#which is great bc kings island deaths are like | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Tumblr.com rank in the US is 25.

#which is great bc kings island deaths are like

ganondoodle · 52 minutes

Note

I probably still wouldn’t have been a big fan of the game, but I don’t think I would have been NEARLY as upset about TotK if BotW didn’t seem like it was so obviously setting up plot points for a sequel. Like, you’re very clearly MEANT to wonder what malice is, and how Ganon became the Calamity instead of just the Demon King. Fi is awake again, where are they going either that? What’s the deal with the Triforce-shaped symbol on Zelda’s hand? There were a LOT of other things like that, and many of them had to do with overarching lore for the series.

I get it if they want to reboot the series, but “BotW 2” was the single worst game you could have done that with. It could have been an amazing conclusion to the original continuity.

EXACTLY, you, you get it

botw felt like the introduction to a vast world with secrets and hints to things that were planned to become a bigger thing- a big giant game as a big giant set up, and then ... like totk likes to do alot, it lacks a pay off, and that is something it even does within itself, cosntantly, set up and no pay off, or set up and the most boring and uninspired pay off you can really not even call that, from the bigger things like the whole dragon thing being hammered into your head as irreversible and then it IS reversible.. out of nowhere without you having to do fuck all, the whole thing with the ancient hero beign a big mystery with lots of interesting ideas attached and then its some weird ass dog creature that doesnt resemble any other race with, of course, sonau armor, bc there nothing that isnt sonau in that game, even finding the old treasure maps you can find that then lead to amiibo stuff from botw id call that

botw wasnt that great with rewards either but exploring the world and wondering about those, surely intentionally, placed mysterious and intriguing designs and places did alot for making it so interesting to think about, totk fumbles it all and even the new stuff doesnt even come close to that environmental storytelling botw was so great at, sonau ruins? ha they look entirely different than in botw actually, bc those were built by hylians you see, the actual sonau stuff is in prime condition considering the time thats passed and its all the same blank blocky blocks that serve no purpose but to be a place for you to find a thing or exchange some currency- the most you can think about it is ... that the sonau hollowed out the entire underground of hyrule, every inch of the map, ... which is WEIRD and doesnt exactly make them look that good but ... thats all there is

at least with the shiekah it made somewaht more sense and it felt much less .. invasive? and you didnt have anyone from that time to talk to, other than dead monks whos only purpose is to give you their last piece of their own spirit, but in totk ... raurus ghost and mineru too are both just there to talk to but DONT tell you shit but vague hints that were already clear, the sky islands used to be on the ground? oh you dont say, you see them there in the stupid memories! and dont get to know how they got up there and theres nothing that can clue you in to that, its just sonau magic yet again i guess

dont even get me started on the whole malice/miasma thing, it made so much SENSE that there was a source of it, someone that has keep kept in a horrible place just between life and death for thousands of years trying to break free by their hate and anger manifesting to such a degree its literally spilling out and building creppy eyeballs, mouths and ribcage like structures like they are trying to rebuild themsleves outside of their awful prison no one knows about is so damn compelling, but no, actually, the guy trapped there was the msot evilest evar, was sealed bc him evil and no other motive, and the previously mentioned stuff is pretty much utterly unceonnected, and his magic beign miasma with red instead of pink and no creepy body parts was the true version of it, that pink one was its own thing heehooo SHUT UP argh

it doesnt help that really, i dont feel like the sonau were set up either, they were a tiny part in botw, really only serving to make the world seem more ancient and more full of history, having ruins from a past civilization there you know nothing about and cant find out more is so good, its compelling and sad and makes the world feel more real, just shoving them into everything, being the center of attention all of thes udden and not even the architecure fitting feels so ... forced, i really truly believe the og sonau werent meant to be more than that, but in their fear of the game being too similarly looking like botw they took the sonau to replace the shiekah with them- imo the shiekah were the ones set up to be deeper explored in botw, with their whole misstreatment by the royal family in the past, monk miz kyoshia reacting the same way a yiga commander would was deliberate and brings up even more interesting ideas, the comments about where the mysterious energy the ancient shiekah used to power everything being concentrated in certain regions?? thats a big ass set up, the fact that the center of what is signaling everything to reactivate being below hyrule castle? the fact the whole arena thing was BUILT INTO THE CASTLE or it on top of it is so??? cool??? and sso damn intriguing, we are scratching the surface of their history- but then no, actually, the sonau are the cool new shit those other ones just uh ... disappear, also the sonau did everythign the shiekah did but even better wayy before them haha

its like they didnt want to tackle the more complicated stuff with the shiekah, their relationship to the royal family and how the yiga ... have a point and a good reason- so they replaced them with entirely new purely goodest good guys that did the same stuff before them with none of the history attached :))

this is why im so insistent on it not really being a sequel, thers no follow up on anything that was set up, NOTHING, and no, a couple having a kid now or whatever isnt a follow up on an interesting set up, how hard is it to understand that-

.... listen to me rambling, you probably know all that already nhjdfkbnkd

(i know i always bring up the shiekah but ... they were so central in botw, while also not taking up every single corner- unlike some other ones >_____>, with so much interesting stuff to connect and think about, i cared about them so much i felt kicked down the stairs by their treatment in totk)

#ganondoodles answers #ganondoodles rants #zelda #totk #totk critical #maybe its jsut me that feels so strongly about the unanswered stuff around the shiekah #but im #biting wood and clawing up the walls in my head

19 notes · View notes

joyboyish · 9 months

Text

i love love LOVE the new one piece episode...

im saying my gear 5 things again just because i NEED to talk about it

like how sun god nika brings a new dawn, and luffy was born on dawn island (the sun rises east after all)

oda says the flower that represents luffy is a sunflower which symbolizes unwavering faith and always faces the sun rise, and zoro is wisteria which means devotion that transcends death representing luffys faith in zoro and zoros devotion to luffy

how you can hear the drums of liberation in skypeia

laughter is one of the main themes in one piece, its not even like hidden. there are so many ways you can show it too! for instance someone on twt i think??? said the final island is called Laugh Tale bc this is a tale about laughter

luffy associates laughter with freedom, and as the viewer, you're supposed to as well. luffy wants to be the king of pirates, not because he wants to rule the seas with an iron fist, but because he wants to be freer than anyone. he wants to be able to laugh with his friends with out a worry in the world, and thats why in wano he gets so upset when he finds out about smile. kaidou took something he associated with being free, and made it into a prison. when luffy awakened his fruit, used gear 5, and turned into sun god nika, he laughed. its out of place bc the whole fight luffy is more upset than he is during most of his fights. hes lost 3 times now, he failed to keep his promise to tama, he failed to save momonusuke and kin'emons country but he laughed. he has a whole silly battle where hes laughing the whole time and using funny gags as a fighting style. wano shifts the way we view laughter in one piece, by showing that the people of wano are stuck suffering and unable to show their emotions, and then shifts it back by showing luffys laughing, even when hes at his lowest.

luffy is laughter, he is the sun, warmth, love, and liberation. its not a coincidence the brothers of the sun god ate a fruit that let them control fire.

that montage during his gear 5 transformation where we seeframes of everytime hes used his gears, showing us his growth as a fighter, as a pirate, and as a captain, while the fate of an entire country is on his back, while he fights to protect his loved ones and while we see luffy do everything hes wanted to do (his words too!!).... yeah this was a great episode lmao

#one piece #monkey d luffy #one piece strawhats #straw hat luffy #straw hat crew #monkey d. luffy #straw hat pirates #luffy #gear 5 luffy #gear 5 #wano arc #wano #joyboy #joy boy #sun god nika

1K notes · View notes

auncyen · 17 days

Note

Same anon with the mira and bonnie ask, lobed your response but felt weird to just put it in w/o a question so if you don’t mind:

what do you think siffrin’s life was like before joining the party? Could be pre- or post- forgotten island. Idk to me its fascinating bc they were loved in some measure (cloak, jokingly running away bc of veggies) and are p in touch with their culture when they remember it, but at the same time siffrin’s mindset is pretty unhealthy. Like even before looping/during act 2 loops, they seemed unconcerned about serious bodily harm and death that would happen to them + just seems to have. A very strange relationship with people feeling sad instead of happy around them? Idk i just don’t think that’s from just the memory loss.

See I think kid Siffrin was pretty happy. As Isabeau notes whoever gave them the cloak and hat must have really loved them. When Siffrin recounts running away it's in a carefree way--he knew he could give his parents a scare and it'd go down as "just a prank". Basically their home life was really good. There are questions I have about the island's beliefs / values that might be troublesome, but I don't really think that sort of thing grates on a kid with a happy home life too much. (And also as a little note the only glimpse we get into the island's beliefs/values are through Siffrin and King, two individuals who cannot recall those things completely and are very traumatized, so like. Should probably take a grain of salt on how they portray the beliefs anyway.)

Post-island I admittedly read a LOT into how Siffrin finds Vaugarde's openness weird and had kept their hair dyed up until a few months pre-game.

In his experience, other countries are not as welcoming. So I imagine their teenage years were probably pretty lonely. This isn't to say other countries were completely awful--he obviously enjoyed Poteria's plays!--but they were juuust old enough where few would assume just by looking at them "uh, you're on your own, do you need help?" If they stayed long enough in a spot for people to figure out something was wrong it'd invite questions like "where are you from", "where are your parents", basically questions that'd make Siffrin's head hurt and probably lead to them cutting off the interaction if the other person doesn't walk away first because they're put off or alarmed by Siffrin's reactions. Basically, there probably WERE well-meaning attempts to help Siffrin. They backfired because people didn't know what was wrong with Siffrin (Siffrin didn't know what was wrong with Siffrin). Siffrin probably beat himself up for it when he knew the other person was trying to help and he was just too "broken". As a teenager he probably stayed longest in places where adults assumed he was a runaway that didn't want to talk about it and maybe helped him out in a more "hands-off" way--"hey, run this errand for me and I'll give you dinner and a roof for the night". Which, great! Because Siffrin finds a way to get by. But it doesn't deal with any of the emotional issues festering inside.

I also feel like, while this may be a bit dark for the fantasy setting, Siffrin probably got targeted at times for being a young traveler on their own. I mean I also headcanon that Siffrin was very good at escaping dicey situations, partially because they'd start Wish Crafting unconsciously if they were really scared, so they were never seriously harmed. But they weren't good experiences to have!

