has suppressed and erased countless stories that don’t support the ruling narrative of the dominant culture. These same people forget there’s plenty of storytelling traditions that include women taking their place as warriors in cultures outside America. For all the sexism and misogyny, women fighting is not an alien concept, it’s not even foreign to other Western European traditions.

Believe what your own research is showing you, not what a bunch of idiots who can’t tell their ass from their elbow are whining about. They can’t handle someone who isn’t straight, male, and (most often) white being the central focus. Really, they can’t handle these characters as even a side focus. That’s their loss, it doesn’t have to be yours.

-Michi

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#Michi answers #how to fight write #writing advice #writing reference #writing tips #history

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littledata · 2 months

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what are these "best fics youve ever read that barely have any hits" you mentioned? can you give us a top 5 or sonething?

Oh God, you've really shamed me here because I read a LOT of random fics from fandoms I'm not even part of and the stories I was referring to largely come from there.

However, in the interest of practising what I preach, I sat down today and read a bunch of Warrior Nun fics I'd never read before so I could rec you some. To be totally clear, these aren't necessarily going to have "hardly any hits" but are fics that I think could use more love in general.

In no particular order:

I was seeing black and white (and now I'm living in color) by gayestcatra - 1281 words, a beautifully soft fic set in Switzerland with gorgeous description. By the same author I also enjoyed (your life was) my life's best part, an angsty Mary/Shannon exploring Mary's (heartbreaking) grief after Shannon's death.

Cat’s Cradle security checkpoint logs by @jtl07 - 518 words, have I raved enough on tumblr yet about how much I love their writing? No? Oh okay I'll do it again then. JT is one of my favourite writers in the fandom and I love this series of fics they did giving creative looks into the characters - this particular one is the contents of their bags but the whole series is worth checking out (and everything else they write too, obviously).

Lauds by @sisterdivinium - 3152 words, Mother Superion/Jillian Salvius. WE LOVE A RAREPAIR. Gorgeously written fic where you feel the weight of every single action. The author has a TON of fics if you liked this one too.

you're my best friend (in a world we must defend) by @daisychainsandbowties - 3980 words, avatrice and Pokemon. Beatrice's characterisation in this drives me insane. I MUST know more. If you know nothing about pokemon here's your primer: they're funny little guys you catch and make fight, exactly like the Catholic church did to Ava. There, now you've got no excuse not to read it.

Dead People Don't Shiver by waterintheshadows - 2068 words, avatrice soulmate AU set in a morgue FUCK YEAH. This is the kind of shit I live for. Great concept, great execution.

Where The River Bends by @itchyouchyz - 100,750 words, avatrice 1960s midwife AU. Full disclosure - it's 100k - I haven't finished it yet. But I LOVE what I've read so far, tender and lovely. Check the tags for trigger warnings on this one!

keep me in your mirror (but don't take your eyes off the road) by minutetuna - 26,343 words, avatrice season 2 road trip au. It made me feel this precise emotion: hnnnnnnghhhhh. There is a particular style of writing which is just bouncy and pacy and still draws you into every single emotion and this author has it in spades. LOVE.

This was so much fun! If anyone else wants to hit me up with some recs I'd love to hear them - even if (especially if) they're your fics. It's a long weekend, might as well spend it reading fanfiction.

#warrior nun #avatrice #ava silva #sister beatrice #fic recs #i'm also writing fanfiction update is coming i swear #not really a good rec list just a list of my opinions #i wrote this post as I was reading and you can see me getting steadily more excited by all the awesome fics as I go #asks

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mystic-shadows42 · 2 years

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Trying to Ignore The Last Kingdom Men’s Advances Would Include:

For the past several weeks that Uhtred and his men have resided with you as they hid, you’ve been trying your hardest to keep the men from the young ladies when you should’ve been looking after yourself. Sister Mary had her hands full being an elder nun who often sheltered young ladies who were in need of repairing their reputation wherever they came from.

You yourself were not a nun but one that enjoyed the sheltered life and helping out others. As sister Mary would state, “might as well take the sacred oath.”

It never occurred to you that since Uhtred and his men arrived that he always tended to flock to your side. It caught you off guard that one of your girls nudged you and subtly gestured in Uhtred’s direction that you understood what she was hinting at.

Uhtred had his eyes on you. Not a lustful look but one with keen interest that scared you even more. Once dinner was over Uhtred was the one that volunteered to help you clean. You could feel him staring, making your hands shake in nervousness.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” He asked with the biggest smile on his face.

“I don’t very much appreciate the way you look at me the way you do. It is inappropriate.”

“It’s hard not to look considering you are very beautiful. Where else am I supposed to place my attention? Certainly not on sister Mary.”

You couldn’t help but stifle a laugh and tried covering your mouth with your hand once sister Mary looked over trying to oversee that nothing of sin occurred in her household. You cleared your throat and waited until the attention was away from you both.

“Flattery can only get you so far my lord Uhtred.”

He placed his hand over yours before taking the dirty bowls from your hands. “It’ll take me far enough.”

Uhtred and his men made it inside the alehouse. It was hard to ignore the group of men especially when they all looked over to where you stood and ended up pushing Finan to where you were.

Finan certainly was no stranger to the alehouse. You and him often chatted igniting the spark that you both felt but never acted on. You were a barmaid from a little town and he was a warrior that was constantly traveling.

It went nothing beyond the casual flirting whenever he came here. After serving him and his companions all night Finan had dragged you away from prying eyes.

“Come away with me.”

You looked at him and chuckled. It was so sudden that you thought he was joking.

“I think you’ve had too much to drink.”

“I haven’t. I swear on my life that you needn’t want for anything.”

The smile on your face dropped knowing he was serious. No one had ever offered to take you away from this place. It was all you’ve ever known but still, you would deny it.

