#title from the oh hellos - thus always to tyrants | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lovely-oh-so-lovelyyui · 1 year

Note

Hey fellow Beatrix stan~💋 Was thinking about how Beatrix does not have a title like “the demon king’s daughter” or “the white rose”. If she had a title, what do you think it would be?

Let me die, let me drown, lay my bones in the ground

I will still come around when the time for sleep is through

Over hill, over dale, through the valley and vale

Do not weep, do not wail, I am coming home to you

AHHH hello!! I love fellow Beatrix stans, I literally think about her 24/7. Thank you so much for this ask. It brings me so much joy to be able to talk about her and put down in writing the various ideas I have about her, even though it is very late I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Personally, I feel as though Beatrix has been an enigma throughout the short glimpses we got of her.

Especially as a vampire who has such a long history, most of these are simply theoretical based on what limited information there is about her. If that makes sense?

- Ice Princess

- Queen of Hearts

- Plain Woman

Ice Princess is probably the first one that came to mind with her, I think her impassive exterior is one formed over a long period.

From her actions, she has this callous care for the people around her that I think came from being one of those quiet children that meant well but stayed silent unsure of when they were allowed to speak, so she stayed content in not having to stand in the limelight. So she was probably someone quite introverted, hence when it came to being put out like a puppet her flight or fight response literally caused her to … freeze.

As far as I’ve understood from the way she treats her sons, she almost has an avoidant personality, many people do this by dissociation or simply ignoring things that will complicate their situation at hand, the worst part is it’s never on purpose and they feel guilt but it’s what they believe is for the best.

By choosing not to respond or give in to bait, and never being able to gain the courage to leave her mental castle, in a way she traps herself in her own tower from others because of something that occurs in her life that is so violent, unpredictable, something so out of her control.

It is the catalyst for her mask, like most children raised in these conditions they often find comfort in these abusive situations as it’s something familiar to them, and because her most frequent response became to avoid as much conflict as she could; the persona she now exudes is hardened, cold-blooded, and someone who needs control. Someone that puts priority and duty first not out of obligation or responsibility but as a survival tactic.

Which is my explanation for the ‘ice’ bit.

The princess bit is what I think is a bit more obvious, in comparison to Cordelia who is of viboran and first blood descent which makes her so important as a foreign bride of another powerful - if not equally powerful - clan.

Or Christa who is second or third? cousins with Karl which clearly solidifies her lineage as the blood of the imperial monarch of vampires.

Beatrix would come from nobility, partially as someone who would need solid legitimacy and also because it puts a balance to powers within the court because Cordelia strengthens the power of foreign ministers. Christa reinforced the power of royalists within the court the nobles would be neglected.

Within the peerage of nobility, the highest are the Dukes, usually 2 or more within every empire to restrict the power of the royal family, this is why many of their titles are also Prince or Princess before they inherit their duchy’s, or Your Highness.

Not to be confused with royal titles which are Your Royal Highness, otherwise, you might just be tried for treason and killed.

Again because the main responsibility of ducal families is to limit royal power, hence their families are kept separate. No marriages.

Normally the second most important rank in the peerage - the Marquises - would marry into the Royal Family.

So if there were a need for revolt it wouldn’t be cousin vs cousin or brother vs sister as coups are led by the Ducal Families so whoever wins has to execute all family members on either side and that would simply be crude.

Beatrix was an exception however and as a Ducal Princess the only one relevant enough to challenge the rights of the other wives.

So came the title ‘ Ice Princess’ in her younger years

Queen of Hearts is something I feel occurred once she became more established within her role.

I imagine it was a title of jest at first, where in the years after her marriage Cordelia spent her time throwing lavish balls and travelling the country from noble family to family under the guise of forming connections and spreading patronage; Beatrix was the polar opposite.

She spends long hours confined within her palace sorting through documents, attending royal ceremonies, meeting with officials, dignitaries and ambassadors. She looks through contracts and complaints within constituencies. As most would expect, such thorough combing through of the parliament and court led to quite a lot of lords and influential people being stripped of power, exiled, or executed.

Hence the trail of rolling heads at her feet led to the title ‘ Queen of Hearts.

However, near the end of crimson and amber leaves that once decorated the demon world, comes a new joy. His royal highness, crown prince Shu who is the firstborn of Karlheinz and Beatrix Sakamaki; it’s such a joyous occasion even the demon world’s winter couldn’t damper the hopeful festivities in hopes that he’d make it through the winter.

And he did.

Thus with his birth, and the first obstacle overcome with the resilience of a righteous ruler emerges a new Beatrix from her cocoon. Most are stunned at the frequency, they see her look content if not joyous in the presence of her little sun; she takes him out on parades around the nation and far travels.

Soon disperse the rumours of the plain, bookish woman who is their queen, for who better represents vampiric values than Beatrix. Someone who puts her family and duty first and frivolous activities second, never faltering in her politeness and gracefulness not to mention her striking looks that their prince has inherited. Vividly displaying power and commandeering those around her, they soon grow proud to have someone like her as Queen.

Especially with the work she puts into improving the social, economic and political situation within the country; her hard work evident in the new improved infrastructure, the peace treaties developed, so that some day her son shouldn’t have to lead armies like her husband once has.

So came a new meaning to Queen of Hearts, it wasn’t often someone became monarch and deserved their title.

It was to the extent even Karlheinz was forced to change inheritance laws, for so long only divorced or widowed women could own titles, but in the beginning of spring when more exciting news of her being pregnant again spread ‘The Act of Succession’ was passed, that if a husband were to pass his wife/mother of his eldest child shall take his title till his eldest child (not son) is of age unless specifically passed to another in his will.

It was enough to start outcries, and debates but in the end no one could deny faults within Beatrix as their ruler, and even if they never became regent monarch they happily let her rule their hearts.

Plain Woman had to be the most vicious of the nicknames Beatrix had gained in her time, for what did someone with such pure intentions know of the mental games that would exhaust her soul in the next century.

Obviously Beatrix was beautiful, but in the twisted comparison to the other wives not even the strongest mental fortitudes could resist it's slow decay.

Cordelia with her exotic features, enchanting lilt from her accent, and seductiveness that poured from the cells that made her or even Christa with her innocent pretty features, oh she was as pretty as the moon itself, with her illustrious silver strands and blood-wine eyes.

In comparison, Beatrix often wondered in the colder afternoons, when she would sit alone for hours on end her tea long cold, staring at her ink stained hands, knobbly and ugly, her straw like hair heavy, and her dull goulish skin in the reflection all she can wonder why was this the one truth Cordelia had to utter in all of her lies.

84 notes · View notes

walkinginland · 1 year

Text

let the ransomed be free

a little the song of achilles ficlet

Patroclus and Achilles hold hands in the underworld. that’s it that’s the fic.

title from The Oh Hellos’ “Thus Always to Tyrants”

Time passes differently under the earth. It is marked by different measures, decided by different powers. Gods and suns wheeling in the sky above are not permitted here below. Kings who counted their days by dreams of their own glory, now cut short here alone, with no one to mark the loss of their pride.

Two souls entwined together, two souls knowing peace for the first time in their too short too long lives. Two souls whose time on earth was always at a precipice, could now have fields stretching without limits at their fingertips.

Fingers curled in hair, against skin and soul and bone. Pushing against fate and time and the whims of gods and kings. Brushing along the map of love laid in foundations of children and grown in war.