I also kind of headcanon that pre-canon with not knowing who they are like--they loved plays. But also, like. I can see them at times hurting when they think about plays, how they'd be portrayed in a play. No true name, no past, no home, no relations. At best they're the jester who mocks a King gone wrong and makes the audience laugh. At worst they're a side character killed off-stage in a tragedy, barely important enough to devote two lines to. What kind of play would have a protagonist with zero emotional stake in anything?

They try to be the jester, at least. Sometimes, when he's feeling brave enough. It tends to fizzle pretty quickly. (And then he meets someone who doubles over laughing at a bad pun.)

So yeah I feel like Siffrin pretty much mastered the art of getting by and also as in this post actually being pretty good at fighting pre-canon, but socially well. They can ask directions in at least half a dozen languages but can't be honest about how they're feeling or what's going on with them in a single blinding one. Then they meet a group that's in desperate need of another fighter and 2 of them are Vaugardians who are willing to accept Siffrin's eccentricities as just part of them and not ask questions and Odile's pragmatic enough to not rock the boat unnecessarily. I pretty much do view the group as being the first chance Siffrin remembers getting to bond with people without it going south by them wanting to know their background. Of course he loves them. Of course it doesn't really matter what happens to him, who's going to miss him?? They have homes and families and friends. They're the real heroes. He's just supporting cast.

...So yeah tl;dr pre-island vanishing I think Siffrin's life was just fine. post-island was an incredible amount of loneliness and the Universe putting his brain in a blender and idly hitting the pulse button every so often. This is not even getting into experiencing the physical side of puberty while not knowing who you are or who to ask for help, which, yikes.

#siffrin #in stars and time #in stars and time spoilers

32 notes · View notes

sezija · 11 months

Text

Ok i think i’m actually going insane not talking abt this so fuck it

Dragonwalker Hiccup AU

My fic of it, set during HTTYD1; basically just a prologue

Ramblings underneath (like, a lot. i’m warning you.)

So basically, Dragonwalkers are humans who, when they fall asleep, turn into dragons. Just go watch Wolfwalkers actually it’s a very good movie and the concept is very hard to put into words, i’ve found.

Anyway; thoughts. Many MANY of them. :)

Valka’s had her dragon form (a night fury) her whole life, and lived on an island w her family AND a family of Night Furies. (Night Furies live in family packs, w the parents leading/raising/teaching their children (they only have 1 egg at a time, and only lay up to 3 in their whole life) until they’re old enough to get their own mate and start their own pack. (When a Night Fury pair’s children all have left and started their own families, they will sometimes join their children’s packs since they can’t hunt and fight on their own that well as they get older.))

And bc thw sucks and Grimmel, a man who is still alive, somehow killing off an entire species of dragons is stupid, i’m using my sibling’s idea, which is that Grimmel’s family has been hunting Night Furies for generations. It’s a family tradition basically, tracking and killing them until none are left. (And every person in his family has been killed by Night Furies, further motivating them.)

So Valka’s family (dragon&dragonwalker) were all killed, and only she escaped, ending up on Berk. Fell in love w Stoick, tried to make the vikings stop killing the dragons, was taken by Cloudjumper, the usual. She reunites with Hiccup early, during RTTE, just bc i want them to kick dragon hunter ass together. The war w Drago happens later.

Also i’m completely discarding the whole “king of all dragons” thing, it doesn’t fit w how i want this world to feel. Also toothless sucked as Alpha, i dont want that. And what i’ve always liked abt the HTTYD dragons is that they’re animals. The whole “king of all dragons” kinda,,, ruins that. So that’s also gone now.

I’ve been having a lot of thoughts abt how dragon flocks/packs/pods work, and these are my current ideas;

A “Flock” is a group of dragons of different species, under the control/protection of an Alpha (the Red Death’s flock, (Valka’s) Bewilderbeast’s flock, that one flock of dragons in RTTE s2e8-9 “Edge of Disaster”)

A “Pack” is a group of dragons of the same species, under the control/protection of a leader/queen/etc. etc. (speed stingers, fire worms, terrible terrors, (night furies in this AU))

A “Pod” is the same as a Pack, except for Tidal-class dragons specifically (a pod of seashockers, scauldrons, etc.)

The whole franchise is very inconsistent abt this so i’m working w what i have ok

The “Great Beyond” was separated from Berk/Berserkers/etc. by a heavy wall of fog all around them. There were some spots you could cross, used by traders and such, but the rest of the world has stayed pretty separated from this one corner of the world that experiences Dragon Raids.

However, after the Red Death’s demise, the fog has been slowly dissipating, allowing more to cross over; this way, the riders taking hours and hours of exhausting flight to reach “the great beyond” AND Gobber somehow making his way to Dragon’s Edge on a small, rickety boat both make sense; the more time passes, the easier it is to cross.

A lot of the conflict in the series comes from the human characters not understanding why the dragons are doing something, so giving Hiccup the ability to communicate with them takes away a lot of it, which i’m not happy abt bc it means i need to come up w my own stuff >:( (communicating w the dragons is actually kinda difficult in human form, since his hearing isn’t good enough to hear a fair amount of their vocalizations, and his throat isn’t made for producing those sounds.)

Anyway, my thoughts have been specifically focused on one episode of RTTE, my favourite one since i first saw it, up there w Dire Straits and Enemy of my Enemy; s3e8 “Stryke Out”.

In this AU, hiccup is taken by dragon hunters in his dragon form, taken to a dragon fighting ring. He’s worth a lot to them, being a Night Fury (this is what the art at the top of the post is depicting). He’s caged up for a few weeks until the news of a Night Fury in the ring spread enough, and he has to start fighting. The Riders figure out where he is due to these rumours, and interrupt his fight with the Triple Stryke 3 days into him being forced to fight the other dragons, the same day Ryker came to collect his cut of the money again.

Anyway, that’s all i rly wanted to get out rn. Just. Obsessed. Hiccup becoming crueler and much less forgiving towards dragon hunters after this experience. He’s seen their cruelty many times before, but being caged and muzzled and forced to hurt other dragons if he wants to live, dependant on them for food, even for the capability to eat it, bc of the hook they put in his mouth, really just... changes him. God i love torturing my faves <3

He would take the Dragon Fliers&their Singetails so personally here.

anyway, art;

(i forgot to add his chin scar in many of these oof)

126 notes · View notes

ltwilliammowett · 1 year

Text

Artemisia I - King Xerxes female Admiral

Artemisia I of Caria was a daughter of Lygdamis of Halicarnassus and on her mother's side she was of Cretan descent. After the death of her husband, whose name is unknown, she took over the government of Halicarnassus, Kos, Nisyros and Kalydna before 480 BC - as guardian of her young son Pisindelis. In doing so, she was subject to the suzerainty of the Persian king.

The Battle of Salamis with Artemisia all in white in the middle, by Wilhelm von Kaulbach (1805-1874) (x)

Without external coercion, the extremely daring Artemisia took part in Xerxes I's campaign against Greece in 480 BC and, during the expedition, was in charge of the five ships she contributed, which, according to the historian Herodotus (7,99), "were the most excellent in the whole fleet after Sidon". Herodotus rightly praises her determination and wisdom as well as her influence with the Great King, but some of her actions are anecdotally embellished or even completely invented, which is why her existence is also discussed in research.

First, Artemisia fought in the naval battle at Cape Artemision (August or September, 480 BC) on the Greek island of Euboea. According to Herodotus' account, she was the only one who advised Xerxes not to attack the Greeks in the strait between Attica and Salamis, where the Greek fleet had retreated. All the other war councillors and allies of Xerxes, on the other hand, had advocated the implementation of the naval battle of Salamis. To justify her position, Artemisia stated that the Greek fleet was superior to the Persian one; moreover, the entire Persian land army would also suffer if the fleet were destroyed by the enemies. Instead, Xerxes should move quickly with his land army to the Peloponnese; the Greeks, who lacked provisions at Salamis anyway, would then disperse, abandon Athens and return to their home towns. Apparently, Herodotus is not reproducing an authentic speech by Artemisias here, but his own assessment of the military situation. According to Herodotus (8,68-69), Xerxes was impressed by Artemisia's speech, but nevertheless decided to risk the naval battle against her advice.

Artemisia I, Dynastin of Halicarnassus in the 5th century BC at the Battle of Salamis, by Ferdi[and] Dietz 1881 (x)

Artemisia then took part in the battle of Salamis, September, 480 BC, and is said to have performed great deeds. According to Plutarch, she was able to recover the body of Xerxes' brother and Admiral Ariamenes or Ariabignes, how Herodotus (7,97) called him and bring it back to the Great King. The Athenian fleet commanders had been ordered to capture Artemisia without fail; the one who succeeded was to receive a reward of 10,000 drachmas. The Athenians were outraged that a woman dared to fight against them.

Later in the battle, which was extremely unfortunate for Xerxes, Artemisia was able to evade pursuit by the Athenian Ameinias by sinking an allied ship commanded by Damasithymos, the king of Kalynda, which blocked her escape route. The latter concluded from Artemisia's action that the crew of her ship must be either Greeks or Persian deserters, so he turned away and attacked other ships. Thus Artemisia managed to escape. Xerxes observed the incident and believed she had sunk an enemy ship. He is said to have then noticed that his men behaved like women and his women like men. Herodotus (8,88)

Similarly, Polyainos describes the ruse used in the naval battle of Salamis: when the Persians were already fleeing from the Greeks' ships, Artemisia ordered her sea soldiers, when they were almost caught up, to take down the Persian flags and hoist the Greek ones. By which Polyenus in his work Strategemata c. 100 AD even portrays her as a cowardly pirate (8,53,4). However, she ordered her helmsman to attack one of her own passing Persian ships. This made the Greeks think it was an allied ship, so they turned away and faced other ships. Artemisia, however, having escaped the danger, quickly sailed home.

After the lost battle, Mardonios, a leading Persian military commander, recommended to the Persian Great King that he attempt a new attack on the Peloponnese. Either he should lead this campaign personally or leave it to him, Mardonios, and retreat himself. Before Xerxes made his decision, however, he again asked Artemisia for advice, who firmly advised the king to return home. Herodotus (8,101) While Xerxes marched overland to the Hellespont and then continued to Sardis, she sailed to Ephesus with several of the king's illegitimate sons on board, according to Herodotus (8,103). Plutarch (De Herodoti malignitate, 38), on the other hand, thinks that Xerxes would have brought women from Susa in case his son needed female companions. As we can already see here, we do not know exactly what became of her. And so her story was presumably simply re-spun, because the further statements about her life do not appear until the 1st century AD.