“This is my home.”

“Take a look around. This place offers you nothing but little coin to get by. Come with me and you’ll see the world. Beautiful places beyond what you can imagine. Isn’t that your dream? To see the world? You can see it with me.”

Apprehension filled you. There was nothing more you wanted than to see the world with Finan but you hardly knew the man besides seeing him now and then. You saw men every day of your life at the alehouse and heard how they spoke. All men ever wanted was to bed women and move on. There was no commitment to anything.

Finan held onto your hands.

“If your fear is that I’ll abandon you, I won’t. I’ll swear it on my lucky sword.”

“Finan,” you whispered.

He unsheathed his sword and knelt down on the floor raising his sword up to you with both hands. “I Finan swear to you that I will honor my word. I will keep you safe and never lie.”

Your heart felt incredibly full like never before.

“Okay.”

Finan’s whole face seemed to light up at your answer.

“You need to stop with all the gifts and coins.” You stated giving Sihtric a serious look when all he was doing was smiling.

“I only wish to provide for you.”

“Why must you do so? I’ve done nothing to deserve such kindness nor your affection. It must stop now. I have children that I must take care of. I don’t have time to get into something that isn’t meant to be.”

He cocked his head to the side regarding your words. He didn’t seem bothered or phased by what you said. No, he looked more determined than ever.

“You think that’s going to stop me from pursuing you? Then you’re sorely mistaken.”

He took a step forward that made you hold your hands up to stop him.

“I have children Sihtric.” You spoke hoping that would deter him just as it did to other men.

“I love children.”

“They don’t very much care for strangers.”

“I’m very entertaining. I carry a sword and have plenty of stories to tell from my adventures. I think that’s enough to capture their attention.”

“You travel constantly. Even if you were to be in their lives they would miss you immensely.”

You were reaching by this point. Anything to try to distance yourself from this man starting to invade your life and into your heart.

“No matter where I go or for how long I will always find my way back to you. That’s a promise and I’m not one for breaking my promises once I’ve made one.”

Osferth barged through the doors of the church in what seemed to be a hurry. He breathed heavily and his eyes widened when he saw you smiling back at him amused by his actions.

He cleared his throat. You tried to hide your smile by biting your lip. You found Osferth to be cute and his nervousness around you was amusing.

“Pardon the intrusion, my lady. I was hoping to see father Beocca or Hild.”

“Neither are here but I am if you need anything.”

He looked down and shuffled his feet.

“I’m afraid it’s private.”

You smiled even more. Osferth was more than welcomed to confide in you after all you were the apprentice of Hild herself.

“Your in God’s house among friends. I’m offering guidance if you’ll allow me to.”

He seemed to debate it then sat down next to you visibly gulping.

“I’m afraid my thoughts have been impure as of late.”

His honesty caught you off guard at first. It was so unlike Osferth to have any impure thoughts considering he was one of the nicest and humblest of men you’ve ever met.

“Impure in what way?”

“I know I’ve made an oath to God when I was young but now there’s a part of me that is beyond my control.” You nodded and allowed him the time to continue. “There’s this woman whom is quite beautiful and whenever I’m around her I want to act on these urges I’ve been having.”

You took a deep breath trying to settle your own thoughts. Could this woman he speaks of possibly be you? It was bad to think so but you so badly wanted it to be.

“How far do these desires go?”

“All I want is to kiss her but in my dreams I’m,” he gulped before licking his lips. “Doing more than that. Then I wake up, inflamed, in need of relieving myself all the while my thoughts are of her still.”

“This woman in question,” you inquired. “Is she aware of your thoughts?”

He silently turned his head and looked right at you. “Now she does.”

Now it was your turn to appear as nervous as you felt. It felt as if your heart was leaping out of your chest and your body was hot all over. He was now looking at your lips and like a trance both of you closed the space between your bodies until your lips met.

It was all new and foreign to both of you. Purely from watching others embrace their lovers you parted your lips allowing his tongue to invade yours. His hand grazed your leg reaching higher.

It was all escalating until someone cleared their throat loudly. That’s when Osferth jumped from his seat and stood up clearly not helping the situation with his apparent erection appearing from beneath his robes. He seemed to notice it too and folded his hands before himself.

It was Hild who had walked in on you both but she stood quiet. Now judging with her eyes which to you seemed just as worse.

Osferth’s cheeks reddened. He quickly looked over at you before he departed past Hild who you knew would reprimand you later.

#Uhtred #Finan #Sihtric #Osferth #Uhtred x reader #Finan x reader #Sihtric x reader #Osferth x reader #Uhtred imagine #Finan imagine #Sihtric imagine #Osferth imagine #Uhtred drabble #Finan drabble #Sihtric drabble #Osferth drabble #The Last Kingdom

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simplykorra · 1 year

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the bittersweet between my teeth - chapter six

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Ava wakes up to sirens.

It’s not an entirely remarkable event, it’s happened twice this week.

That doesn’t stop it from making her heart race, she’s just thankful the sky is bright when it happens this time.

As she listens to them approach, then reach their highest pitch before passing further down the street - but not entirely out of earshot, Ava clutches the pillow under head and squeezes it.

Never in her life did Ava think she would miss St. Michaels, and she doesn’t really - she doesn’t miss being mistreated and abused.

While it wasn't physical, Ava's smart enough to know that Sister Frances and some of her pudgy old nun buddies took pleasure in making her feel worthless.

So no, she doesn't miss that.

What Ava does miss is the movement - the knowledge that people were there. Even if none of them cared for her, it was nice to not be so completely alone.

That’s what this place makes Ava feel - alone.