(your fingerprints are your own until you carve them into the gentle touch of another. they become another’s when reverence molds them deeper than stories in stone)

It had been so long. So long, and yet what was time to the two of them? They had been kept apart by the lack of marks on stone, their fingerprints waiting to mark skin and memory in a way far more eternal than a gravestone etching could ever be. Their story carved into pictures and history and scars that should have never been. Their joy and grief a more beautiful legend than any carved record of war.

There was peace here though, in this place. The peace of the dead, the peace of the reunited. The peace that the both of them had sought after for so long above ground, cupped here in their hands at last.

******

The first thing I think is Achilles.

I don’t know how long it has been since that first thought now. Time moves differently here, under these dark trees and besides this silent river. The changing of seasons and the passing of human lives pass us by as noiselessly as the shades across the fields; we do not disturb them, and they do not trouble us.

And the first thing I think is Achilles. When I woke that first time, when I wake every time after. And every time, he is there, with fingers in my hair or brushing against my cheek, smiling that teasing grin that was such a relief even now. There had been a time when I thought to never see it again. I had seen that foreign, horrifying numbness settle onto his face, rooting itself deeper and deeper that day under the sun. Deeper from the moments he was watching me ride away over that hill to the moment he handed his life over and took peace in exchange. He had waited for me on that hill, and then he waited for me under it. He had waited so much longer than I had promised him.

I had promised him tomorrow and it took so much longer to come than a day.

I had been brought to him so many times, followed him to the ends of the earth. When we were but children and I stumbled to his side in his father’s house, wandering and lost through the forest; the sea bearing me to his marriage bed, bearing us to war. I was brought back to him lifeless. Brought through the shadows to meet him in golden light.

I followed and followed and followed. And he waited. In his room, in the mountain forest, in a home by a bed not wanted, in death. He waited.

That time of following, of waiting grows dimmer here with each passing day. Memory has a different hold under the earth, and we were content to let that time of pain and secrets and uncertainty go, to let it run through our fingers like water.

We finally had our tomorrow here, in this place with no shame. No need to hide, not in too thin tents or marriages. After all, if the gods could be with whoever they wished, those of us in the underworld could do the same. We made our home among the shades in a quiet meadow, and in each other. Calluses of spear and needle eased, smoothed over by the touch of skin and gentle timeless time.

We rested in the open here, leaning back against the pale grass, tucked into each other’s sides. My head kept in the hollow of his shoulder, one of his hands buried in my curls and the other holding mine across his stomach. His long fingers wove between my own, playing a melody even with no lyre in his hands, a song only he could hear.

“Patroclus?”

“Hm?” I rolled my head against his shoulder, catching a glimpse of his face out of the corner of my eye.

He didn’t say anything more, simply pulled me closer, a quiet smile on that quick mouth. I pressed my lips to the place where his neck and shoulder met, pressing a kiss there before tucking my head in closer. I knew what he meant. He had no need to say more. He had my name, and coming from him it was so much more than sound.

His smile widened as his fingers continued sorting through my hair, and light sparked in the darkness, golden in the hope of every touch.

*****

No story is all happiness. No matter what two 16-year-olds may swear to each other in a moment by the banks of a sunlit river, far distant and far above and far before fate or war cast a shadow on shadow on shadow over their peace. Before, when their lives stretched out before them with no horizons. Before this shadow, their shadow, their grand and quiet tragedy painted through years and separation and carried on poet’s tongues.

So, no, no life or pair of souls can be all that pride dreams them to be. But they can be something so much more than fickle pride allows.

(your soul is your own until you place it in the hands of another. it is yours until it bleeds together with another’s love and creates something altogether new.)

And so, the fates perhaps did not allow both happiness and fame. But they are here now. They are tangled fingers and legs and hearts by a far darker stream. They are quiet eons and joyous hearts, stretching beyond moments to an eternity of pouring light. And what could happiness mean beyond that?

***********

thanks for reading!! also on ao3 right here

#the song of achilles #tsoa #the song of achilles fanfic #my writing #tsoa fic #dragged this fic out letter by letter like pulling teeth lmao #BUT WE MADE IT #we made it OOF #BUT i think i like it? maybe? i've stared at it too long

25 notes · View notes

empyrangel · 6 months

Note

Are there any songs that you very strongly associate with certain characters?

I myself have only one character who’s managed to earn such song associations in my mind, but it feels so incredibly strong that now I’m curious as to what others think, and what they may have for themselves (and also I need to get this sudden case of brainrot out of my system to those who might actually care about it)

The character is Venti, with the songs:

--“The Minstrel Boy” by Thomas Moore, especially the line ‘Thy songs were made for the pure and free; they shall never sound in slavery!’. The instrument the titular character plays even happens to be a harp!

and

—“I’ll Be There” by Phil Ochs, especially the line ‘Whisperings of yesterday have turned into a roar; winds of freedom blowing out of every distant shore!’. How can you not see the connection?

and, if you really want to get into the Mondstadt-Germany connections:

—“In dem Kerker saßen zu Frankfurt am dem Main” (the lyrics were published anonymously, but I like the rendition by Hannes Wader; the title roughly translates to ‘Sitting in the Dungeon in Frankfurt-on-the-Main’), especially when it outright refers to escaping a tower being used as a prison amidst a great storm. It’s almost certainly not an intentional reference in either direction, though—I doubt the developers were listening to a(n already pretty obscure) song they probably don’t know the language of, and the song was written before any of the devs were even born.

I also have songs I associate with Venti. Since I’m a Venti selfshipper I consider Dandelions by Ruth B to be our song <3 I always get giddy when I hear it and I like to imagine him singing it to me.

Other songs that remind me of him are Thus Always to Tyrants by The Oh Hellos, no particular lines but the song just has the feeling of a bard singing a folk song as a call for revolution. And Gales of Song from Belle, again no particular lines but the song just fits him so well, and it’s about the singer having to live on after someone they love died so I like to imagine it as Venti singing about Nameless Bard.

I’d say the song All Eyes on Me by OR3O fits Furina really well. It’s mostly based on vibes, but like Alice Angel Furina is also a being created by someone else who had to live her life the way the creator wanted her to. I think Furina would be a lot like this if she were more unhinged. I wish I had other songs that reminded me of Furina.

Even before they were released, I’ve thought that Kill the Lights by Set It Off was such a good song for the Fontaine siblings, especially Lyney. The the way it sounds just screams Lyney and so do all the lyrics but especially the first lines “You reside in grand disguises; Just to get, get away from it all; Falsify the life you're hiding; Just to get, get away from it all” and the bridge “Stop there and peer inside of me; You'll find a man once lost at sea; But all the while I would think to myself; It's not the end, it's not the end at all” reminds me of Freminet.