Thus it becomes very dramatic in the story told by Ptolemy Chennos in the 1st century AD that Artemisia gouged out the eyes of her lover Dardanos from Abydos, who had spurned her, in her sleep and then threw herself from the Lucadian rock into the Aegean Sea because of this unhappy love. Her son Pisindelis followed her in the government.

#naval history #artemisia of halicarnassus #5th century bc #women at sea #ancient seafaring

104 notes · View notes

villanelleskiss · 11 months

Text

alright fuck it... here’s my BOTW/TOTK timeline theory

(full spoilers for BOTW/TOTK do not proceed without beating the games)

okay, so the first thing i want to mention is that i don’t believe BOTW/TOTK fits within any timeline or at the bottom of the 3. i think this is a trilogy, the first game being Skyward Sword.

here’s my explanation:

Hyrule was yet to be founded at the start of SS. we start off on the island of skyloft, which has a very similar appearance of the great sky island we wake up on in TOTK. and it has been shown that if you flip skyloft upside down, it will be similar to the great sky island.

by the end of SS, we have visited several areas which are very similar in placement to the map we see in BOTW/TOTK. the eldin, the faron, and lanayru regions. Eldin being the home of death mountain, faron being the water/forest region similar to what it is in BOTW/TOTK, and lanayru being a desert area very similar to the layout of what we know as the gerudo desert. the rest of SS map is blank, bc theoretically, they have gone unexplored. it should also go unsaid that over 10k years, there is bound to be a geographical shift, creating different valleys, mountains, hills, barrens, etc. so while it looks slightly off, with that in mind, what we find in BOTW/TOTK map does make sense.

plus, we don’t actually see sky era Link and Zelda found Hyrule, just that they have found the surface and plan on bringing their people down from the sky. we also never see how long each era of hero/princess live, but since usually 100 years pass between each new hero being born, there is roughly 80-100 years if not more unaccounted for. we also don’t know by the end of SS if there are other sky islands, bc if there’s one, then there is probably others. possibly one’s with Zonai, bc we find by the end of TOTK that the last few remaining descended to the surface, probably not long after Link and Zelda of the sky era.

however, since we do know that Rauru and Sonia are officially the first king and queen of hyrule, that obviously would be contradicting if Link and Zelda did, so that would mean that within the sky era, they were not able to found the kingdom and possibly passed away shortly before the Zonai descended because we find out that Sonia was a priestess of the world (bc there wouldn’t have been a queen or king in that case) and together with their powers, zonai constructs etc they were able to build the castle, the forgotten temple, zonai ruins (possibly even after what happened after rauru and sonia’s deaths) built the kingdom based upon the finding of sky era Link and Zelda.

they are not aware however of the master sword, bc since the kingdom is just being founded, they do not know it exists until Zelda travels back in time to mention it. from this point, the master sword would have likely been moved to a safer place (now known as the lost woods to be looked over by the great deku tree)

which brings me to my next point, the ancient hero. now, i know that it is being theorized that rauru and sonia must’ve had a daughter bc of when sonia tells zelda “i sense that we share a blood connection”. but i think that is being read too much into. bc every incarnation of zelda is of the goddess hylia, which would be more of a spiritual connection... but i don’t think by saying “blood connection” is wrong even if they did not have a child. also zelda’s mother in BOTW was not a goddess descendant. plus, that would invalidate the ancient hero, who is very clearly half hylian/half zonai based upon the ancient hero’s aspect, which shows this. also it would say that Link and Zelda are brother/sister, which isn’t true. because rauru would be the chosen hero of that time, so the ancient hero could not awaken until after his death.

this is when ganondorf becomes the demon king, after demise promised would be born time and time again along with each new hero and princess, which we have seen previously throughout older iterations. through rauru, who imprisons him away and binds his magic, the calamity, is a mere mirage of the power he still contains attempting to undo his seal so he can bring chaos upon Hyrule again. the first time we see the calamity is through the ancient hero, who seemingly is using the master sword, which would have been found after Zelda mentioned it to Rauru and word passed down through the sage’s (who i also believe the divine beasts are named after). the first calamity is able to be sealed away, as it has numerous times until the events of BOTW.

so, the events of BOTW and TOTK play out and that’s where the story for this ends.

now, let’s address the other games. because there is a huge implication of other domains and worlds existing by the mention of it, through a character named Yona, who says she traveled from another domain, which would mean that there are other worlds. possibly with their own heroes and princesses, bc throughout TOTK we find armor that can be obtained from previous games and locations from those games as well, which, i mostly believe is just nintendo being nostalgic and wanting to honor those games, not exactly saying that they exist in this timeline.

but what if they do? what if through other kingdoms, or universes, those events all did happen and they have either been brought to us from those who have traveled from other worlds and/or universes. because at the end of the day, it is called the legend of zelda for a reason. a legend does not exactly mean it happened, but these armors and locations say, yes, they did happen and here is the proof they did. but possibly just not in this time.

we always assume that only one hero and princess can be alive at once, which, i personally believe to be true, but what if it’s not? we know that TOTK, no other male gerudos have been born because ganondorf is still alive, but that doesn’t mean that demise couldn’t attempt to reincarnate himself through ganondorf in another kingdom or universe. with the power that we saw demise carry, he would be capable of doing so, so why not? why could these games not all occur at the same time other ones?

(also there is the theory of the dragons in BOTW/TOTK, which has been almost basically proven to be zonai who swallowed secret stones bc how else would mineru know about it? but the zonai were also believed to be gods, so... what if they were and that’s how we got our dragons?)

let me know your own thoughts!

30 notes · View notes

backjustforberena · 1 year

Text

Thoughts whilst watching Vaemond vs Rhaenys in Episode 08 (yell at me and I might add gifs):

I do like how this opens. You get setting (High Tide) but then you also get the imposing Driftwood Throne as the focus; the seat of House Velaryon. And we know Rhaenys is there bc of the voice over but it’s almost a reveal about how much power she’s got because NO ONE has sat on that seat except Corlys (not even Viserys in Ep 07). And we could have panned over and she’s just stood or she has a baby throne in front of it or she’s leaning against it. BUT NAH. You see the symbol of power and then who’s sitting on it? It’s FRICKING RHAENYS.

We’re joining in in the middle of a conversation. I wonder how it starts. I imagine it being a typical petition day, seeing to the business of Driftmark. That’s why Vaemond is there, and Baela. Why Rhaenys’s sat on the Driftwood Throne and hearing this news for the first time in public, not in private. It’s daylight. I expect they drew it to a close and Kelvyn said he’d received word from the Fleet. It’s a formal address.

I’ve said this on a separate post and it may mean nothing because it’ll be different takes and editing, but I love that when she’s hearing about Corlys, her arm is by her side, but when we cut to her giving orders, it’s on the throne’s armrest and she’s making herself have better posture, seem bigger etc etc. The switch from wife to ruler.

He burns from within. And then Rhaenys does the head tilt and looks away and it’s a few seconds before she can even talk. The reality and cold, hard fact does not scare her (which is how Kelvyn had delivered the news up until that line). But as soon as they mention pain and go to metaphor, she looks in distress. Looks to Baela, looks for something.

But she sits the throne. So she collects herself. Appearances must be maintained, even within this close circle, because that is what she knows. I get the impression that being in the position of a ruler, she doesn’t allow for her other roles or identities to clash with that. She’s not receiving the news or conducting the conversation as a grandmother or a woman or a wife or anything. She’s there as Lady of the Tides. As the one in charge and she has been for six years.

Flipping Evenfall. Three days. Yup, she knows that well enough. I don’t know if that was a deliberate thing by the producers or writers but screw you if it was, having her husband near-death on the same island her dad died on.

Vaemond in the shadows like Scar from the Lion King.

“The Sea Snake is strong.” Sad line. Great line. Love Baela. Great line because it’s just her trying to reassure Rhaenys and know that Rhaenys needs that. And I love that Rhaenys responds to it with a little hum. Her thoughts must be going miles a minute.

Rhaenys smiles a little at it. Because she knows Corlys better than anyone. She knows the truth of how strong he is, even at his weakest.

And then, bam, Vaemond starts talking and Rhaenys shuts down, looks away. It feels like a fight is about to happen. We cut back to her and the game face is on.

“I will not suffer the talk of crows in my house, Vaemond.” - HER HOUSE!!!

I, like everyone, love to hate on Vaemond. But I do see his POV. I think he goes about it in a stupid way and a dismissive way and in an insensitive way, but I do believe he loves his brother. And he loves his house.

Rhaenys spends this whole conversation (in her own way) trying to shut him up and shut him down, because he’s courting treason. She cuts across him when he speaks to Baela, she glares at him x1000 at every given moment. It’s a battle of wills: Vaemond wants to talk about it and Rhaenys wants to wait.

“Be careful, good-brother, one could take your words for treason.” I adore the delivery of this line. There’s just enough of smile there to give him room to back down, say “whoops” and leave it at that. There’s also a warning in there (good-brother establishing that emotional/familial bond they share), a threat in there, and a reminder in there. This is the game we’re playing, Vaemond. Mentioning blood, or lack of, is treason for all. And if she engaged with it, she would also be committing treason.

Then this punk walks up to Rhaenys as if he’s about to be physically intimidating and all up in her personal space. She does not flinch. There is literally no change in her expression. And Vaemond doubles down. He will be having this conversation whether she wants to or not.

Notice how in all of her dialogue, Rhaenys doesn’t engage with talks of blood or who should be heir or what she actually thinks. You can infer what she knows from her body language, but if someone were to send a transcript of this conversation to the King, she does nothing wrong. Rhaenys crosses no lines.

No one but Rhaenys is allowed to slander Corlys. He’s a dumbass but he’s her dumbass. I love to see the rage. Controlled rage, but you look at her and go: yeah, she’s got dragon in her.

“While I should like your support, I do not need it.” - and just like that, Vaemond might still have his head but he was dead to me. Even if, politically, he was right. As soon as Corlys passes, Rhaenys loses everything. She will have no power, no lands, no claim. For me, I think that’s a massive driver in her actions in this, and later episodes. It’s about consolidating and preserving whatever power she might have. And the more power she has, the safer she can keep her loved ones. That’s always been it for her.

Anyway, mightily ironic because actually, he really does end up needing her support or her advice or should have stuck with her. And she gives him an out. She’s never acted maliciously against Vaemond whatsoever. She doesn’t want him to die or be harmed or anything.