CONT ON AO3

#avatrice #avatrice fanfiction #avatrice au #warrior nun #warrior nun fanfiction #this chapter is absurdly long #but i'm pretty happy with it #thank you all so much for the support on this story <3 #reblogs appreciated #more coming soon

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smokestarrules · 2 years

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ok so what was YOUR fav avarice scene?

Okay. Okay. I am prepared for this question. It wasn’t The Kiss (although that’s a very good fucking scene) and it wasn’t The Kiss PURELY because this scene in episode five grabbed me by the throat. I don’t think I can really articulate the feral emotions this scene makes me feel, but I can try. Also the ten-image limit really tried to screw me here, but I did my best.

First thing I want to mention is that Beatrice checks Ava’s pulse before she really starts losing her mind, which means that Ava literally does die. Her heart stops. Beatrice cannot feel her heartbeat. And no wonder - the girl cracked her skull open!! No one can survive that. Beatrice thinks, 100%, that Ava is gone.

Then the speech!!! Beatrice’s character arc in this season can be brought down to two things, I think: 1) learning to accept that her own feelings are valid, no matter what those feelings may be and 2) learning to be selfish.

She doesn’t want Ava to die. She wants Ava to live for her. She knows the lifespan of a Warrior Nun is short, but that’s not enough. She needs Ava to live for herself.

And Ava does, thank god (Reya?). And here comes the part of the scene that really makes me lose my mind, because thus far this has been The Beatrice Show, so here’s Ava’s part in it.

“They can’t beat us, Bea. Not together.” THIS!!!! I’ve said it before - it would’ve been so easy for Ava to make a joke in this moment, to turn the tone more lighthearted. But Ava sees, I think, sees how fucking terrified Beatrice had been, and so her first instinct instead is to console her with the very thought that’s undoubtedly been keeping Ava calm.

They can’t be beaten together. Not only does it speak to how much their bond has strengthened since s1, the way they just get each other now, it’s also ultimately a calming idea. They can’t be beaten together. Not just because Beatrice will protect her, but because Ava is stronger with her there.

And Beatrice knows all that already, of course she knows already, but she’d still needed to hear it. They’re in this together. They’re stronger with each other, and they’re on the same page about it.

And then this hug is just. The softest thing I’ve ever seen. There’s absolutely no time for this, but no one rushes them. They comfort each other without any more words, because they don’t need them.

Bro. This scene.

#haha brainrot amiright #warrior nun #warrior nun spoilers #ava silva #sister beatrice #avatrice #smokey answers #anonymous #500

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sisterdivinium · 1 year

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Think "necessity" of evil in the ultimate doing of good ("For God judged it better to bring good out of evil than not to permit any evil to exist"); sin/failure for the sake of elevation, personal and otherwise, and how each of the characters "falls" so that good may come of it somehow, be it in general knowledge, assistance in pursuing good or personal enlightenment.

I'm far too lacking in dogmatic understanding to pursue this specific angle of investigation the way I'd like to and it's driving me crazy.

#vincent the traitor who releases adriel and later repents yes - but this ultimately brings us to reya #who would've stayed in shadow otherwise and hidden the danger she represents. oh the blood that was shed #but the progression of history has required it always and a few cardinals slain in a hotel are a small price to pay #suzanne the prideful who must be bent into accepting and trusting the women around her eventually #who followed by shannon the wronged (innocent?) precipitates the rise of ava #ava whom suzanne also aids and could not have done so had she not fallen #beatrice the forsaken who carves a path towards herself by using her pain #and without whom the designated saviour would never be able to save anyone of course #mary the abandoned who pays for the sins of her mother and thus buys herself the family she needs #jillian the relentless whose curiosity is fed in morsels at the exchange of human life #but who does gain glimpses at Something and who does become more human herself through loss #lilith the heir whose arrogance costs her more than one family but who might well lead the way to new life #michael the lamb who dies so ava may find her own way towards achieving her goal #i know this isn't exactly dogmatic but still; i'm caught up with nathaniel hawthorne see #read the marble faun and you will understand where this is coming from #i remember being struck by how in starz' spartacus every single character action brought on new disaster #but here in warrior nun - as much as disaster is part of it - there seems to be a light at the end of each tunnel in a way #complications arise one after the other but there are gains along the way #i shall ponder a good while more #if for no other reason than babbling in the tags like this is unacceptable #i was raised a civilised woman and i will write cohesive ordered texts like one! (eventually!)#analysis and similar #exercises in observation

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ygsunflower · 1 year

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One of my head canons for Avatrice in s3 is that Bea would end up with some serious separation anxieties once Ava got back- In the beginning, Ava thought it was all sweet and cute until one day Beatrice literally had a panic attack and franticly searched for her in the new OCS chapter. Ava was confused at first of why Bea sounded mad at her when she just got carried away talking to Camila and followed her back to her quarters. Then, with Bea’s dodging eyes, Ava realized that there was more to it, and that her going to the other realm really did a number on Bea. So she sat Bea down and confronted her.

They talked- Beatrice let down her guard and told Ava that she always had fears of being left alone since her parents shipped her to that boarding school. Sending Ava over to the other side even though she did it to save her, it still triggered her so much. [maybe this would be a good place to also insert some flashbacks of depressed Bea in her desperately looking for Ava era] She didn’t know if she was ever to see Ava again just like when her parents left her at the new school all those years ago…

Ava listened while switching from holding Bea’s hands to fully embracing her in a tight hug and letting Beatrice cry & be vulnerable… [They hug as in Ava holding Beatrice from behind on their shared bed, and occasionally planting kisses on the top of Bea’s head. Bea was holding so tightly onto Ava’s arm as if her life depended on it.] From this tender moment on, Ava’s set on helping her person, the person who helped her grow into her amazing self, Beatrice, to heal the scars left by the “evil asshole parents” (Ava’s words). She’d leave notes or text messages to Bea whenever they have to be separate for a bit (on different missions and all). Other people would tease Ava for acting so clingy, but Ava didn’t care. Ava would gladly take others thinking she’s clingy and a little bit too “possessive”/“protective” of Beatrice over everyone seeing Beatrice’s blasting anxieties. Eventually, Beatrice got her separation anxieties under control, but she didn’t tell Ava right away, because she secretly enjoyed Ava’s little notes. Those texts were tangible proofs that Ava cared so deeply about her and that Ava would do anything she could to always come back to her.