#i’m just here for immoral support ✨#traveler from another world ✨#genshin #genshin impact #venti #genshin venti #genshin furina #furina #lyney #genshin lyney #freminet #genshin freminet

5 notes · View notes

castielsupernatural · 1 year

Text

hi ron @superhell i love you thank you for tagging me

tagging ummmm @sketchbookdean @heartcastiel @heartshapedcas @hauntedpearl @bedpissercastiel @angelfishofthelord @altarofrowena this was fun so i'm tagging lots of you sorry

#1 - shuffle 10 songs from your wrapped's top 100

1. on the mountain tall - the oh hellos

2. younger days - the wild reeds

3. bowery ballroom - morningsiders

4. oh, sleeper - arcadian wild (OOF)

5. adonai - lowland hum (😬)

6. passerine - the oh hellos

7. heaven knows - first aid kit

8. torches - the oh hellos

9. new moon (the meadow) - alexandre desplat from the new moon soundtrack ASDFJGSKDJSH

10. equator line - lowland hum

#2 - choose an artist you like and use the titles of their songs to answer to these questions:

name of the artist: the oh hellos hehe

what is your gender? planetarium stickers on a bedroom ceiling

describe yourself: second child, restless child

how do you feel? holding on where i am able

If you could go anywhere, where would it be? on the mountain tall

describe your best friend: pale white horse

favorite time of day: in the blue hours of morning

if your life was a tv show, what would it be called? in memoriam

what's life to you? thus always to tyrants

relationship status: hello my old heart, 10 year anniversary edition

what do you fear? mandatory evac / counting cars

#3 - YOUR top 5 songs like TO YOU PERSONALLY. no matter what your wrapped says. you know yourself better

1. theseus - the oh hellos

2. 2082 - lowland hum (this was already my number 1 she earned it)

3. lapis lazuli - the oh hellos

4. cold - the oh hellos

5. of lovers and liars - family and friends

#loved this bc i LOVE the name of the oh hellos's instrumental transition pieces but i never get to brag about them #mad i didn't find a use for a convocation of fauns (a faunvocation if you will)#this one was fun omg #sorry for tagging so many of you. i got excited #PLEASE ignore if you don't care about tag games. i tend to just be annoying #also answering what is life with thus always to tyrants sorry i was a history major. sorry i used to live in virginia. SORRY #also just realized 2082 is SIX MINUTES. wow there is something wrong with me

11 notes · View notes

druidcore · 1 year

Text

FABLE MEADOWS : playlist commentary .

01. THUS ALWAYS TO TYRANTS , the oh hellos. do not weep, do not wail, I am coming home to you

this song’s title is about how bad people always get what’s coming to them. I think it encompasses some of the hope that she has that goodness and rightness will always prevail. the song is upbeat, and reminds me of twirling in front of a bonfire with your closest family. there’s just such a sense of optimism and hope that the song radiates that I thing resonates deeply with her character.

02. NEW SKIN , vérité. new heart, new limbs to bury myself in

I really like this song for fable because it feels like it really vibes with this body metamorphosis she goes through. a lot of fable’s themes have to do with rebirth, identity and loss, and there’s a longing note to the song that I think she can relate to.

03. HELLO MY OLD HEART , the oh hellos. are you still there inside my chest?

I think the song kind of speaks for itself, but it’s basically just a representation of that closed off-ness that fable feels after being reborn. her heart is still in there, but is it still beating? does it still feel? and is it worse if it doesn’t?

04. PEOPLE HELP THE PEOPLE , birdy. and if you're homesick, give me your hand and I'll hold it

I like birdy’s version of this song because it’s a lot more fragile and delicate. fable, deep down, longs to connect and to feel. even her name isn’t really hers, so much as it is a collection of other people’s stories. and whether she knows it or not, she needs to be a part of someone else’s again.

05. HUMAN , daughter. and despite everything I'm still human

the acceptance that she is not a machine. she is not a set of armor and a shield. she is a person with feelings and a soul. and she should never forget that again. meadow is waking up and fable can’t pretend she isn’t there, inside her.

06. I CAN’T BREATHE , bea miller. how can I be alright?

her autonomy, having been taken from her, sometimes makes her feel like a visitor in her own body. not only that, but her emotions regarding her trauma are locked away. this song is every time she’s been forced to reckon with the indignity of what was done to her.

07. FREE, florence + the machine. to exist in the face of suffering and death and somehow still keep singing

I love this song so much as one of the more hopeful and optimistic songs on fable’s playlists. the idea that even though there’s so much shitiness and pain out there, that there are brief moments of respite. and the realization that sacrifice isn’t gloried. that living is better, braver, more.

08. NOT THE GHOST, the crane wives. I won't be afraid of all the things I've wanted, it’s the fear and not the ghost that leaves me haunted

I have three different crane wives songs on her playlist, but I chose this one as it really encompasses fable’s need to move on and leave her fear and guilt behind. it’s a song about haunting yourself, even when there is no need to. it’s a song about being afraid of moving on, but needing to do it anyway, because it’s time.

09. NINE, sleeping at last. I’m just trying to find myself through someone else’s eyes

though fable is a two type enneagram, the song for two is much more fitting for her in a shippy scenario. nine feels fitting more lyrically to who she is after becoming reborn. I read it as a song about not knowing who you are without being in the company in other people. it speaks to fable’s loss of identity quite clearly.

#fable meadows #starting and ending w my two fav songs for her

7 notes · View notes

theineated · 1 year

Text

🎶✨ when u get this u have to put 5 songs u actually listen to, then tag 10 of your favourite followers ✨🎶

I've been tagged by @smolsleepyfox

➡️ Cannon in D minor - Two Steps From Hell ◾ I love this song it's so epic and I love the wordplay this band puts into the titles of some songs

➡️ That Unwanted Animal - The Amazing Devil ◾ it's so epic in a folk way

➡️ Go - Phil Lober ◾ my go-to music for trips. If I'm going somewhere to stay for a while this is likely the departure theme

➡️ Thus Always to Tyrants - The Oh Hellos ◾ it's so epic in a folk way x2

➡️ Flower Maiden - Dzivia ◾ the melody and harmonies are captivating. I listen to it when I have to focus on stuff

I'm tagging @nelkey

2 notes · View notes

bwritesbooks · 3 months

Text

Character Introduction: Dalir

The Basics

Project: Realm of the Wishmakers

Name: Dalir Franklin Orebreaker (he/him)

Race: Dwarf

Age: 150

Hair: Red, short. He also has a long red beard that he braids beads into.

Eyes: Green

Skin: Dark brown

Build: Strong and compact

Height: 4' 6"

Occupation: Miner (currently), Lord (formerly)

Dnd class: Champian Fighter

Weapon of Choice: sword and shield

Background and Personality

Dalir was born the only child of Lord Percival and Lady Mya Orebreaker. He had a very pampered childhood and was given anything he could wish for. When Rat Fever swept through the city his entire family fell ill. Dalir survived. His parents didn't. As soon as he recovered, Dalir took over his father's job even though he had very little training and had never done any work in his life. At first, he struggled mightily, but through pure stubbornness and determination to make his deceased family proud he managed to turn himself around. Over the course of two years, he turned himself from a pampered lord to a strong and capable businessman. When he was 100 he married Tirima, the daughter of another wealthy merchant family. Fifty years later, he was approached by an old friend named Canto who begged him for his help. Canto claimed that he was being hunted for a crime he did not commit and asked Dalir to give him sanctuary. Against his better judgment, Dalir complied. A week later, Dalir discovered that Canto's crime was murder. Horrified, Dalir turned him in. He thought that the guards would grant him a pardon for harboring Canto since he turned him in, but Dalir was wrong. The Magistrate stripped him and his family of their title and banished them from the city. Dalir picked up a job as a miner and Tirima began work as a seamstress. They are settled in now and his family seems happy, but Dalir is not satisfied.

Likes: Spending time with his family, surface food, forests, and dogs.

Dislikes: Staying up all night, cats, seeing other people suffer, and loud music.

Extra information: Dalir has three daughters; Cassandra (45), Marika (30), and Kenna (20).