Rhaenys approaches these problems as political, not personal. Always has done.

Also, does Vaemond realise that he just told Rhaenys his whole plan?? Like, come on, if you didn’t need her support, why tell her all this? You fool. Now Rhaenys knows what the other sides are all doing. She knows what Vaemond wants and what he’s willing to do to get it.

“My cousin, the King, would have your tongue for this.” Cute little name drop, we love to see. The use of names and terms throughout this whole conversation is really interesting, but again, I made a separate post on that.

Eye contact with Vaemond and then it shifts down as the ramification sits in. We are left knowing that Rhaenys is going to do something, but not what. It seems like Vaemond gets the last word. BUT I think this scene got cut for length. Which I’m slightly gutted about.

As always, do come into my inbox if you want to chat about anything I’ve written. Even if you disagree with me or have a different take :)

#rhaenys targaryen #house of the dragon #bad meta #<- this tag is sarcastic but i'm sticking with it

28 notes · View notes

asongofsilks · 2 years

Text

ASOIAF FANCASTING --> EVERY NAMED FEMALE CHARACTER ABOVE THE AGE OF FIVE, PART XVI

Daenerys Targaryen (b. 284 AC): The youngest child of King Aerys II and his wife Rhaella. When Robert's Rebellion broke out, Aerys sent his pregnant queen to Dragonstone, where she died giving birth to Daenerys. She and her older brother Viserys were smuggled to safety by Ser Willem Darry, who cared for them in a house in Braavos, but after his death she and Viserys ended up wandering the Free Cities. They eventually find refuge at Magister Illyrio's in Pentos, where Viserys concocts a plan to reconquer Westeros with a Dothraki army and weds Dany to Khal Drogo to gain this army. Dany finds strength on the Dothraki sea and settles as a khaleesi, whilst Viserys is killed for disrespecting their customs and threatening his pregnant sister. When Drogo succumbs to infection following a wound, Daenerys tries to revive him with the help of Mirri Maz Duur using black magic, but her unborn son Rhaego is slain for the sacrifice and Drogo is only brought back to be trapped in his dead body. Dany smothers him and burns Mirri Maz Duur on his funeral pyre, where she enters the fire and hatches three dragons out of dragons' eggs that have turned to stone. Now with her own small but loyal band, she travels first to Qarth and then to Slavers' Bay, looking for the means to reconquer Westeros. But rather than purchase fighting slaves, she makes war on the slave cities and devastates Astapor and Yunkai. After taking Meereen, she decides to stay and rule over the city rather than see it fall into chaos. However, she is unable to enact a lasting peace between the freedmen and former slave owners, and after a child is killed by her dragon Drogon, she locks up his brothers (Drogon does not let himself be captured). As part of the attempt to stop attacks on the freedmen, she marries Hizdahr zo Loraq. However, at the reopening of the fighting pits, Drogon returns and spreads devastation until Dany mounts him and flies out of the city. Drogon flies to the Dothraki sea, where the khalasar of Khal Jhaqo, an old enemy, finds her. Fancast: Emilia Clarke.

Daenora Targaryen (b. approx. 215 AC): Youngest child of Prince Rhaegel Targaryen and his wife, Alys Arryn. She was sister to Aelor and Aelora Targaryen. She was married to her cousin, Aerion Targaryen, and had a son, Maegor, with him before his death by drinking wildfire. She was not considered as an heir for her uncle, King Aerys I, and the Great Council of 233 AC passed over her son's claim on account of his infancy and his father's madness. Fancast: Reese Witherspoon.

Daenys Targaryen (b. approx. 128 BC): The daughter of Aenar Targaryen, a dragonlord of the Valyrian Freehold. She foresaw the destruction of Valyria twelve years before it happened. Her father heeded her visions, sold all their holdings in the Freehold, and moved the family to the island of Dragonstone, which became the first seat of the Targaryens in Westeros. She was married to her brother Gaemon, who was later called Gaemon the Glorious, and they ruled Dragonstone together. Fancast: Emily Baldoni.

Princess Daeryssa (Age of Heroes): A princess who, the songs say, was once saved from giants by the legendary knight Serwyn of the Mirror Shield. (My own headcanon: Though likely retconned out of existence, I thought Daeryssa might be a king's daughter from any of the small kingdoms of the age of Heroes, maybe with a mother of Valyrian blood.) Fancast: Seychelle Gabriel.

Dalla (main series era): A serving woman at Dragonstone, part of Stannis Baratheon's staff. Fancast: Jessica Baglow.

Dalla (d. 300 AC): The wife of Mance Rayder, chosen King-Beyond-the-Wall to lead the Free Folk in their flight from the Others. She dies giving birth to her son during the battle between Mance's forces and the army of Stannis Baratheon. Fancast: Julia Ormond.

Dancy (main series era): A prostitute at Chataya's establishment in King's Landing. Fancast: Cintia Dicker.

Danelle Lothston (b. approx. 190 AC): The last of her House, she was the Lady of Harrenhal and Head of House Lothston in her own right. She wore armour and led men into battle, notably when she called her banners to end the Second Blackfyre Rebellion in its infancy at Whitewalls. During the reign of Maekar I, she reportedly turned to the dark arts, which caused her madness and the downfall of the Lothston line. People still tell stories of her bathing in blood and eating children. Fancast: Oksana Butovskaya.

Danny Flint (probably lived after the Conquest): She was a girl who joined the Night's Watch, pretending to be a boy. However, when her secret was found out, she was raped and murdered by her sworn brothers. Her song claims that her ghost still walks the Nightfort. Fancast: Ava Acres.

Darla Deddings (lived 130 AC): During the Dance of the Dragons, rioteers in King's Landing attempted to rape Lady Darla and her brother was killed defending her. Fancast: Kaitlyn Dever.

#asoiaf fancast #valyrianscrolls #daenerys targaryen #darla deddings #brave danny flint #dancy #danelle lothston #dalla #dalla of dragonstone #princess daeryssa #daenora targaryen #daenys targaryen #allfancasts #asoiaf fashion

22 notes · View notes

datesoma · 2 years

Note

teyvat, freedom, barbara, sakura blooms and ganyu for the genshin ask! 😎

A genshin ask meme redux

teyvat: which released region do you prefer and which unreleased nation are you most looking forward to visiting?

Mondstadt is definitely my favorite region!! I like every region we’ve gotten so far in at least some capacity, but I go to Mondstadt for everything - crafting, cooking, forging, finishing commissions, sending charas out on expeditions etc! It has such a homey vibe that I’m just about always over there even if it’s pretty empty nowadays :’) If we’re being even more specific tho, my favorite area is Dragonspine! There’s no place that’s prettier or more calming to me, and I know where every single thing is located on that mountain <3 (not even kidding tbh, I always help people with Dragonspine bc I remember where every fire place, chest, quest location etc is!)

As for unreleased regions, Khaenri’ah!! I'd love to know more about their technology and about Dainsleif, but my main focus is finding out more about Gold / Rhinedottir and her creations! Also what IS the truth of this world bestie, don’t leave us in suspense like this

freedom: if you were blessed with a vision, which one would you want to have (and which one do you think you’d actually get)?

My favorite element is anemo, and imo it’s also the most fun, so I’d love to have an anemo vision w/o the implications that’d come with it (coughs. every anemo user has lost someone dear to them and I’d really rather not), but I’m 100% sure that if I were to get one, it’d be a cryo vision! Both based on gut feeling and reddit posts like this one.

barbara: you’re a tourist traveling teyvat, which locations in the game would you want to visit in person?

DRAGONSPINE, every inch of it. Doesn’t even matter if I’d be freezing to death, I’d go there first and foremost anyway! Then I’d love to visit the main cities in every region, and I’d probably spend most of my time in Mondstadt and Sumeru.

For Mond I’d love to visit Starfell Lake, Windrise, Dawn Winery and Stormterror’s Lair; for Liyue I’d love to visit Wangshu Inn, Qingce Village and Luhua Pool; for Inazuma I’d love to visit Chinju Forest, the Grand Narukami Shrine and Tsurumi Island; and for Sumeru I’d love to visit Avidya Forest (and Gandharva Ville), Vimara Village, Pardis Dhyai, Lokapala Jungle only if I had someone escorting me, Aaru Village and the Mausoleum of King Deshret!

sakura blooms: what is/are your favorite world quest(s) you’ve done?

Basically any of Dragonspine’s world quests (In the Mountains, Lost in the Snow, A Land Entombed, The Great Mountain Surveys, The Festering Fang), Bough Keeper Dainsleif, Aranyaka, Golden Slumber, Lost in a Foreign Land, A Company Vanishing into the Deep, Hyperion’s Dirge and Through the Mists! I love lore-heavy world quests the most :’) even though some most of them are tragic

ganyu: which character’s rerun are you waiting for desperately?

ALBEDO’S!! I have him at C5 right now and I’ve been wanting to have him at C6 so badly since I first started playing Genshin nearly 2 years ago (bc he’s my favorite chara & the only reason I’m playing really) and I’m finally!! accomplishing that goal!! after so long!! Once I get his last constellation tho, I’d love a Cyno rerun since I ended up skipping him during this patch for Albedo, a Xiao rerun bc this guy has somehow always managed to dodge me ever since 1.3, and a Kokomi rerun bc her banners were always up at a bad time for me but I’d love to have her as my healer!

#lieberts #answered #ask memes #TY FOR SENDING JELENA!!! <333

1 note · View note

acemapleeh · 2 years

Text

A Rough Timeline and Guide of the British Isles

In my findings for history week, I sort of compiled some headcanons as to when each of the countries that make up the Isles came to be, including the Ancients they descended from. This is by no means a historically accurate guide, a lot going off of myths and legends. I, personally, like combining myth into my works and dates are rough to pin down. Take it all with a grain of salt, I’m no historian. I also use the terms BCE (before common era) and CE (common era) instead of BC and AD respectively.