Let’s Save Warrior Nun!!!

#thank you for coming to my Avatrice emo talk #avatrice #sister beatrice #ava silva #warrior nun #save warrior nun #alba baptista #kristina tonteri young

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oneatlatime · 6 months

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Appa's Lost Days

Dare I hope?

You know, if ten year old me had turned on my TV to watch my weekly dose of Avatar and been greeted with a nearly two minute long uninterrupted sequence of a frightened and distressed animal being mistreated, that TV would have turned right back off again.

I don't buy that a ten tonne bison who has the leverage of his own weight as well as his airbending abilities would succumb to so few people.

Name one other character that Avatar has presented as so thoroughly without any redeeming characteristics. Even Zhao was at least kind of funny. Everything about the chucklehead on the left is rotten to the core. "What's your dad going to do when he finds out we broke his stuff while doing crime?" "Nothing. It's not his stuff; it's previous crime."

I thought beetle-headed was a commentary on their intelligence, but it's actually a description.

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that I should have waited to get my hopes up until I came to an episode called Appa's Found Days. Is this whole thing going to be a series of near misses with the Gaang?

You know, if I had a nickel for every time an animal companion on this show has been threatened with a trip to the butcher's, I'd have two nickels. In the space of two episodes.

This is not fun to watch guys.

Not if I break you first asshole.

The way this Nurse Ratched type circus guy says "earn it" is chilling.

Of course the Fire Nation would find a way to turn bending into animal abuse. Of course.

a) that cage is way too small b) who knew cabbage suction could be so cute?

Completely unsubtle parallel with the boy here, right down to the complete disregard they show to the threats thrown their way.

Stubborn and wilful are not adjectives I would use to describe Appa this episode, or ever.

Wind buffalo. Wind Buffalo. Really? Was Fart Cow taken?

That's a very relatable facial expression.

That makeup and costume is awful.

Now that's satisfying.

Is the Fire Nation kid voiced by Aang's voice actor?

Nevermind. THAT'S satisfying.

I was right - this episode is Appa always being a step behind the Gaang.

Baby Appas! This almost makes this episode worth it!

It's funny how a single feature can contribute so much to a character's design. Arrowless Aang is just some kid. Let me rephrase that, since such a big part of Aang's character is the fact that he's just some goofy kid. Arrowless Aang is indistinguishable from other kids for the first time this series, because every other time we've seen him on screen he's either the only child airbender with his arrows, or the only airbender left.

Lady monks. Nuns? I don't think I've seen those before.

Appa and Aang share a dreamscape? That could be useful.

There's dumb, there's really dumb, and then there's 'wake a completely asleep and therefore harmless unknown creature with threats of violence' dumb.

Close call for Iroh. Do you think he's suspected that Appa (and presumably the Avatar) haven been in Ba Sing Se this whole time?

Bipedal Appa is strange. A very effective fighter, but strange to look at.

I'm amazed that giant boar thing walked away from that.

And now they're hitting me with an 'Appa's given Up' montage. Someone who works on this show hates me.

*Heroically refrains from ranting about the impracticality of using white fabric for an active warrior's glove.*

"This could be our most important mission yet." Foreshadowing?

Did Suki and Appa actually meet at any point in the Warriors of Kyoshi episode?

Turns out 'Aang' is a magic word.

Appa kisses!

Appa is apparently legally banned from having anything good for more than five minutes. Although it's good writing that they're using a previously established weakness - Appa's shedding - to bring the danger ladies back in.

I guess they have Azula drop the line about her brother to remind the audience of who she is, but surely Suki's like "Who are you? Who's your brother? Why should I care?"

Azula going after the Kyoshi warriors is completely unnecessary right? The Avatar isn't there. Neither are Zuko and Iroh. It doesn't even net her Appa. She's just looking for someone to beat up.

WOW this is bad writing. Like really bad. My Immortal levels of bad.

Would it be too much to ask for the Kyoshi warriors to do even slightly ok against the Azula ladies? Couldn't they at least get a couple of hits in?

Kudos to Suki for essentially sacrificing herself and her warriors to save Appa. 'Most important mission yet' was a bit on the nose.

Out of options, Appa goes home. Ouch.

Someone explain this to me. Air Bison teething ring?

My what a human sounding cough you have buddy.

This is why you don't use Air Bison as guard dogs.

I like what this Guru is saying. Fear displacing trust but not love feels more accurate than how I usually see the consequences of trauma discussed.

The music playing throughout this sequence fits so well. I think it's some sort of metal thing you hit - I want to say a variation on tubular bells, and maybe something Glockenspiel adjacent? It's unlike anything I've heard in this show before and it fits so well that I'm nerding out a bit.

Disney princess Guru. Aang has Disney princess moments too. Maybe it's an Air Nomad thing?

No wonder the monks built a temple here. Even destroyed, it's gorgeous.

And Appa decides to trust again. I love it when an animal visibly comes to a decision about your trustworthiness.

This energy reading stuff makes sense given that Aang and Appa already share a dreamscape.

He IS a great beast. The best!

OH COME ON

Someone whip up a wanted poster for Long Feng: Cattle Rustler. It had also never occurred to me that he was an earthbender.

That flip move with the earthbending platform must have caused Appa to land on his back. I bet that hurt.

One of the times I am very grateful that the closing credits music is so upbeat.