Music

Loves Never Lost by Sean McCourt

Thus Always to Tyrants by The Oh Hellos

Stand by You by Rachel Platten

The Hand That Feeds by The Crane Wives

Hits and Mrs. by Frank Turner

Visual

Image created using Baldur's Gate Three's character creator.

#about my writing #my writing #realm of the wishmakers #writblr #my characters #my ocs #writblr comunity #writers on tumblr #writing #dalir #original chacter #character design #character intro #character info

1 note · View note

kiwijumpscare · 8 months

Text

I showed up in the brain and instantly caused problems (added 10 The Oh Hellos songs to our shared playlist)

[IMAGE IDS

Both screenshots are from the same spotify playlist, with every single song being by The Oh Hellos. The titles are as listed below:

The Valley; Rose; Hello My Old Heart; Notos; Constellations; Thus Always To Tyrants; Dear Wormwood; Second Child, Restless Child; The Valley(Reprise); Passerine; Bitter Water, Soldier, Poet, King. The list ends there. /END ID]

And this actually isn't even all of them!! "We tend to enjoy one single song from an artist and then move on" ehehehe what if I changed that. And so I did

#playlistposting

0 notes

ao3feed-crimeboys · 1 year

Text

where i go (will you still follow?)

by Anonymous

Title from Thus Always to Tyrants by The Oh Hellos. Tags will be updated as the story continues! Please read them as there are some sensitive topics in this fic! Thank you :) -- The kingdom of L'manberg has been peaceful ever since King Philza was crowned. Though their history is stained with blood and war, they've reached a time of peace. People feel safe there.

Not too far away, in the kingdom of Viridia, a man wants to change that.

OR, an SBI royal AU where Dream sucks and the brothers have to clean up his mess.

Words: 1408, Chapters: 1/10, Language: English

Fandoms: Minecraft (Video Game)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Hannah | Hannahxxrose

Relationships: Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit, Hannah | Hannahxxrose & TommyInnit

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Royalty

#ao3feed #wilbur soot #tommyinnit #crimeboys #crime boys #crimebois #crime bois #mcyt #This is an automated process #If you see any fic that breaks boundaries #or the fic is yours and you don't want it shared send an ask #it will be looked at and removed if need be

1 note · View note

milk-and-violets · 3 years

Note

What’s your favorite tohs song ?

Oh, the fatal question! I could not tell you, but I can say my top from each album, and why a few oddballs may have been my favorites at certain times.

Eponymous Album: I think I underrate this album so much, and honestly going back and thinking about these songs has me longing to go listen to the live versions again. Honestly, out of all the albums, this one was the hardest for me to pick my favorite, and it kinda ties between "Lay Me Down," and "Cold is the Night," and the only reason "Trees" isn't also vying with them is because I just want there to be more of it.

The fact that "Second Child, Restless Child" echoes concepts in "Lay Me Down" hits me every single time and I love it so much for that reason alone. It speaks to my experience as a curious, energetic child stuck in church when I was little, and the feeling of being driven away from a place because you deeply believe the word isn't how people around you say it is?? Slaps. (I may or may not be having full song analysis thoughts about that now, h e l p)

As for "Cold is the Night," see: take away this apathy / and bury it before it buries me. Need I say more? The lyrics in that one are also just. Hauntingly evocative. They feel like a lullaby sung by a knowing older self to a younger one. Or vice versa? Just thinking about "bitter is the thought of all that time / spent searching for something I'll never find" and *reminiscing on loss of faith noises*

Through the Deep, Dark Valley (TTDDV): I love so many of the songs in this album, obviously. Mostly the first 3 and the last 4. However, I can say that (partially due to my love of niche live performances) my true fave is the combo set of "The Truth Is a Cave" running into "Valley (Reprise)." Nothing like it. Sublime. Heart-threatening. Makes you wanna jump off of something like a big box speaker and throw a tambourine straight at someone's head.

Dear Wormwood: This album deserves the hype it gets, really and truly. If I want to go really nostalgic, I can listen to it all through and have the full experience of human emotion. However, the two songs from it that Really captured my heart are "This Will End" and "Thus Always to Tyrants."

"This Will End" is just.... I don't cry a lot. Almost never. But I would happy cry if I got to see that song played live. I know it. "Thus Always to Tyrants" is the song that makes me channel Maggie's Pickathon energy and dance barefoot on any available surface.

Notos: (my beloved) "Constellations" was the song that Got Me Into The Oh Hellos. I owe that song my life. That at "On the Mountain Tall." I was having a relapse into LOTR phase and I think I listened to those two songs almost exclusively for at least a week. They were my favorite songs for a solid month.

Eurus: Eurus, from Eurus. The OG. The song that got me Really into the Oh Hellos. That made me stop and go: oh Word? Passerine gets a shoutout for being my blog title and also for the METAPHOR??? Like Maggie and Tyler did Not mince words and I love them forever for that. They really said we're gonna roast prosperity gospel & harmful theology and we will take no prisoners.

Boreas: Like the above, Boreas, from Boreas. But only for the period of time before the rest of the album came out. This song gets a shoutout for being my Most Listened To Song from 2020 even though it came out like halfway through the year. I listened to that song non-stop for like three days, and then burned myself out enough that I couldn't listen to it again for about a month and half. The other song I really love from that album is "Cold," which I went feral enough over that I wrote my first lyrics analysis post about it! (Lapis Lazuli slaps too, but everyone knows that)

Zephyrus: Ahhh my white whale of an album. My favorite color. The season of my soul's aesthetic. This album was so different. So spicy and delightful. I pulled a Boreas-Boreas with "Soap", and now I find it too sweet to listen to often. I think of it quite fondly though. My favorite song from this album is, without a doubt, Rio Grande. It feels like an adventure song, which I adore so much. I think my first 5 listens gave me at least a year of my life back. I have (1) draft on tumblr and it's my 6 paragraph unfinished analysis of that song.

#religion tw #me & my relationship with religion #biggest anti uwu but it sure is spicy #the oh hellos #yes it's my reviving the tag arc u best believe #lyrics analysis #music analysis #I don't remember which of those tags I use #maybe I should fix that #place votes on the new tag #sorry this is so long btw lol!#I kinda just #had thoughts #thank u for the ask!! :)

41 notes · View notes

beauty-and-passion · 3 years

Note

Hello! How are you doing? I find it funny that the entire fandom basically agreed that Orange Side IS anger/wrath/rage but didn't decide on the one name. I have 3 predictions: 1)Marcus, from the god of war 2)Fergus, meaning 'the wrathful one' and 3)Zacharias, from kairos, the unknown modes of persuasion, all explained in detail in my analysis on AO3. Brutus also sounds nice (imagine Et tu, Brute? ref) and means 'heavy, dull.' Do you have any predictions?

Hi! I’m okay, thanks for asking :D

Ooooh, that’s a very, VERY interesting ask! I love your predictions and they’re very similar to mine, so thanks again for asking, I will gladly share them!

Before starting: as I said, Orange should be a big deal, at least as big as Janus and Remus. So his name should be a very important, powerful name as well. Janus is the name of a God, Remus is the name of a very important mythological figure. No less is expected from Orange.

So:

1) Marcus: I can understand why it’s so appreciated by the fandom. It’s the perfect name for Wrath, considering that Marcus comes from the god of war - and oh boy, wouldn’t that be a perfect name?

But also, I don’t find it as cool as Remus or Janus. So I would like to propose Ares. Still comes from the god of war (it’s the greek name of the god of war) and it’s a lot cooler (at least for me).