Hibernia/ Ériu (Arrived alongside the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann, and though the fifth and second to last group of people to settle in Ireland, they made up the pantheon of Celtic gods and goddesses; “child” of Danu (mother goddess and credited as being the land), roughly 1897 BCE with the first of their ruling kings; other legends say he arrived with the Milesians (sometime in the 1st millennium BCE), who represent the actual people and are considered to be the ancestors of the Celts and the true fathers of the Irish people; they were the last to settle of the mythic founding. They agreed with the Tuatha Dé Danann to divide the land between the Heavens and Earth before they fought, sending the Gods underground. Hibernia represents more Pre-Christian Ireland so I’m keener on him arriving alongside the pantheon of gods, representing nature, magic, and life. His health began to decline as Christianity overtook the country and the culture began to shift, beginning the path for modern Ireland)

Caledonia/ Celt (keep in mind there was little to no recorded history of Scotland until the arrival of the Roman Empire in the 1st century CE; the creator of the land, Callieach, made the first and ancient rock of Caledonia which is said to be the island of Iona; she created every ascept of the country including its islands, mountains, lakes, and streams; her alter ego, Bride, was the goddess of spring and created the flowers and grass everywhere she walked; Cailleach, who was said to be the hag of winter, was infuriated and imprisoned Bride; Angus Og, the prince of eternal youth and green from Tír na nÓg, sees in a dream what is happening and sets out to find Bride; not long after Cailleach washed her plaid and draped it over the mountains (covering the land in ice and darkness), the prince arrived and battle ensued portraying the eternal struggle of life and death; Cailleach is defeated and driven back to Iona; Bride now free takes the hand of Angus Og and walk into the living Earth; Caledonia is said to have been born after these events, a mixture of the Earth and eternal youth and magic; timeline wise, arrived after Hibernia)

Britannia (historically speaking, she likely shouldn’t exist but I put her here for fiction’s sake; Britain before the Roman occupation mainly consisted of a diverse number of tribes that were collectively referred to as Britons; 'Britain' was just a geographical entity, and had no political meaning, and no single cultural identity; in the early days of the human population of the island not many dates stand out as of significance for Britain’s history; Britannia may have emerged with the first people to which we can give a name, the Beaker folk from the Low Countries and the middle Rhine who turned up in Britain in the Bronze Age (roughly 2,300 BCE); also could theorize she emerged during the British Iron Age (earliest dating to begin 800 BCE) which came with mass migrations of people to the southern half of Briton; Iron Age British tribes were not considered to be Celtic; Britain’s many regional cultures grew out of the preceding local Bronze Age, and did not derive from waves of continental 'Celtic' invaders; a lot of their language and tools resembled closer to mainland Europe’s Celtic (Gaul) rather than Insular Celtic; regardless, during this time was a great emergence of culture and identity and population increase; this one got off track a bit)

Ireland- Érie- Morgan O’Neill (Make them really old to be the one who arrived with the Milesians in the 1st century BCE (Ireland’s last name is O'Neill on account of the descendants of the Milesians include 'Niall of the Nine Hostages' where the O’Neill’s are descended from; fun fact side note, in the mid-1500s, Sean O’Neill, the Earl of Tyrone, was causing so many problems for the English crown that Elizabeth I banned the name O’Neill, on the punishment of death and forfeiture of property so you bet Morgan kept their name to piss Arthur off); you can say the Christian influence shifted Irish culture in about 431 with the first recorded account of the ordination of Pope Celestine I of Palladius as the first bishop to Irish Christians and they grew out of childhood with the changes growing in the country; regardless, they are the oldest of the siblings; they were a patchwork of kingdoms as Gaelic Ireland until the Lordship of Ireland (or Norman Ireland) in 1117, then the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542)

Scotland- Alba- Alistair Cunnynghame (Also said to have descended from the Milesians Gaels though he emerged after the migration from Ireland to Scotland; the Scots Gaels derive from the kingdom of Dál Riata which eventually became associated with the Gaelic Kingdom of Alba; though Scotland was alive before the emergence of this kingdom, it was at its height in the 6th and 7th century where he began to transition from child to teen; from the 5th to 10th centuries, early Scotland was home not only to the Gaels of Dál Riata but also the Picts, the Britons, Angles and lastly the Vikings; the Kingdom of Alba/ Scotland was said to be founded as a successor kingdom to Dál Riata and Pictland in 843)

Wales- Cymru- Dylan Llewellyn (410 emergences of Welsh Kingdoms and Roman garrison withdrawn from Britain (383 was the effective end of Roman rule in Wales) Kingdom of Gwynedd founded in 450; Principality of Wales founded in 1216)

England- Albion- Arthur Kirkland (appeared in 450 along the first emergence of Anglo-Saxon settlements; 927 the Kingdom of England emerged from unified Anglo-Saxon kingdoms)

Northern Ireland- Tuaisceart Éireann/ Norlin Airlann- Seán Donnelly (created in 1921 when Ireland was partitioned by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, creating a devolved government for the six northeastern counties; honestly I’m uncertain why Hima depicts him being around the same age as Ireland and older than England; he’s the baby brother; the oldest I could put him would be in the 1880′s with the rising resistance to the Home Rule, desire for Irish autonomy in internal affairs without breaking up the United Kingdom, and by 1912, the Ulster Covenant pledged for the county of Ulster to be excluded from Home Rule, WWI would delay the process of Home Rule)

#hws england #hws wales #hws scotland #hws ireland #hws northern ireland #hws britannia #hws caledonia #hws hibernia #hetalia #dumb little headcanons #names aren't 100% yet

48 notes · View notes

skzxlevanter · 3 years

Text

stray kids mtl to survive on an deserted island

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

warnings: mentioning of killing animals, mention of possible death/survival

this is also written in a pretty humorous way so be warned

least

jisung

felix

hyunjin

changbin

minho

jeongin

chan

seungmin

most

—

♡explanation♡

jisung:

confused softie #1

i feel he would be pretty overwhelmed not knowing what to do

would just enjoy his time there rather than worrying, looking at the sunset or just enjoying the waves of the ocean

he also wouldn’t bring himself to kill an animal on his own and eat it bc he would feel so guilty so he’d try to find alternatives (which is pretty hard,which is why he’s the first in this list)

felix:

softie #2

this boy can’t even hurt a fly,so similar to jisung, he’d look for alternatives

but plus points because he bakes/cooks more often, so he might actually come up with sth

i feel like he’d get lost somewhere on the island bc he followed some random animal trying to befriend it

hyunjin:

probably has a mental breakdown when he realizes what’s going on

but after thinking about the chances of how much can go wrong on the island, he��d try to pull himself together and make the best out of the situation

but he’s scared so quickly someone pls protect him

would probably be too scared to drink water from a pond or sth bc that doesn’t seem healthy at all

changbin:

the thing is i think he’d actually do pretty good

like building a shelter, making fire, looking for drinkable water

but being the cocky, competitive leo he is, would get him into trouble

i can definitely can see him walking around,noticing a wild animal and instead of running away, he’d walk up to it and would try to fight it and would probably lose

minho:

also got things under control

master chef so i wouldn’t worry about him starving bc his cooking skills are >>>

i think he‘d also be pretty good at building stuff and making fire

but what i worry about is him missing his cats- and trying to befriend a tiger or sth- which will probably end pretty bad

jeongin:

i think he’d would struggle a little bit at first since he’s the youngest and usually the others take care of difficult stuff

but since he’s a pretty fast learner he wouldn’t have much trouble in general

what i’d worry about is his patience, since i feel like he’d get frustrated really quick when things don’t go as wanted

so yeah he’d probably do pretty great except for that :))

chan:

i think it’s no surprise that he’s pretty high on the list

i mean he’s basically the dad of the group and is talented in all kind of things

BUT he’s a perfectionist which would leave him so invested in tasks that he‘d forget his basic human needs like sleeping,eating and drinking

but bonus points for him since he’s very strong ;)

seungmin:

unbothered survival king

i think he‘d master everything from making fire to building a save shelter

i feel like the animals would be a lil scared of him

and he‘s like just good at everything so like??? i see him building a kingdom on this island with no problem

♡masterlist ♡

75 notes · View notes

nfp · 3 years

Photo

the Legendary fight of Gilgamesh :

Tablet one[

]

The story introduces Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Gilgamesh, two-thirds god and one-third man, is oppressing his people, who cry out to the gods for help. For the young women of Uruk this oppression takes the form of a droit du seigneur, or "lord's right", to sleep with brides on their wedding night. For the young men (the tablet is damaged at this point) it is conjectured that Gilgamesh exhausts them through games, tests of strength, or perhaps forced labour on building projects. The gods respond to the people's pleas by creating an equal to Gilgamesh who will be able to stop his oppression. This is the primitive man, Enkidu, who is covered in hair and lives in the wild with the animals. He is spotted by a trapper, whose livelihood is being ruined because Enkidu is uprooting his traps. The trapper tells the sun-god Shamash about the man, and it is arranged for Enkidu to be seduced by Shamhat, a temple prostitute, his first step towards being tamed. After six days and seven nights (or two weeks, according to more recent scholarship[25]) of lovemaking and teaching Enkidu about the ways of civilization, she takes Enkidu to a shepherd's camp to learn how to be civilized. Gilgamesh, meanwhile, has been having dreams about the imminent arrival of a beloved new companion and asks his mother, Ninsun, to help interpret these dreams.

Tablet two[

edit

]

Fragment of Tablet II of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq

Shamhat brings Enkidu to the shepherds' camp, where he is introduced to a human diet and becomes the night watchman. Learning from a passing stranger about Gilgamesh's treatment of new brides, Enkidu is incensed and travels to Uruk to intervene at a wedding. When Gilgamesh attempts to visit the wedding chamber, Enkidu blocks his way, and they fight. After a fierce battle, Enkidu acknowledges Gilgamesh's superior strength and they become friends. Gilgamesh proposes a journey to the Cedar Forest to slay the monstrous demi-god Humbaba in order to gain fame and renown. Despite warnings from Enkidu and the council of elders, Gilgamesh is not deterred.

Tablet three[

edit

]

The elders give Gilgamesh advice for his journey. Gilgamesh visits his mother, the goddess Ninsun, who seeks the support and protection of the sun-god Shamash for their adventure. Ninsun adopts Enkidu as her son, and Gilgamesh leaves instructions for the governance of Uruk in his absence.

Tablet four[

edit

]

The second dream of Gilgamesh on the journey to the Forest of Cedar. Epic of Gilgamesh tablet from Hattusa, Turkey. 13th century BCE. Neues Museum, Germany

Gilgamesh and Enkidu journey to the Cedar Forest. Every few days they camp on a mountain, and perform a dream ritual. Gilgamesh has five terrifying dreams about falling mountains, thunderstorms, wild bulls, and a thunderbird that breathes fire. Despite similarities between his dream figures and earlier descriptions of Humbaba, Enkidu interprets these dreams as good omens, and denies that the frightening images represent the forest guardian. As they approach the cedar mountain, they hear Humbaba bellowing, and have to encourage each other not to be afraid.