Final Thoughts

@aboutiroh I see why you recommended I save my chocolate for this episode.

The Tale of Momo was really just a preparatory taste of things to come, huh? Almost a microcosm of this episode.

This is the first episode where I had to take breaks while watching. Especially the circus sequence, I think I got up twice to do things like get a cup of tea and stare randomly out windows at squirrels. I didn't even have to do that with Zuko Alone, despite freaking out a lot about it, because at least that episode took breaks from the child abuse to check in with Aang being miserable. This episode was unrelenting.

If I had seen this episode when I was the age of the target audience, this may well have turned me off the show for good. If my Mom had seen this episode, I would have been banned from watching the show entirely. Not a decision I'd agree with, but my Mom is the type of person who banned her kids from watching Bambi.

To watch through all of that unrelenting animal (at best) unhappiness, and still not get Appa back at the end of the episode? That's a bit much. It's not often that this show ends its episodes without at least a little bit of something positive.

Once again, the music did a lot of heavy lifting this episode. The animal noises weren't quite as emotive as the ones in Momo's Tale, but Appa's face is more expressive, and more was shown through his expression than through Momo's, so I feel like this episode had just as much non-verbal animal communication as Momo's Tale.

I think I'm renaming season 2 "the Suki redemption arc." I really didn't like the Warriors of Kyoshi episode, and I didn't like what her character did in that episode. But every time Suki appears in season 2? She absolutely nails it.

The show since losing Appa has taken to wallowing. Even with bright spots like the poetry bouncer, the overall tone since Appa's appanapping has been ever more dark. If this keeps up for many more episodes, it will no longer be fun to watch.

Somehow I don't think this one is going on my rewatch list.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #appa's lost days

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sihtricfedaraaahvicius · 11 months

Text

Note: request by a lovely anon! Thank you so much. I was planning on making this super angsty, but somewhere along writing today my mood changed and yeah. It turned out to be this. I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: briefly suggestive, mention of blood and violence.

pairing: Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: Your husband had sent you to a nunnery many years ago, after he wrongly accused you of committing adultery. Not much later your husband died of a sickness, and you had nowhere to go, so always remained at the nunnery, being well respected amongst the nuns. However, your life as a nun was rather mundane, until a handsome Dane came looking for shelter.

Word count: 4,6k

Masterlist

The battle at the convent.

**************

It was wrong. Sihtric knew that what he was doing was wrong. He already knew before he decided to do it, and he knew after he did it anyway.

But while Sihtric did it, he didn't care. Because he loved how it felt, and he loved how wrong it was.

He loved the feeling of your nails raking over his bare back, and he loved the sound of the wooden pallets that made for your bed, creaking under pressure each time he slammed into you. But more than anything, he loved the way you cursed. Using your nailed god's name in vain as you begged him for more. You begged Sihtric to go harder, deeper, faster and wilder as you laid on your back, tunic hiked up to your waist with Sihtric's body between your thighs. The wind outside rattled the barricaded doors and windows with a violent force, covering up the Dane's heavy grunts and animal-like growls while he played with his prey, whom he had been hunting for two days already.

Two days ago Sihtric came knocking at the nunnery, as the wind had howled threateningly through the trees, gradually tearing more leaves and branches off their stems as the day went on, which had forced him to discontinue his travels to Bebbanburg. The abyss had welcomed him, for a storm was coming and the warrior needed shelter.

The storm erupted later that night and continued in full force throughout the next few days. It was simply too dangerous for anyone to travel, so Sihtric was forced to stay longer than he had planned. But he didn't mind. Not after he saw you that first night, during dinner, which was also the first time you had laid eyes on him.

He was unlike any man you had ever seen. Your late husband was small, and timid, and had claimed to be of royal descent, so he was always dressed in fancy tunics and cloaks, always clean shaven and always stern looking, without any emotion.

The Dane was the complete opposite; he was tall, lean and rugged looking. His mismatched eyes were accompanied by his sharp face features, which were graced with a few scars and he had dark, well kept facial hair. His shoulder length mane was equally as dark and was, as the wind had rushed through it for hours on end, wild looking and messy. His clothes, a dark fur tunic held by a black leather belt, on which a knife and small axe were secured, were clean and showed he was wealthy, but not in a boasting manner, unlike your late husband.

You weren't the only lady who had taken interest in the mysterious man who came looking for shelter. Ever since he arrived, the hallways had been filled with giggles and whispers by your fellow nuns whenever he was seen. Soon his name travelled through the halls and everyone knew who he was, which did not help calm the other nuns down, as they were desperate to get to know him, just like you were.

But you were the only one who Sihtric had taken interest in, after you had caught his eye as you served him ale the first night. He had thanked you with a smile and his eyes had followed you around ever since. And when you topped up his ale the second time that evening, and handed him his jug, he brushed his tattooed fingers over yours as he took the drink from you. Sihtric thanked you again, but this time not with a smile, he thanked you with a wink as he bit down on his lip.

He somehow sensed you weren't raised in the nunnery, unlike all the other ladies in the room, because you didn't shy away from his gaze whenever you locked eyes, and you didn't blush when you got near him. Instead, he saw something in your eyes that told him you wanted to be chased after by him, because you longed for a feeling which none of the other nuns had ever experienced. And Sihtric loved a good chase if it meant he would get to claim his price; you.

To make himself useful, and to thank the abyss for letting him stay, Sihtric helped out with some heavier tasks around the nunnery and made sure that whatever he did, was where you were at too. You knew he had been eyeing you up all day, and he knew you had done the same, especially when he had rolled up his sleeves.

During dinner, that second day, you once again poured him some ale, but before you could walk away, he finally spoke more words to you than just his regular 'thank you, lady.'

'The storm is not slowing down,' Sihtric said.