Also, it would help replicate the pattern we saw with the Core Sides. While the Core Sides have names that ends with -an or -on, the Dark Sides would have names that ends with -us or -es

___________________

2) Fergus: the origin fits really well. But Fergus is also a scottish/gaelic name. And the Sides have names strongly associated with latin/greek mythology, so I don’t think Thomas will go completely into an opposite direction.

So I raise with Furius. It comes from latin and it means - you guessed it - “furious”. It was also the name of one of the most ancient and powerful high-class family in Rome (gens Furia), whose members held the highest offices of the state during Rome’s republic.

Also, while searching some information about them, I found this guy: Marcus Furius Camillus, Roman soldier and statesman. And, according to historicians, he was five times dictator, and honoured with the title of Second Founder of Rome.

That would be a pretty interesting name - and definitely a powerful one.

But Furius also connects to Furies (also known as Erinyes) the female deities of vengeance in Greek/Latin mythology. So it’s ot just a name related to history, but also to myth. A nice way to connect the more mythical/religious names (like Remus and Janus) to the historical one (Virgil).

___________________

3) Zacharias: another interesting name and I like the connection with kairos. But this is another name of Hebrew origin, so I’m not sure it would fit as well.

But Brutus... damn, that’s a good name. Brutus is extremely important in Rome’s history, everyone knows what he did, “Et tu, Brute?” is one of the most iconic sentences ever - even if that’s the shakespearian sentence. The historical one is “Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi!” (that means “Even you, Brutus, my son!”) and I think it’s way more poetic.

Also, according to some latin historicians, after killing Ceasar, Brutus said "Sic semper tyrannis!" ("Thus always to tyrants!", aka “That’s what it always should happen to tyrants”). And I think that’s very dope.

And, last but not least, Brutus follows the -us trend of the Dark Side’s names and I approve it.

___________________

In conclusion, my personal predictions are Furius, Ares and Brutus. But I’m open to hear more names, so I can expand my prediction list.

#sanders sides #ask #orange side #predictions #that was a very good ask #thank you so much #those are all great names #<3

79 notes · View notes

honeyywoods · 3 years

Text

I think about The Oh Hellos’ music far too much so uh. I’m writin out some of the good brain goop !!

songs by The Oh Hellos that I associate with the Dead Poets:

Neil Perry:

Dear Wormwood. holy hell it’s literally one of the most Neil songs I have ever heard. it seems a lot to me like him confronting his father and all that he’s done to him, especially with the lyrics ‘in my hour of weakness, you were there to see my courage fail,’ what with the canon events of the film. Glowing is another one, I just think the songs theme fits Neil really well and they’re both bangers

Todd Anderson:

Constellations matches Todd’s vibe literally PERFECTLY. I cannot put it into words but it just fits so well in my mind. it’s like,, sort of poetic and idk it’s just such a beautiful song. the second one for me is Second Child, Restless Child which from the title is kinda obvious why I associate it with Todd, but it also does fit lyric wise to me

Charlie Dalton:

Thus Always To Tyrants is a big one to me, just kinda based around Charlie’s vibe of rebelliousness and going against the grain idk. The Valley also sort of has similar energy so I’m puttin that here too :)

Stephen Meeks:

Hieroglyphs and Rounds both have inexplicable Meeks vibes. also Mandatory Evac / Counting Cars but that one is just an instrumental so I really have no reason to associate it with Meeks lmao

Gerard Pitts:

Theseus. big time. typically Pitts is thought of as a caring / ‘mother hen’ type and I think this song kinda fits the vibes of ‘hey it’s gonna be alright :)’. honestly I associate the entire Zephyrus album with Pitts so ahahha

Richard Cameron:

I Have Made Mistakes, and The Truth is a Cave (I may be a Cameron apologist). all of Through The Deep, Dark Valley has songs that fit his arc very well

Knox Overstreet:

Bitter Water. it’s a banger but also has a slightly darker theme than is presented and I think that canon Knox deserves it honestly :)) canon Knox my abhorred

#i have brainrot #the oh hellos my beloveds #the oh hellos #dead poets society #dps #todd anderson #neil perry #charlie dalton #steven meeks #gerard pitts #richard cameron #knox overstreet

24 notes · View notes

sunsetcurve · 3 years

Text

learn to love without consuming (1/4)

fandom: knight squad relationships: arc / ciara, minor or one-sided arc / oc and ciara / oc word count: 4,603

a/n: eek. it's finally here. if you follow me here you know that i've been working on this for a few weeks (months?), but the idea has been sitting in my drafts for basically forever. almost since i watched the show to begin with. the recent resurgence of the ks fandom prompted me to dig this back up and gave me the motivation to actually try and finish, because fuck it! i love my babes and i want more of them.

so quick note is that this picks up pretty soon after the season 1 finale but disregards basically,,, everything that happens in s2. s1 and the finale proceed the same way except prudy never finds out ciara's secret, so she and warwick don't know at the moment. this chapter was initially gonna have more scenes that drove the plot/romance arc but once i got upwards of 6k with a few major scenes left i decided it would be best if i split the chapter up, so for now it’s just a lot of me trying to work around the convoluted knight squad lore to establish my own. i know that's not exactly what everyone is here for, but i promise things on the romance/action front will pick up soon. i'll place warnings as detailed as i can get without spoiling in the tags and notes as i go, but just anticipate fairly significant violence by chapter 3.

anyway! i have talked enough. the title is from thus always to tyrants by the oh hellos, the rating is t for swearing/violence, there are three more chapters that are in the process of being written, and reviews are like crack as far as i'm concerned. i really hope you like this! thanks for reading <3

dedications: this fic is first and foremost for @ciara-knightly, who is not only my amazing beta but also the whole reason this fic exists. she helped me so so much with the development of the plot and worked through it with me even way before i decided to really start writing it, and i wouldn’t have been able to do this without her. all of the notes she left after beta-reading were so so helpful and really made this whole fic make sense so basically i owe her my entire life. she inspires me to be a better writer all the time and i love her. everyone say thank you shona!!! also tagging my lovely friends and some people who have expressed interest, who are in no way obligated to read this; @juliesdahlias @mistyskiesrambles @dr-rigatoni @willexs @taylorswiftrulestheworld @onplanetmars @neshatriumphs @zackmartin @julies-molinas @soni-dragon @yagorlemmalyn @hopefulbeautifulfool @cactus-con @waterisntreal @onetwothreefarkle @bitchmilsky

summary: “Now that Ryker isn’t a threat anymore, the councils are supposed to resume as planned, and Astoria is set to hold the first one two weeks from now.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “That sounds exciting.”

Ciara nods. “It is! I finally get to meet some of the other nobility, and actually get to be involved in Astorian politics for once. But my dad won’t let me go without an escort,” she says, and then hesitates. “Which is where you come in.”

read it on ao3

The morning before training that day, Arc is testing his skills against a heavy bronze padlock when Ciara enters the squad room and drops a brown paper bag on the table in front of him.

“These,” she announces as he raises an eyebrow at her, “are for you.”

He pulls open the package and is instantly greeted with a rush of warmth and the smell of vanilla. “Dragon puffs?” he says, half in awe. It’s a clear bribe, but he can’t help but shove a sugar-coated sweet in his mouth anyway. They’re an Astorian original and possibly the best thing he’s ever tasted; he’d tried them once at a bakery near the castle and hasn’t stopped thinking about them since.