Tablet five[

edit

]

Tablet V of the

Epic of Gilgamesh

Reverse side of the newly discovered tablet V of the

Epic of Gilgamesh

. It dates back to the old Babylonian period, 2003–1595 BC and is currently housed in the

Sulaymaniyah Museum

, Iraq

The heroes enter the cedar forest. Humbaba, the guardian of the Cedar Forest, insults and threatens them. He accuses Enkidu of betrayal, and vows to disembowel Gilgamesh and feed his flesh to the birds. Gilgamesh is afraid, but with some encouraging words from Enkidu the battle commences. The mountains quake with the tumult and the sky turns black. The god Shamash sends 13 winds to bind Humbaba, and he is captured. Humbaba pleads for his life, and Gilgamesh pities him. He offers to make Gilgamesh king of the forest, to cut the trees for him, and to be his slave. Enkidu, however, argues that Gilgamesh should kill Humbaba to establish his reputation forever. Humbaba curses them both and Gilgamesh dispatches him with a blow to the neck, as well as killing his seven sons.[25] The two heroes cut down many cedars, including a gigantic tree that Enkidu plans to fashion into a gate for the temple of Enlil. They build a raft and return home along the Euphrates with the giant tree and (possibly) the head of Humbaba.

Tablet six[

edit

]

Gilgamesh rejects the advances of the goddess Ishtar because of her mistreatment of previous lovers like Dumuzi. Ishtar asks her father Anu to send the Bull of Heaven to avenge her. When Anu rejects her complaints, Ishtar threatens to raise the dead who will "outnumber the living" and "devour them". Anu states that if he gives her the Bull of Heaven, Uruk will face 7 years of famine. Ishtar provides him with provisions for 7 years in exchange for the bull. Ishtar leads the Bull of Heaven to Uruk, and it causes widespread devastation. It lowers the level of the Euphrates river, and dries up the marshes. It opens up huge pits that swallow 300 men. Without any divine assistance, Enkidu and Gilgamesh attack and slay it, and offer up its heart to Shamash. When Ishtar cries out, Enkidu hurls one of the hindquarters of the bull at her. The city of Uruk celebrates, but Enkidu has an ominous dream about his future failure.

Tablet seven[

edit

]

In Enkidu's dream, the gods decide that one of the heroes must die because they killed Humbaba and Gugalanna. Despite the protestations of Shamash, Enkidu is marked for death. Enkidu curses the great door he has fashioned for Enlil's temple. He also curses the trapper and Shamhat for removing him from the wild. Shamash reminds Enkidu of how Shamhat fed and clothed him, and introduced him to Gilgamesh. Shamash tells him that Gilgamesh will bestow great honors upon him at his funeral, and will wander into the wild consumed with grief. Enkidu regrets his curses and blesses Shamhat instead. In a second dream, however, he sees himself being taken captive to the Netherworld by a terrifying Angel of Death. The underworld is a "house of dust" and darkness whose inhabitants eat clay, and are clothed in bird feathers, supervised by terrifying beings. For 12 days, Enkidu's condition worsens. Finally, after a lament that he could not meet a heroic death in battle, he dies. In a famous line from the epic, Gilgamesh clings to Enkidu's body and denies that he has died until a maggot drops from the corpse's nose.

Tablet eight[

edit

]

Gilgamesh delivers a lament for Enkidu, in which he calls upon mountains, forests, fields, rivers, wild animals, and all of Uruk to mourn for his friend. Recalling their adventures together, Gilgamesh tears at his hair and clothes in grief. He commissions a funerary statue, and provides grave gifts from his treasury to ensure that Enkidu has a favourable reception in the realm of the dead. A great banquet is held where the treasures are offered to the gods of the Netherworld. Just before a break in the text there is a suggestion that a river is being dammed, indicating a burial in a river bed, as in the corresponding Sumerian poem, The Death of Gilgamesh.

Tablet nine[

edit

]

Tablet nine opens with Gilgamesh roaming the wild wearing animal skins, grieving for Enkidu. Having now become fearful of his own death, he decides to seek Utnapishtim ("the Faraway"), and learn the secret of eternal life. Among the few survivors of the Great Flood, Utnapishtim and his wife are the only humans to have been granted immortality by the gods. Gilgamesh crosses a mountain pass at night and encounters a pride of lions. Before sleeping he prays for protection to the moon god Sin. Then, waking from an encouraging dream, he kills the lions and uses their skins for clothing. After a long and perilous journey, Gilgamesh arrives at the twin peaks of Mount Mashu at the end of the earth. He comes across a tunnel, which no man has ever entered, guarded by two scorpion monsters, who appear to be a married couple. The husband tries to dissuade Gilgamesh from passing, but the wife intervenes, expresses sympathy for Gilgamesh, and (according to the poem's editor Benjamin Foster) allows his passage.[26] He passes under the mountains along the Road of the Sun. In complete darkness he follows the road for 12 "double hours", managing to complete the trip before the Sun catches up with him. He arrives at the Garden of the gods, a paradise full of jewel-laden trees.

Tablet ten[

edit

]

Gilgamesh meets alewife Siduri, who assumes that he is a murderer or thief because of his disheveled appearance. Gilgamesh tells her about the purpose of his journey. She attempts to dissuade him from his quest, but sends him to Urshanabi the ferryman, who will help him cross the sea to Utnapishtim. Gilgamesh, out of spontaneous rage, destroys the stone charms that Urshanabi keeps with him. He tells him his story, but when he asks for his help, Urshanabi informs him that he has just destroyed the objects that can help them cross the Waters of Death, which are deadly to the touch. Urshanabi instructs Gilgamesh to cut down 120 trees and fashion them into punting poles. When they reach the island where Utnapishtim lives, Gilgamesh recounts his story, asking him for his help. Utnapishtim reprimands him, declaring that fighting the common fate of humans is futile and diminishes life's joys.

Tablet eleven[

edit

]See also:

Gilgamesh flood myth

George Smith, the man who transliterated and read the so-called "Babylonian Flood Story" of Tablet XI

Gilgamesh observes that Utnapishtim seems no different from himself, and asks him how he obtained his immortality. Utnapishtim explains that the gods decided to send a great flood. To save Utnapishtim the god Enki told him to build a boat. He gave him precise dimensions, and it was sealed with pitch and bitumen. His entire family went aboard together with his craftsmen and "all the animals of the field". A violent storm then arose which caused the terrified gods to retreat to the heavens. Ishtar lamented the wholesale destruction of humanity, and the other gods wept beside her. The storm lasted six days and nights, after which "all the human beings turned to clay". Utnapishtim weeps when he sees the destruction. His boat lodges on a mountain, and he releases a dove, a swallow, and a raven. When the raven fails to return, he opens the ark and frees its inhabitants. Utnapishtim offers a sacrifice to the gods, who smell the sweet savor and gather around. Ishtar vows that just as she will never forget the brilliant necklace that hangs around her neck, she will always remember this time. When Enlil arrives, angry that there are survivors, she condemns him for instigating the flood. Enki also castigates him for sending a disproportionate punishment. Enlil blesses Utnapishtim and his wife, and rewards them with eternal life. This account largely matches the flood story that concludes the Epic of Atra-Hasis.[27]

The main point seems to be that when Enlil granted eternal life it was a unique gift. As if to demonstrate this point, Utnapishtim challenges Gilgamesh to stay awake for six days and seven nights. Gilgamesh falls asleep, and Utnapishtim instructs his wife to bake a loaf of bread on each of the days he is asleep, so that he cannot deny his failure to keep awake. Gilgamesh, who is seeking to overcome death, cannot even conquer sleep. After instructing Urshanabi, the ferryman, to wash Gilgamesh and clothe him in royal robes, they depart for Uruk. As they are leaving, Utnapishtim's wife asks her husband to offer a parting gift. Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh that at the bottom of the sea there lives a boxthorn-like plant that will make him young again. Gilgamesh, by binding stones to his feet so he can walk on the bottom, manages to obtain the plant. Gilgamesh proposes to investigate if the plant has the hypothesized rejuvenation ability by testing it on an old man once he returns to Uruk.[28] When Gilgamesh stops to bathe, it is stolen by a serpent, who sheds its skin as it departs. Gilgamesh weeps at the futility of his efforts, because he has now lost all chance of immortality. He returns to Uruk, where the sight of its massive walls prompts him to praise this enduring work to Urshanabi.

Tablet twelve[

edit

]

This tablet is mainly an Akkadian translation of an earlier Sumerian poem, "Gilgamesh and the Netherworld" (also known as "Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld" and variants), although it has been suggested that it is derived from an unknown version of that story.[29] The contents of this last tablet are inconsistent with previous ones: Enkidu is still alive, despite having died earlier in the epic. Because of this, its lack of integration with the other tablets, and the fact that it is almost a copy of an earlier version, it has been referred to as an 'inorganic appendage' to the epic.[30] Alternatively, it has been suggested that "its purpose, though crudely handled, is to explain to Gilgamesh (and the reader) the various fates of the dead in the Afterlife" and in "an awkward attempt to bring closure",[31] it both connects the Gilgamesh of the epic with the Gilgamesh who is the King of the Netherworld,[32] and is "a dramatic capstone whereby the twelve-tablet epic ends on one and the same theme, that of "seeing" (= understanding, discovery, etc.), with which it began."[33]

Gilgamesh complains to Enkidu that various of his possessions (the tablet is unclear exactly what – different translations include a drum and a ball) have fallen into the underworld. Enkidu offers to bring them back. Delighted, Gilgamesh tells Enkidu what he must and must not do in the underworld if he is to return. Enkidu does everything which he was told not to do. The underworld keeps him. Gilgamesh prays to the gods to give him back his friend. Enlil and Suen don't reply, but Enki and Shamash decide to help. Shamash makes a crack in the earth, and Enkidu's ghost jumps out of it. The tablet ends with Gilgamesh questioning Enkidu about what he has seen in the underworld.

#Gilgamesh

60 notes · View notes

giftofshewbread · 2 years

Text

The New World Order aka Global Reset ( The Great Reset )

By Susan Mouw Published on: October 31, 2021

A One-World government is not a new concept. In fact, several over the years have attempted it. Let’s look at a “rogue’s gallery,” if you will, of just a few.