'It seems not,' you agreed.

'I heard the wind destroyed a few barricades from the windows during the day,' Sihtric said, soft enough so only you could hear, 'is your room still safe?'

'It was when I left it, yes.'

You stared at each other, patiently but hungry. And Sihtric didn't continue the conversation, he was waiting for you to make the next move, he liked to be lured in before he would attack.

'Would you mind coming over, after dinner, to make sure my windows are barricaded well enough? My room is the last, on the left.'

Sihtric gave you a sly smile and a curt nod before he sipped from his cup. And with that answer you went on about your evening as usual, making sure the other nuns did their duties, before you went to your room. And it wasn't much later until Sihtric had knocked on your door and you had pulled him in your room by his leather belt.

If you weren't a nun, Sihtric would have liked to marry you, but he knew that wasn't possible as he suspected you had chosen this life. He didn't know you were merely living there because you had no other place to go, and that you didn't even have much faith in your god. But regardless, Sihtric simply wanted to enjoy his time with you. And just like him, you knew it had been wrong to hump like wild beasts inside the nunnery, but just like him, you loved how it felt and how wrong it was. You would deal with the consequences later, if any would ever come.

And those consequences came knocking eventually. But it would be weeks after Sihtric had knocked on your door that night, and had given you the best hump of your life before he had to continue his journey the next day.

It seemed as if the storm had reached its peak shortly after you and Sihtric reached your own. Your walls had clenched Sihtric's cock as he slammed into you, with just as much force as the wind outside had slammed against the outer walls of the nunnery, and your orgasms were as loud as the wind that howled through the cracked barricades.

And still, no one had heard a thing, and no one had seen Sihtric leave your chamber, with his hair wilder, his eyes darker, and his smile cheekier than it had been before. And no one had seen the bruises on your body, which Sihtric had left with his hands, lips and teeth, as the next day you were simply back to being a fully covered up, sex deprived nun.

Before Sihtric had left your room that night, you had asked him where he was going, and if he would ever stop by again. He told you he was on his way to Bebbanburg, as a war was approaching, and he told you that if he would still be alive after the battle, he would stop by, but he could not promise you would ever see him again. And after that grim truth, he had kissed you. Lovingly, slowly and passionately. And he told you that whatever would happen, he would never forget about you.

And you knew you would never forget the Dane either, when you watched how he galloped away on his horse the next morning. You just didn't know yet that you would never forget him, because he had made you pregnant.

*******************

Once your baby bump started to show, all the nuns, including the abyss herself, turned on you. They had all desired Sihtric. Whether it had been for a hump, a simple kiss from his lips or a brush of his rough hands against their untouched skin, each and every nun had longed for him. No man had set foot in the nunnery after Sihtric, or long before him.

But you never admitted to anyone the unholy things Sihtric had made you scream out that night. Or the sins you had committed with him in your bed. And on your table, and on the floor… before he had you pushed back against the wall, with your legs around his waist, his strong arms holding you up while his muscular body grinded against you with each hard thrust. But your fellow nuns all found it hard to believe you had gotten pregnant like the virgin Mary herself, after a man, who was a dangerously handsome Dane, had stayed over for a few nights, several months ago.

'You are a disgrace,' the abyss spat when you couldn't hide your pregnancy anymore, 'you welcomed the devil in your bed and you will be treated accordingly.'

From then on, you were no longer a respected nun, no, you were the nun who had taken away the chances for everyone else to have a good night, although they would never admit that. In the following months you would be looked down at, spat upon and laughed at as you struggled to perform the duties you were burdened with; the heavy labour Sihtric had done, as it was not suitable for one woman alone. You thought nuns were supposed to be angels on earth, but they weren't. They were the devil. And not like the devil you had welcomed in your bed, for you had loved him.

You prayed as your pregnancy progressed. You prayed to your god for mercy, for safety, for peace. And you prayed for Sihtric, may he survive whichever battle he was fighting at the same time you fought your own battle at the nunnery.

*************

You eventually gave birth to, miraculously, a healthy boy. Your body was hurting, bruised and felt broken, and you were surprised you lived to see another day. The nuns took care of your boy, but they couldn't be bothered about you. So you prayed, again. You prayed that Sihtric had survived the battle, which had to be long over by now as you had heard rumours of the battle of Bebbanburg, and how it had been won. You prayed that Sihtric would come see you again, and maybe even save you. You prayed every day. But not to the nailed god anymore. No, you prayed to the old gods. The real gods. The gods Sihtric had told you about briefly when he had held you in his arms, before he got dressed and left your chamber that night. You had played with the pendant around his neck, and he told you how it gives him strength and courage. And Sihtric had given you that pendant, before he kissed you goodbye, because he somehow knew you would need it, and it had been hidden underneath your tunic ever since.

And Sihtric had been right; you had needed it. He just didn't know what for.

And you prayed, day and night, for two and a half years.

*************

The aftermath of the battle of Bebbanburg had been rough. Lord Uhtred, who Sihtric was loyal to, was severely injured and Sihtric had stayed by his side until he recovered, which already took months. After that, Sihtric helped rebuild Bebbanburg and the surrounding villages, while travelling back and forth between Dunholm, of which he was lord.

With each travel, Sihtric passed by the route that would take him to the nunnery, and he always glanced back to the steep turn uphill as he rode by. But he figured you had long forgotten about him, and he had more urgent matters than to go see a beautiful nun, who occupied his mind day and night, so he never found the strength to spur his horse in your direction.

Until two and a half years later.

Life had gone back to normal, more or less. There had been no more battles, which did make him a little bored and empty inside. But Bebbanburg was safe, Dunholm was safe, his friends were alive and healthy and everything was as it should be. So one day, when he was on his way back to Dunholm, he crossed the path again which had led to you, many moons ago, and he suddenly pulled the reins and spurred his horse uphill. Maybe it was out of curiosity that he made the rash decision, maybe it was his boredom looking for an adventure, or maybe it was fate that steered him your way, he didn't know.