“Okay, what do you want?” he says then, words muffled around the cream and pastry.

Ciara pulls a face at his manners, but still manages to blink innocently at him. “Can’t I just do something nice for a friend?” she tries, but it’s half-hearted.

He swallows and grins at her. “Nice try, Princess. Your dessert deliveries always come with an ulterior motive.”

Huffing a sigh, she sits down next to him. There’s this subtle air of anticipation lingering around her, one he can only sense based on how in tune they are after so long of being teammates. The two of them have this easy way of reading each other now; they’ve been spending more and more time together, something having shifted in their dynamic after the battle against Ryker. He can’t quite place what it is, but he knows it’s only brought them closer. “Do you know what the Council of the Five Kingdoms is?” she asks finally.

He shrugs. “Sure. Nobles from each kingdom used to have a big ball every year to talk trading and politics and other boring stuff…”

“Except there hasn’t been a council since Ryker’s invasion, because the kingdoms have been isolated and preoccupied with their own safety,” she finishes for him. Her fingers tug at the lacing of her leather gauntlets; she’s nervous, but he still isn’t sure why. “Now that Ryker isn’t a threat anymore, the councils are supposed to resume as planned, and Astoria is set to hold the first one two weeks from now.”

“Okay,” he says slowly. “That sounds exciting.”

Arc chokes on his second dragon puff. “You want me to be your escort,” he says flatly, once he’s finished coughing, “to the Council of the Five Kingdoms?” Normally he’d jump at the chance to spend a night dressing up and eating castle food. But the council is a decidedly different scene; there’s a set of formalities, politics underlying everything, and too many chances for him to expose his lack of knowledge when it comes to Astorian customs. Not to mention that Catalias’ royals will be there. He doesn’t know if he can stomach looking them in the face, knowing what they did to Seagate.

Ciara grimaces. “Look, I know it’s not exactly your thing, but my dad won’t let me go alone. And this really means a lot to me.” Her eyes are pleading, and Arc feels his resolve chipping away.

“Can’t one of your actual guards go with you?” he tries. “Or, Prudy or Warwick or someone?”

“I’ve already talked to my dad about it,” she explains. “You’re the only Knight School student he’d let protect me, because you already proved you could when Ryker invaded. Besides, if something were to happen…you’re the one person who knows I can handle myself as Ciara.”

There’s this brief stretch of silence where Arc works his bottom lip, and Ciara looks as though she’s debating something. “Also,” she adds finally, with the soft flicker of a hesitant smile, “I thought it might be fun to go with you.”

Arc blinks at her, caught off guard by the admission. There’s this sudden buzz in his chest that he can’t push away; in truth, he doesn’t like the idea of her spending the night with someone else either. Maybe, by some miracle, this will actually be a good thing. “Alright,” he relents. “I’ll be your escort.”

Ciara’s face breaks into a grin. “Yes! Thank you!” She throws her arms around him, and he’s shock-stilled, a rush of warmth flooding through him as he hugs her back. When she pulls away, her eyes are shining with excitement. “Okay, I’ve gotta go tell my dad you said yes, and there’s a million things to do, but I’ll see you at training later. You are the best.”

“I expect dragon puffs for life!” Arc calls after her as she disappears through her passageway. He leans back into the couch, lightheaded, and in that moment, he realizes abruptly that there’s almost nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

And he is so completely screwed.

Two weeks later, Arc is standing outside Ciara’s bedroom, waiting for her to finish getting ready.

It feels odd to be out here in the open. Generally his visits to her chamber are accompanied by an air of secrecy, but tonight, he’s a guest in the castle. He’s dressed like it, too, decked out in the guards’ typical formal wear: pressed brown pants, a white shirt laced up the front, and a navy leather jacket trimmed in gold, with Astoria’s crest on one shoulder. He looks kind of dashing, honestly.

Despite the confidence boost his new look offers him, his hand keeps drifting to the hilt of his sword. It’s sheer force of habit; he only associates this brewing sense of apprehension with battle, and his muscles are responding in kind. He’s glad, at least, that he turned down the other guards’ offer to lend him one of their ceremonial blades and instead has the familiarity of his own. Hopefully he won’t need it, but it’s a steadying presence all the same.

“Almost ready!” Ciara calls from inside, and Arc carefully unclenches his fingers from around the leather grip of his sword. He has to keep it together tonight; she’s made it clear how much this means to her. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass her in front of nobles from all five kingdoms.

Well, four, he reminds himself. Seagate won’t be attending. There isn’t anyone left to represent them.

The thought makes his stomach twist.

He’s saved from having to dwell on it by the sound of Ciara’s door unlatching. “Better prepare yourself, Princess,” he teases, leaning against the wall, “I look pretty good, and the last thing we want is for you to get too smitten—”

He breaks off as she emerges from the doorway, all the air in his lungs leaving in a sudden rush. He’s trying hard not to be the cliche of a guy scraping his jaw off the floor at the sight of a pretty girl in a dress, especially not like this, with Ciara—but he can’t help but think that it’s ridiculously unfair of her to come out looking like that. Her dress is a pale blue, falling gently off her shoulders and cinching at her waist, and her tight curls are weaved with strands of gold and tied into a low knot, some of them falling loose to frame her face. There’s a crown of gold leaves and rosebuds settled in her hair.

“You...um…” Arc searches for his voice, “you look amazing.” His mouth feels dry.

Ciara smirks and reaches up to adjust the collar of his uniform. “You don’t look so bad yourself. I’m definitely smitten,” she jokes, like it’s nothing for them to be flirting openly. It should be nothing. Except his skin burns where her fingers brush against his neck, and he suddenly wonders if she can hear his heart pounding.

He clears his throat. “We should probably get to the ballroom.”

She nods. “Give me your arm,” she says, looking at him expectantly. When he raises an eyebrow, she continues, “You’re my escort, remember?”

“Oh, right.” He lifts his arm obligingly, his cheeks warm.

“I really wish we’d had more time to go over Astorian customs,” she breathes as she takes it, more to herself than anything. “Between training and helping with preparations, I’ve been so busy…” His nerves must show on his face, then, because she squeezes his arm gently and amends, “Sorry. You’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just stay close to me, okay?”

“Not a problem,” he grins without missing a beat, and Ciara scoffs and shoves him, the smile tugging at her mouth taking all the bite away from it.

They can do this, he thinks. The two of them have kept up appearances for each other for months now, have fought and trained and battled Ryker together. They’re Arc and Ciara, unstoppable duo. One little party should be nothing.

As they make their way down the hall towards the ballroom, flanked by guards, Ciara lowers her voice. “When we get there, most of the nobles should be inside already. The herald will announce my father first, then us, and then each of the other three kingdoms. We’ll be beside the thrones as they come in—you’ll stand by me, left side—and once they’ve all been announced, we can leave the thrones and mingle. Bow to each of the rulers as they come by.”

They had, at least, practiced his bow. Arc swallows back the dread in his throat; all he has to do is stand beside her and greet the other royals, it’s easy enough. For a moment, they linger outside the entrance to the ballroom, until an official-sounding voice announces the King. “We’re next,” Ciara whispers to him, eyes glinting with excitement. “You ready?”