Cyrus the Great – (590 or 580 BC – 529 BC), founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. From the Mediterranean Sea and Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, Cyrus the Great created the largest empire the world had yet seen.

Alexander the Great – (356 BC – 323 BC) became King of Macedonia when his father, King Philip II, was assassinated in 336 BC when Alexander was only 20 years old.

His lifelong goal was to conquer the entire known world. He came close, and by the time of his death, he had conquered many foreign lands including Persia, Judea, Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt and others. He was never defeated in battle.

Julius Caesar – (100 BC – 44 BC). Although he did not begin the Roman Empire, and it did not fall with his death, Julius Caesar is credited with greatly expanding it.

When he was a child, the Roman empire was failing, but he changed that. At its height in 117 AD, the Roman Empire was massive. It encompassed a land area of roughly five million square kilometers and ruled over somewhere between fifty-five and sixty million inhabitants. At the time, somewhere between one-sixth and one-quarter of the total population of the planet lived under the rule of the Roman Empire.

Napoleon Bonaparte- (1769-1821), also known as Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution (1789-1799). After seizing political power in France in a 1799 coup d’état, he crowned himself emperor in 1804. Napoleon was a brilliant military strategist and is still studied today in military schools.

Adolf Hitler – (1889-1945), now known as one of the most evil men in history, Hitler’s dream was to conquer the world and create his own “New World Order,” or the Third Reich. It was his invasion into Poland that started WWII in 1939. He also oversaw the Nazi Party’s implementation of the Holocaust, which resulted in the deaths of millions of people.

So, history shows us that the dream of total world domination is not a new dream, or nightmare, depending on your viewpoint. And the Bible tells us it is going to happen again. But this time, it will be more successful, though for only a short time, than any of those five men we just mentioned would have ever been able to accomplish.

Revelation 13:1-2 tells us, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (Rev 13:1-2, KJV). The dragon that gives this beast his power, whom we know as the Anti-Christ, is none other than old Beelzebub himself, Satan.

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev 13:7, KJV).

All kindreds, all tongues, and all nations. So, this beast, the Anti-Christ, is given total dominion over the world – a One-World Government. It doesn’t happen overnight, of course. In fact, the Anti-Christ does not reach the apex of his power until midway through the Tribulation, after he survives a fatal head wound and then proclaims himself god, in the Temple in Jerusalem, an event known as the Abomination of Desolation.

We don’t know who the Anti-Christ is, or will be, and we won’t know until the Restrainer is taken away. It is my belief that whoever he is, he is alive and well today.

In fact, the plans for this have been in place for a very long time, and we can see some of the effects of that grab for power even now.

The United Nations, which has its origins in World War II and became a reality in 1945, started out as a benign presence for peace. In fact, in its founding documents, there is hardly a sentence that does not include the word “rights,” as in human and individual rights. Their stated goal is as a global political and diplomatic organization dedicated to international peace and stability.

Somewhere along the line that translated, for many of the leaders of that organization, to a one-world government, or “New World Order.” In 2015, the UN published a document titled “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”

Even prior to that, in 1992, at a conference in Venezuela, the UN proposed “Agenda-21.” It referred to something called “Sustainable Development” and seemed to be concerned with protecting the planet by limiting and controlling the development of corporate and personal structures. President George H.W. Bush publicly gave it his support, and the agenda was accepted and adopted by 178 nations. I should also mention that President Obama and Pope Francis both gave their support to that document, and they were not alone.

So, what is this Agenda 21? Well, if you just google it, you will see these descriptions that sound very positive and humane, and most of these descriptions will be sure to include the phrase, “a non-binding agreement.” However, when you start to dig a little deeper, it is not so innocent or humane. Part of the stated goal of this agenda is a one-world government by 2030 and depopulation of the earth by 95%. It also calls for government ownership of all land since individuals cannot seem to make the right decisions about their own lands, according to the authors and supporters of this agenda. As of 2017, there were 600 US cities that had signed onto this agenda and its goals.

Our current administration under President Biden also supports this agreement. In fact, this fiasco we’ve recently seen in Afghanistan, with the money poured into the coffers of terrorist organizations, the millions of dollars of US weaponry and equipment left behind, and other things we see today that leave us shaking our heads, may not be so much an “Oops” as a well carried out agenda that has been planned for some time.

Which begs the question, “Where is the United States during the Tribulation?”

Before I try to answer that question, let me just say I am a Patriot and a veteran of the US Army. I believe this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles and has been blessed by God through the years. But with the removal of prayer from our schools, the bias against Christians, the shutting down of churches, and the support for sinful ways such as abortion, we have turned away from God and are, even now, facing His wrath.

The United States of America, once a predominantly Christian nation, is no longer so, and we have fallen from our position as the world’s superpower. Our allies have learned, especially with what happened in Afghanistan, that we can no longer be relied upon to keep our promises. Our enemies sense the weakness that surrounds our country and are making their plans accordingly.

We know that Iran is weeks, if not days, away from military-grade uranium. In fact, Amir Tsarfati, in a recent broadcast, stated Iran now has military-grade uranium, and the question is, “will they use it?” We know North Korea has re-activated its nuclear test sites. We’ve read about the new global missiles developed by China, which can be launched on one side of the world, circumnavigate the glove, and hit a target on the other side of the world. We know that Russia has come to agreements with most of the Middle East – those countries that surround Israel – and is, even now, positioning troops and resources all around Israel. Israel now stands alone, and she knows she cannot count on the US.

Remember that verse we read earlier?

“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” (Rev 13:7, KJV).

Well, all kindreds, and tongues, and nations would seem to include this great country of ours as well. So, the United States of America, as we have known it, will not be part of the Tribulation. This country, or what is left of it by that time, will just be another part of that world over which the Anti-Christ will have total dominion.

I don’t know how close we actually are to these events occurring and the prophecies being fulfilled, and I don’t dare to try to make a prediction. Jesus said, “Only the Father in Heaven knows,” and I will put my trust in Him. I do believe we are close – very close.

If the Rabbinical calendar from Israel is accurate, the first of the Jewish Fall feasts, Rosh Hashana, occurred the week of September 8-9, 2021, and was followed 10 days later by the Most Holy of Days for the Jewish people, Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement. Finally, the last of the fall feasts – the Feast of Sukkot, followed shortly. We are entering a time of change, of trial, and for those of us who believe and have put our trust in Jesus Christ, a time of persecution. It is, truly, just the “beginning of sorrows.”

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28, KJV).

7 notes · View notes

lesserfandomappreciation · 3 years

Text

Ariadne and why the Mycenaeans can fuck right off

Warning: Includes brief mentions of r*pe, cultural destruction, ancient patriarchy reminding us why no woman would ever time-travel more than 5 years into the past if that and a great deal of spite for male historians/public education history/mythology classes.

Possible side effects may include a sudden intense rage for an ancient society equivalent to the innate rage one has for the Romans burning the library of Alexandria, a distinct hatred for ancient men not being able to let anyone have nice things, and a sudden fascination for Minoa.

Usually, I stick to writing imagines and being happy with that. It’s fun! I love it! But every now and again, in an attempt to escape the crushing forces known as reality and responsibilities I’ll put on a few cutscenes from games I’m: A) Too lazy to play B) Too broke to play C) Too unskilled to play D) All of the above

because cutscenes are free and why torture yourself with impossible levels when its free on Youtube?* *In all seriousness please support video games and video game creators, but no shame to those of us who prefer cutscenes to gameplay. A few weeks ago I added the game Hades made by Supergiant to the list because the cutscenes were bomb and the characters are so much fun! Intricate as all hell! Hella cute too but that’s unrelated! Now my pretty little simp patootie is especially a big fan of Dionysus and his gorgeous design so the cutscenes with him are my favorite.

I’m re-watching his cutscenes a few nights ago for fun as background when he has a certain line about Theseus. Don’t quote me on this since my memory is foggy at best but roughly it was: Dionysus: Good job with Theseus. Never cared much for him- what he did to that girl was just horrible.*

*I know that’s not his exact line but this is clearly a rant post fueled by spite and ADD-hyper-focused obsessions with ancient civilizations so let’s not worry too too much about the semantics here.

Now, I like mythology! Personally, I prefer the Norse mythology due to the general lack of very very gross dynamics that several other ancient mythologies seem to include, but I’m decently familiar with Greek mythos. Enough to go - “Why does the God of Wine give a single fuck about the frat bro of Greek heroes being a dick to a woman? Grossness is embedded into the very DNA of all distant relatives of Zeus, a woman being harassed by Zeus or his bastard army is a typical Tuesday in ancient Greece.”

Wikipedia confirms that Ariadne is the only woman in the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which I kinda knew already so unless Theseus did some f’ed up shit to some other princess of Minos, Dionysus could only be referring to her. Disregarding what I know about Wikipedia and how it can suck you down the rabbit hole of rabbit holes through sheer fury I stupidly clicked the link to Ariadne’s article.

By the time we get to the end of this shitstorm, I will have two separate plotlines for two separate stories based of Ariadne, 2k+ notes (and going) on an ancient civilization prior to a week ago I didn’t know existed and within me there will be a rage towards a different ancient civilization I vaguely recall learning about in high school.

Here’s how this shit went down.

First of all, apparently after Theseus abandoned Ariadne on an island to die (yep! He did that! To the one person who is the only reason he defeated the minotaur! Fuck this guy.) there are multiple storylines where Dionysus takes a single look at Ariadne and falls in love.

“A god falls in love?” you say, aware of how most love stories in Greek mythos can be summed up with Unfortunately, Zeus got horny and Hera is a firm believer in victim blaming. “This poor woman is about to go through hell!” I thought so too! And in one variation of the story, Dionysus does his daddy proud by being an absolute tool to Ariadne. In the majority though? He woos the fuck out of her, and ultimately marries her by consent!

Her consent!

In ancient Greece!

The party dude of the Greek pantheon knows more about consent then his father and modern day frat brothers!

Okay! That’s interesting, so I keep reading.

Ariadne getting hitched to Dionysus is a big deal in Olympus, to the point of getting a crown made of the Aurora Borealis from Aphrodite who is bro-fisting Dionysus, beyond glad she didn’t have to give him the talk about consent. The rest of the gods are pissy especially Hera who doesn’t like Dionysus much since he is the son of Zeus and Semele but they don’t do much. Ariadne ascends to godhood, becomes the goddess of Labyrinths with the snake and bull as her symbol and that’s that on that.

Colorin, colorado, este cuento se acabado. And they lived happily ever after. That’s the end of the post right?