Sihtric jumped off his horse and walked up the building, which still looked exactly the same, and he smiled upon seeing it, for you had been on his mind ever since he first saw you, and the thought of seeing you again actually made him nervous as he closed in on the nunnery. He knew he was most likely about to get his heart broken, for the abyss would tell him you had left, or maybe you simply wouldn't remember him, or worse, maybe you had died. All these possibilities ran through his mind as he ran his hands through his long, messy hair, the same as it was when you had first seen him, before he knocked the large wooden door.

He was once again welcomed by the same abyss, and soon, all the same nuns swarmed around his table as he sipped from his ale, telling him stories and asking what he had been up to. His eyes darted over all the faces the entire time. And all were there, except for you. Sihtric asked your whereabouts, to which the happy chatter and giggles died down. But no one answered. Sihtric frowned and asked again.

'Is she still here?'

'She is,' the abyss snarled.

'Where? I wish to see her.'

'You will find her outside, with the pigs. Where she belongs.'

Sihtric was confused by that remark, but got up and made his way outside. As he walked around the building he was surprised to run into a young boy. Or rather, a young boy ran into him, as the child swung a large stick around with fury and didn't see where he was going, and collided with Sihtric's legs. The boy stumbled backwards and looked up with big eyes at the man who towered over him while he was on his back. Sihtric chuckled and tilted his head at the sight of the boy.

'Aren't you a handsome guy?' Sihtric joked and picked the kid up in his arms.

Sihtric studied the young boy and he smiled, to which Sihtric smiled back, as the boy somehow reminded him of himself. And he wondered where the child came from. He found it rather peculiar because the nuns, who wouldn't stop talking when he sipped his ale and looked for you, kept telling him how there hadn't been a man near the nunnery ever since his last visit. And with that thought, and the sudden glimpse he got of his mjölnir pendant around the boy's neck, he nearly dropped the kid as he stopped dead in his tracks. Sihtric turned his face towards the child in his arms, and stared at him with big eyes. And when the child gave him the exact same wide-eyed look, Sihtric blinked rapidly. So did the kid.

'By Odin's beard,' Sihtric muttered.

'Daddy!' the child suddenly screamed in his face.

The young boy, never having seen another man before, figured that the first man he ever saw was probably his father. The kid just had no idea that he was actually right.

*************

You heard your son shout a word you hadn't heard him scream yet. You had told him about his father, but the boy had never said that word again after that talk, as he had no reason to say it. More alarmed by the fact that your child suddenly screamed, rather than by what he screamed, you came running around the corner, where you saw a man, who had his back turned to you, holding your child in his arms.

'Let go of my son!' you shrieked as you ran towards the man and you started to beat the stranger with the empty bucket you had just used to feed the pigs.

Sihtric groaned when he suddenly felt a hard blow against his back, and quickly took a few steps back as he protected the child in his arms from the sudden attack.

'Lady!' he hissed, before he recognised you. And you dropped the bucket midswing when you recognised Sihtric.

'You… you,' you stammered, 'you came back.'

'I did,' Sihtric said, equally as stunned by your beauty as the first time he saw you.

'I prayed… for years. For two years,' you started to cry, 'for you to come back.'

'I'm sorry it took me so long,' Sihtric stepped closer, 'the battle had been rough, the aftermath was rough. I feared you had forgotten about me so I… I just passed the route again, and like all the other times I thought of you. I always thought of you, every day. Every night,' he chuckled as his eyes teared up, 'but it wasn't until today something pulled me here. I had to… I had to stop by… to see you and… but… then… and,' Sihtric's eyes darted between you and the boy in his arms with a questioning look.

'Yes,' you nodded fast as tears rolled down, 'yes, Sihtric, he is yours. He is our son. And it's… it's his … his birthday.'

Sihtric took a few steps back and looked as if he was going to pass out. He also felt as if he was going to pass out so he quickly kneeled down and rested upon his hands and knees. Your son ran over to you once his feet had ground underneath them, and when Sihtric heard the boy yell 'daddy!' again, he watched the ground underneath his hands close in on him rapidly and he heard a thump before everything turned black.

***************

The other nuns had seen Sihtric pass out and came running. A weak fight broke out between you and some of the nuns, while a few others tried to take your son, and again some other nuns tugged Sihtric's leg, hoping they could drag him inside to take care of him, but he was heavier than they anticipated. They had never seen all those muscles Sihtric kept hidden under his tunic, but you remember the comfortable weight of his body all too well.

Sihtric regained consciousness after a few minutes and woke up, dizzy, to the sound of screaming women. After a short moment he remembered where he was and what had happened and when he turned his face, smudged with dirt and grass, to the side, he saw how almost every nun was harassing you as they dragged your son out of your arms. His son. Sihtric got up, albeit a little wobbly, and unsheathed his knife. He guessed it was unlikely he would need it, but he had a family to protect now and would not hesitate to cut a nun.

'Hey!' Sihtric growled, 'get away from my son!'

The nuns were startled at the sound and sight of the handsome, yet savage, looking man.

'Give me my son!' he shouted as the abyss picked up the boy and took a step back, holding her silver cross up to Sihtric as if it would protect her. But the Devil is not afraid of some silver.

'I merely wish to leave with my son!' Sihtric continued, 'and with my lady!' he glanced at you.

You were kneeled down in a puddle of mudd, with a cut lip and a busted eyebrow, as tears ran down your face. Sihtric held his knife out to the ladies of God as he walked over to you and he pulled you up on your feet, gently shoving you behind his back.