He nods back at her, and the voice calls, “Accompanied by Sir Arc...Princess Angelica of Astoria!” They step into the ballroom, greeted with applause. Arc doesn’t think he’s ever been in a place this lavish; the walls are white, accented in deep gold, and the floors are polished to a gleam. The ceiling looks hand-painted, ornately decorated in constellations and swirling designs, and crystal chandeliers dangle over their heads, casting a golden glow over the whole room. He tries not to look too awe-struck.

They make their way to the platform on which the thrones rest, Ciara nodding and smiling and waving at the other nobles as they pass. She stands next to her father, and Arc takes his place on her other side, placing his hands behind his back and trying, for all the world, to look like he belongs there. He wonders suddenly if he’s stood too close to her, and if it would make things worse for him to shift over now, and if his indecision is showing on his face—

And then, almost imperceptibly and hidden from the ballroom’s view by the folds of her dress, Ciara reaches over and links her pinky with his. It’s a tiny gesture, a friendly reassurance, but Arc feels a tide of warmth swell in his chest all the same. He lets his gaze flit to her for just a moment, and her lips are graced with a small smile as she tugs his finger gently.

His breath hitches, and he fights to keep his face a passive neutral as the herald announces the next kingdom and he turns his attention back to the doorway.

“Presenting King Hugo, Queen Luciana, and their son Prince Isaac of Catalias!”

Arc’s stomach turns as the couple enters, trailed by their son, all three of them swathed in lavish red and gold. Their reputation precedes them; he knows little about the prince, but the king and queen are infamous for their hoarding of wealth, their favorance of the rich nobles and landowners of their kingdom over the common people. Arc knows them best for what they had done to Seagate.

His hand twitches for his sword, but he fights against the instinct.

True to form, the two have a haughty look about them, all starched clothes and stiff smiles as they bow to Ciara and the King. The two of them return the greeting with Arc following their lead—grudgingly.

“I am so pleased you could join us tonight,” the King smiles, a little tight-lipped. “It is high time that Astoria and Catalias united again.”

King Hugo nods back. “I couldn’t agree more. The honor is ours.”

Arc detects a veiled sort of tension between the two of them, hidden well underneath the cordial formalities. He glances at Isaac, whose eyes are trained intently on Ciara even as he and his parents move to greet the other guests. Something about it is unsettling.

He’s so focused on Isaac that he almost misses the herald’s announcement of the next kingdom. “Queen Damyanti, and her children Princess Aadhya and Prince Kavan of Khurjan!”

Queen Damyanti is the picture of elegance, draped in silver silk that almost seems to glow against her dark skin. Aadhya looks around fifteen, with the same deep eyes and regal expression, and Kavan must be ten or so. He grins toothily as the three of them approach the thrones and bow.

The King’s expression is much warmer now. “Queen Damyanti. It has been too long. I trust Khurjan is doing well?”

“Not quite as well as Astoria, perhaps,” she replies, and it’s teasing, no sharpness to it. “This ball is absolutely lovely. Princess Angelica, you look so beautiful. Just like your mother. I was so sorry to hear of her passing.”

Ciara’s eyes go soft. “Thank you, Queen Damyanti,” she nods back. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“You as well. It’s a shame your sister couldn’t make it, but hopefully we’ll all gather again soon.” She gives a small, departing nod and joins the rest of the nobles, Aadhya giving them a bright-eyed smile and Kavan waving enthusiastically as they follow her. Ciara laughs.

“And finally...King Jesper of Vysalt!”

Arc is confused for a moment; he wonders if he had remembered the name of Vysalt’s king wrong. Then a young man with a head of dark curls and a smattering of freckles against tawny brown skin enters, his crown just slightly crooked. His eyes are wide and dark, and a jagged, white scar cuts across his cheekbone. He can’t be much older than they are.

“He’s the king?” Arc whispers to Ciara under his breath as Jesper makes his way over to them. “How old is he?”

Her expression twists a little in sympathy. “Seventeen. He wasn’t supposed to inherit the throne so soon. His parents were killed when Ryker’s army took over his kingdom.”

Arc isn’t sure what to say to that. He knows what it’s like to lose everything to Ryker—he can picture the flames every time he shuts his eyes. But he hadn’t known about Vysalt or the fate of its royals. They had been close allies with Seagate at one point, one of the only other kingdoms without much wealth, and their king and queen had been known for their generosity.

Somehow Arc had thought the damage had been done to Seagate alone, but now he wonders how the other kingdoms fared, if they suffered just as much. If any of them came out as unscathed as Astoria did.

“Your Majesties,” Jesper says as he bows, and there’s a note of pity in the King’s expression as he returns the gesture. Arc can only imagine how he feels about someone so close to his daughter’s age having to run a kingdom on his own.

“King Jesper. How are you doing?”

It’s a more personal question than he had asked the other royals, Arc notes. Jesper smiles easily; it’s soft, highlights his deep dimples and makes his dark eyes glimmer. “Well, thank you. Vysalt is recovering with time. As am I,” he adds, voice quieting for a moment.

The King nods back. “That’s good to hear. Let us know if there’s anything Astoria can do to help.”

Something flickers in Jesper’s expression, hard to read and gone so quickly that Arc wonders if he imagined it. The young king bows again before moving to join the others, but not before he catches Arc’s eye and smiles warmly. It surprises him—the other royals had hardly given him a second glance—but he returns it with one of his own. Beside him, Ciara lifts an eyebrow, her expression a mixture of amusement and something else he can’t place.

“What?” he asks quietly, and she shakes her head, glancing away.

“Nothing.”

He wants to pry, but the King is clearing his throat, getting ready to address the room. The chatter dies down as all eyes turn to him.

“My fellow Astorians,” he says in his deep, booming voice, sounding more formal than Arc has ever heard him, “and my guests from our neighboring kingdoms...I am honored to welcome you to our castle, and so pleased that we could all be in attendance tonight.”

Not all of us, Arc thinks, but no word of Seagate comes up.

The King continues, “For decades, our kingdoms have been isolated and divided by Ryker’s armies. We have long suffered under his forces, but his threat is gone for good. Thus, tonight is more than a council; it is a symbol of our victory, a symbol of our unity as we move forward and rebuild. So enjoy yourselves! After all, we have so much to celebrate!”

To Arc, the sentiment feels hollow. He got his revenge, and of course he’s glad that Ryker can’t hurt anyone else, but it doesn’t change the fact that Seagate is in ruins. It feels suddenly difficult to celebrate with the weight of his village’s absence lingering in the air around him. The rest of the partygoers don’t seem to share his hesitance, though; the room breaks into applause and cheers, several of the guests raising their goblets jovially.

Ciara gives him a subtle nudge, jolting him out of his thoughts. “Now we get to mingle,” she grins, leading him off the throne platform and towards the crowd.

He follows dutifully as she heads toward the table where the other kingdoms’ royals have gathered, Astoria’s king staying behind to greet the other royals. Queen Damyanti is in conversation with King Hugo and Queen Luciana, but she doesn’t seem entirely pleased about it, and Jesper and Kavan are laughing at something Aadhya has said. Isaac hovers next to them, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. He has his father’s golden hair and clear blue eyes, but the frown on his face is entirely his mother’s.

It disappears, though, the moment he sees Ciara approaching them. “Princess Angelica,” he greets her, with a little too much enthusiasm for Arc’s liking, “I’m so honored to finally meet you. You’re even more radiant in person.” Before she can say anything, he takes her hand and kisses it swiftly. Arc narrows his eyes.

Ciara gives a forced-sounding chuckle and curtseys, pulling her hand back. “Thank you, Prince Isaac. I’m glad you could make it. Allow me to introduce Sir Arc, my guard and escort for the night.”

Arc bows—and if he never has to bow to another pompous royal again, he thinks, it’ll be too soon—and Isaac offers him a dismissive sort of half-smile. Any further interaction they would’ve had then is thankfully avoided by the other royals noticing Ciara’s arrival.

“Hi, Princess Angelica!” Aadhya says brightly, with a neat little dip of a curtsey, “I’m Aadhya.” When Ciara and Arc begin to return the gesture, she waves her hand with a tiny scoff. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. Formalities. Just come sit.” She returns to her chair and pats the seat next to her, and Arc decides right there that he likes her.

Ciara takes the offered chair, and Arc takes the only other open spot, in between her and King Jesper. As Ciara launches into conversation with Aadhya, Jesper turns to him.

“Hi,” he says, a small smile tugging at his lips. “I’m Jesper.”

Arc bites back a laugh at the unnecessary introduction. “I know who you are, Your Highness,” he replies lightly.

“I know. I was just trying to give you an opening to tell me who you are.”

Oh. That’s unexpected. There’s no prerogative behind his words, no assertion; Jesper’s grin is almost bashful, his voice easy and bright. He doesn’t sound like a king, just a seventeen-year-old boy trying to flirt. Arc can’t help but return his smile.

“I’m Arc,” he says. “Normally I’m a student at Knight School, but I’m the princess’s guard and escort for the night.”

“Wait,” Aadhya pauses her conversation with Ciara to lean over and look at him, “You’re the Arc who defeated Ryker?”

“I helped,” Arc says with a shrug, and the princess’s eyes go wide. She turns to Ciara.

“Were you there too?”

“I was—” Ciara pauses for a moment, “hiding. I was hiding. Arc got me to safety.”

He grins a little at her, tongue between his teeth, knowing it must be killing her to hide what she was actually doing. She narrows her eyes and kicks his leg under the table in response, a silent shut up. He lifts his eyebrows, like, I didn’t say anything, and she rolls her eyes in an entirely non-subtle manner.

Across the table, Queen Damyanti is watching their exchange with a raised eyebrow, Arc notices belatedly. She has a mildly amused look on her face, but doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, she states, “Battling Ryker face-to-face must have been quite the experience.”

“What was it like?” Prince Kavan asks eagerly from beside his sister.

Aadhya elbows him. “Kavan,” she hisses, but Arc just grins.

“No worries. It was…” he trails, trying to think of what to say and suddenly aware that all the royals’ eyes are on him. He shifts in his seat. “It was scary, obviously. He had the Armor of Astoria, and a whole army with him, and most of the Astorian knights under his spell. But, y’know. We Knight School students are pretty formidable. We all took him on together. Wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise. I wasn’t half as scared as I would’ve been without my squadmates watching my back.”

He glances at Ciara, who smiles softly and nudges his foot, gentler this time. Jesper has that same unreadable look on his face and Aadhya has her chin propped in her hand, her expression amazed, but Queen Luciana gives a snide sort of scoff.

“It’s a wonder it took so long to defeat him, then, if a group of students cut him down so easily,” she says. “Perhaps Ryker was never as great a threat as we all made him out to be.”

There’s a cut of silence across the table in which Jesper visibly stiffens. “With all due respect, Queen Luciana, Ryker’s attacks were devastating. Or have you forgotten what happened to my parents?” he demands, without any respect at all. His eyes are blazing.

“I’m merely pointing out that the only real damage done was to the less...fortified kingdoms,” she sniffs. “Ryker only breached Catalias’s walls once, and he was driven out rather quickly.”

“Well, not every kingdom has Catalias’s resources.” Ciara sounds like she’s choosing her words carefully, frustration masked well behind them.

King Hugo gives a huff of a laugh; his blue eyes are cold. “My dear princess, you have no cause for indignation. Astoria lost the least to Ryker, what with your,” he waves a hand, “magic bubble.”

Ciara opens her mouth but falters, brow furrowed, and across the table, Queen Damyanti speaks up. “Nevertheless, Ryker was still a formidable enemy to all of us. We were only prepared for his attacks because he targeted Seagate and Vysalt first. And Seagate’s destruction is a clear example of his power.”

“Oh, even you can’t argue that Seagate was rotting long before Ryker got to it, Damyanti,” Hugo replies swiftly, and Arc’s breath catches in his throat. Queen Damyanti shrugs in agreement, her expression passive; Arc almost stands up, but Ciara’s hand on his leg underneath the table stops him.

“Don’t,” she hisses, just barely loud enough for him to hear, “Let me handle this.”

Though as it turns out, she doesn’t have to. Before she has a chance to speak, Jesper is already bristling, his voice sharp: “As if Seagate’s corruption justifies the destruction of its people?”

“It’s thieves and criminals, you mean?” Isaac scoffs. “Seagate was a wasteland. The kingdoms are better off.”

The words ring in Arc’s ears, alongside the pounding of his blood. They sound painfully similar to what Ryker had said to him on the mountain—rats and thieves, I did the five kingdoms a favor—and he thinks fleetingly that he’s going to be sick. He’s always known that Seagate was looked down on by the other kingdoms, but hearing them say so casually that what happened, the flames and the destruction and all of the death, was deserved—

“The people were only thieves and criminals because Catalias took advantage of them,” Jesper argues. “I hope I don’t have to remind you that it was your government that poured money into the gangs of Seagate for their own profit and allowed them to stage a coup in the first place.”

The words are deadly and cold, but Arc feels a flash of admiration for Jesper; the king has no obligations towards Seagate, and yet defends it like his own. King Hugo’s gaze hardens. “You’re blaming Catalias for Seagate’s problems?” he says with a derisive laugh. “If anything, Ryker’s attacks only revealed that Seagate was a kingdom full of people that weren’t worth saving.”

“That’s enough,” Ciara says abruptly. Her hand tightens on Arc’s leg, and he can no longer tell if he’s the one trembling or if she is. There’s this burning fire behind her eyes; she looks, Arc thinks briefly, the same way she does in battle. “What happened to Seagate was a devastating tragedy, and I won’t let you treat it as otherwise. Those who disagree aren’t welcome here.”

It’s a weighted statement, one she doesn’t entirely have the formal authority to make, but no one dares to contest it. A heavy silence settles over all of them. Arc doesn’t know how long he can sit there with all the heat under his skin; he doesn’t remember when his hand found the hilt of his sword, only that he’s gripping it tight enough that the leather bites into his palm. He wants to stand up and tell them that none of them would be here if it weren’t for him, a thief from Seagate. In truth, the only thing holding him back is Ciara. In a battle between her steady hand and the storm in his chest, she wins without even trying.

He doesn’t say anything or look at her, but her gaze flits to him for a moment and she just knows, standing up. Before she even opens her mouth, Isaac is on his feet too. “Going so soon?” he asks. “Would you care to dance, Princess?”

She looks at him coolly for a moment. “I would, actually.” And then, she turns to Arc, offering him her hand, “Sir Arc, dance with me?”

Arc blinks up at her and takes it as he stands. “Absolutely, Princess,” he says, letting her lead him away from the table and glancing back only long enough to catch the dumbfounded expression on Isaac’s face.

#oop #knight squad #knight squad fanfic #tiara thief #tiara thief fic #writing #my writing #fanfiction #arc #ciara #ks #//umanawrites #learn to love without consuming

51 notes · View notes