'Are you okay?' he asked, never taking his eyes off his son, held by the abyss.

'I'm okay,' you sniffled and held onto his arm, 'they… they will not let you leave with us.'

'What do you mean?'

'They believe Cynlaef, our boy, is a gift from God.'

'No child of mine will ever be a gift of their false god,' Sihtric hissed as he stared at the nuns.

'They wish to keep him,' you continued, 'they took him from me after birth. All they have done after you left has been to punish me. They will allow me near him and he- he knows I am his mother, but I barely get to raise him. They will not let you leave, Sihtric, not with him. Or with me.'

'The hags will have to pull you and my son out of my dead arms if they wish to keep you,' Sihtric said for only you to hear, then raised his voice, 'I will not ask again!'

'I cannot allow you to leave with the boy!' the abyss yelled, 'we have no evidence you are the father!'

The abyss knew she was talking nonsense, for it was clear Sihtric was the father, as the boy was his spitting image, complete with mismatched eyes. But she knew if they held the child at the nunnery, Sihtric would return again. Maybe enjoy himself a few more nights again, not with you ofcourse, you didn't even have a bed anymore inside those walls, you slept outside in the shed. With the pigs.

'You told me no man had set foot near this place!' Sihtric snarled, 'what more evidence do you need?'

'The whore has never admitted to sleeping with you!' one nun yelled, but neither you nor Sihtric could see which one it was.

'Then I will admit to it!' Sihtric said as he took a step closer, to which all the nuns took a step back at the same time, almost like a shield wall, Sihtric thought.

'You will not get this child,' the abyss hissed, 'over my dead body!'

'Then so be it,' Sihtric huffed and stormed at the holy shield wall.

The abyss let out a shriek and started to run with the boy in her arms. You watched how Sihtric quickly, and without effort really, closed in on her, and somewhat tackled her as he pulled your son out of her arms. The abyss fell face flat on the grass, Sihtric held out his knife again to each nun who tried to approach as he held his son in his other arm. Sihtric looked at you and beckoned you over. As you neared your two beautiful men, one nun tried to punch you, but Sihtric was quick to throw his knife, which landed right in the palm of the nun's hand, and she screamed out in pain as blood gushed out of her hand, staining her white tunic.

Sihtric grabbed your hand once you were close enough, handed you the boy and stepped in front of you again. His knife was still stuck in the nun's hand, so he took out his axe.

'Sihtric,' you said nervously, holding onto his arm again, 'you can't just murder an entire nunnery.'

'I can,' Sihtric hissed, 'and I will if it's our only way out. I have won greater battles.'

And you can't remember exactly what happened, as it had been overwhelming. But you remember how a handful of nuns came running your way, and how Sihtric had killed three of them while two others tried to pull your son away, but you had scratched at their eyes, hard, and they were blinded by their own blood. You remember hearing how Sihtric grunted when a nun started to pull his hair, and how Sihtric snarled that that was exactly why he always had braids when he went to battle, just before he hacked his axe in the nun's skull. You remember shielding your son against all the horror that occurred at the nunnery that day, while Sihtric punched, sliced and kicked his way through the remaining nuns, but you didn't see that anymore, because you had turned your back and hid your son in the stable's haystacks.

You remember seeing the man, who had made hard love to you one night and given you the sweetest child to ever exist, walk back up to you while he was covered in blood and breathing heavily. And you saw how the previously green grass had been dyed red, just before the man grabbed your face, shoved you against the outer stable wall, and kissed you as if it was the last thing he would ever do. And if it wasn't for your son, who had found his way out of the haystacks, you would have gotten pregnant again right there, outside the stables.

'Sihtric, you have to clean yourself up,' you said as you held your son back from his father, realising how stupid it sounded because you were stained with blood too, after Sihtric had kissed you with such lust and passion. But he agreed, and quickly rid his hair, face, neck and hands of the red liquid that wasn't his own with some water. And when he came back, he cupped his hands to help you up on his horse, picked up your son, who you placed in front of you, and then Sihtric, the man who had been on your mind for over two years, climbed in the saddle behind you and spurred his horse to walk.

'What happens now?' you asked after a short while.

'Now? I take you with me to Dunholm,' Sihtric said as he let the reins go with one hand to circle his arm around your waist, 'and I will marry you. And we will raise our son. And we will have more children,' he chuckled before he kissed your cheek, 'and I promise we will raise them together.'

'What about the… the slaughter?'

'What about it?'

'What if someone finds out? What if they come after my… our son again?'

'No one will find out,' he shrugged, 'and if someone will, they will know what happened and why. And they will know better than to try and take my son and my wife away from me.'

'Your wife?'

'Lady,' Sihtric chuckled, 'in my mind I had already married you that first night I saw you.'

You shifted slightly so you could look at him, and Sihtric wasted no time to capture your lips with his, and you knew trouble was ahead if this is the way he would always kiss you. Because you were ready to pull Sihtric off his horse, have your son seated somewhere safe, and let the handsome Dane take you as he pleased up against a tree. But, you were a responsible mom, so you reluctantly broke the kiss and told him to behave. To which he smirked and said he wasn't familiar with that English word. And that's also when you knew your son would become a handful as he got older. But you didn't mind.

You were just happy that the man you had fallen in love with years ago came back for you, and was more than happy to be a father to his child.

And Sihtric promised you the world, a promise he already fulfilled when he married you not much later. Because Sihtric was your world, along with your son. And in the years to come, you would become a happy, big and loving family.

And no one, except for you and Sihtric, would ever know exactly what happened that day at the nunnery, which folks now called "the battle at the convent", which was simply a tale of love, lust and blood.

***************

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#sihtric x reader #sihtric x you #the last kingdom fic #sihtric kjartansson #the last kingdom #sihtric #sihtric fic #tlk

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