NO! Because curiosity has made me their bitch and there’s more to this calling me.

Also, I was pissed! Still am! Why the fuck-a-doodle-do did I have to learn about the time Poseidon r*ped a priestess instead of the arguably healthiest relationship in the entirety of the pantheon? Why is Persephone and Hades’ story (which has improved since it was first written and I like more modern versions of it, no hate) the only healthy-ish Greek love story I had to learn when Dionysus and Ariadne were right there? The rage of having endured several grade levels of “Zeus got horny and Hera found out” stories in the nightmare of public education led me to keep looking into this.

There’s this wonderful Youtube channel called Overly Sarcastic Productions that I highly recommend that delves a lot into mythology, and I have seen their bombass video about Dionysus and how his godhood has changed since he was potentially first written in a language we comprehend.

Did ya’ll know this man is the heir apparent to Zeus? ‘Cause I didn’t know that!

YEA! Dionysus, man of parties, king of hangovers and inducer of madness, is set to inherit the throne of Olympus! Ariadne didn’t husband up the God of Wine, she husbanded up the Prince of Olympus and heir apparent to the throne! Holy shit! No wonder some of the gods were against her marriage to Dionysus - can you imagine the drama of an ex-mortal woman sitting on the Queen’s throne of Olympus? Hera must have been pissed.

BUT WAIT.

There’s more.

The reason we know Dionysus is a very important god and is possibly even more important than we think is because of a handy-dandy language known as Linear B, otherwise known as the language of the Mycenaeans!

For those of you fortunate enough to have normal hobbies and interests, the Mycenaeans were the beta version of the Greeks. Their written language of Linear B is one of, if not the first recorded instance of a written Indo-European language. This language, having been translated, gives us an interesting look at what the Greek gods were like back in their beta-stages before they fixed the coding and released the pantheon.

Interesting side facts of the Mycenaean Greek gods include:

Poseidon being the head god with an emphasis on his Earthquake aspect, and being much more of a cthonic god in general.

Take that Zeus, for being so gross.

The gods in general being more cthonic, as Mycenaeans were obsessed with cthonic gods (probably due to all the earthquakes and natural disasters in Greece and Crete at that time)

Several of the gods and goddesses that we know being listed, alongside some that we don’t consider as important (Dione)

The first mention of Kore, later Persephone, but no Hades because since a lot of gods were cthonic, there would be no need for one, specific cthonic god to represent the majority of death-related rituals.

That’s not what we’re focusing on though! What we’re focusing on is a specific translated portion of Linear B that we have. One of the translated portions of Linear B that for the life of me I can’t find (someone please help me find it and send the link so I can edit this post) says an interesting phrase. “Honey to the gods. Honey to the Mistress of Labyrinths.”

One more time. “Honey to the gods. Honey to the Mistress of Labyrinths.”

Mistress of Labyrinths.

Now wait a gosh darn minute. Isn’t there a goddess of labyrinths in the Greek mythos? Why yes! Yes there is! Ariadne!

Here’s a question for you. If Ariadne is but a minor god in the pantheon, a wife to a more predominant god, why is it that while all the other gods and goddesses are bunched together in a sentence of praise, the so-called ex-mortal gets a whole-ass sentence to herself singing praises?

And thus, we have arrived to Minoa!

What is Minoa, you ask? Minoa is to Rome what Rome is to us. An old-ass civilization either older than or younger by a hundred years to ancient Egypt. Egypt, that started in 3200 B.C-ish depending on who you ask. That’s old. Old as balls. They were contemporaries to their trading partner, Egypt until 1450 BC-ish. A 2000 year old civilization.

Minoa was founded on the island of Crete, and was by what artifacts we have found a merchant civilization with its central economy centered on the cultivation of saffron and the development of bronze/iron statues of bulls. Most of what we know about them comes from artifacts and frescoes found on Crete that managed to survive everything else I will mention later, but what matters is that we know a few things about them.

Obsessed with marine life for some time, given their pottery.

Had the first palaces in all of Europe, some of them ridiculously big.

Wrote in Linear A and Cretan Hieroglyphs, both still untranslated languages.

Had a ritual involving jumping over a bull, for some reason.

Firm believers in “Suns out, Tits out.”

You’d think I’m kidding on the last one but no! No no no! All the women apparently rocked the tits-out look in Minoa!

^^^^One of many, many Minoan works featuring women giving their titties fresh air. ^^^^

“Wait a second Pinks! What does this have to do with Ariadne being the Mistress of labyrinths?”

Well you see dear wonderful darling, while we know very little about Minoan religion because Mycenaeans (we will get to those bastards in a second), we do know this:

All the religious figures appear to be exclusively women.

The most important figures of their religion seem to be goddesses as there are few artifacts featuring male gods.

Because of the religion, the culture may have been an equal society or even a matriarchy! Historians who are male aren’t sure.

A frankly ridiculous amount of their temples, including the ones in caves in the middle of fuck-all feature labyrinths. A lot of labyrinths!

Their head god is a goddess! Whose temples have labyrinths and whose main symbols are snakes and bulls. Who do we know is a) the mistress of labyrinths and b) is symbolized a lot by snakes and bulls?

ARI-fucking-ADNE THAT’S WHO!

Ariadne didn’t upgrade by marrying the prince of Olympus! Dionysus wifed up possibly the most important goddess in all of Crete and becoming her boy-toy!

I’m not even kidding, most Minoan depictions of the goddess’ consort features a boy/man who cycles through the stages of death. Dionysus himself in several myths goes through the same cycle - life, being crushed, death, rebirth, repeat. Cycles the consort goes through in Minoan legend depictions too!

Okay, that’s great, but what does that have to do with the Mycenaeans? Why do you want to single-handedly go back in time and strangle the beta-Greeks with the nearest belt?

Everything I just said about Ariadne being a Minoan goddess, the Mistress of Labyrinths being hella important on Minoa, is all theoretical. The Mycenaeans are partially to blame for making it theoretical.

Minoa thrived for 2000 years but it had a lot of issues, mostly caused by natural disasters. Towards the end of their civilization (1500 BC-ish), the nearby island of Thera, today known as Santorini, decided to blow up. The island was a hella-active volcano that when erupted, destroyed a lot.

How big was the eruption? Well when Pompeii was wasted by Mt. Vesuvius, the blast was heard from roughly 120 miles away, 200 km.

The blast on Thera was heard from 3000 miles away. 4800 km away.

Fuck me, the environmental effects of the explosion were felt in imperialistic CHINA.

Holy shit that would waste anybody! And it did! Minoa went from being a powerhouse in the Mediterranean to scrambling to recover from losing 40,000 citizens and who knows how many cities. Tsunamis may have followed the blast, further destroying ports which for a navy-powerhouse of an island nation is a bad thing and the theorized temperature drops caused by a cloud of ash lingering for a while would have destroyed crops for the year.

Minoa was fucked.

The Mycenaeans and all their bullshit made it worse.

Up until a few hundred years prior to Thera’s explosion, Minoan artifacts don’t depict much in terms of military power. Why would it? Crete is a natural defense post. Sheer cliffs, high mountains and a few semi-fortified areas would make it pointless to invade. It’s only when the Mycenaeans in all their bullshit decided to attack/compete that Minoa really needed any army to speak of.

Guess who decided to invade while Minoa was reeling from an incredibly shitty year? Mycenaea!

Guess who won?

Also Mycenaea!

Nobody knows how this shit went down though because wouldn’t you know it, the Mycenaeans in all their superiority-complex glory decided to destroy most written accounts about Minoa, a good junk of the temples and culturally eliminated most of Minoan beliefs.

Minoa isn’t even the real name of the civilization! It’s just the name Arthur Evans, the guy who re-motivate interest in Minoan archaeology, gave to the civilization because the writings that would have included the name of the civilization were destroyed.

“That sucks!” Fuck yes that sucks! “What does that have to do with Ariadne though?”

Oh ho ho. Strap in because you’re about to be pissed.

Those of us unfortunate enough to be aware of all the bullshit the Christians pulled on the European pagan belief system are familiar with the concept of cultural, religious destruction. There’s a special name for it I don’t know but if I did I would curse it to be absorbed by the horrendous will of fungi.

An example: Christianity was not the most popular of religions amongst the Vikings. A monotheistic religion that is heavily controlled did not strongly appeal to anyone with a pantheon as rad as the Norse one.

In order to appeal to the Vikings, what monks would do is they would write down traditionally Viking stories which up until that point were orally passed down. Beowulf, the story of the most Viking Viking to have every Vikinged, was one of these first stories.

However! Did these monks write Beowulf as closely to the original oral transcript as possible? Of course not! They took liberties! While Norse features such as trolls and dragons and all sorts of Norse magic occur, there is a lot of Christian features added in.

This happened across all Pagan religions that Christianity came into contact with in Europe. Stories would be altered when written down to be more Christian (this happened to the Greek Pantheon too btw), holidays that were Pagan magically lined up with ones the Vatican just happened to suddenly have. Even names of mythological figures were taken and added onto Christian figure names. Consequently, a lot of pagan religions they did this to got erased over time, with many of their traditions and details being lost forever, and the details we do know being tinted by Christianity.

The Mycenaeans were likely no different.

Minoa and Mycenaea were as culturally opposite as can be. Minoa is theorized to be a matriarchal or equal society*. Mycenaea and most of early Greece absolutely was not. In fact, during early stages of their religion where they believed in reincarnation, the Mycenaeans believed the worst thing to come back as was a woman.

Did you get that? With your options ranging from man to ever single animal on Earth, a woman was ranked as beneath literal animals in Mycenaean society.

Fuck the Mycenaeans.

* This is not to say Minoa was without fault, as a society that is matriarchal or equal can still have rampant issues such as privilege, classism, racism, sexism and more, but when history has a shortage of civilizations that didn’t treat women like shit, you find yourself rooting for them more.

What do you do then, when you take over a society that is very much the opposite of a nightmare of a patriarchy? You fold their beliefs into your own to bait them into yours. Going back to the Linear B line about “Mistress of Labyrinths” that line would/could have been an early tactic of incorporating Minoan belief into Mycenaean belief. Other goddesses and gods were made into aspects of Mycenaean gods. Bristomartis, the Minoan goddess of the hunt, would become Artmeis. Velchanos, a god of the sky, would become Zeus.

With more time, the religion shifted more into Mycenaean and eventually into ancient Greece as we know it. Through trade other gods and goddesses would continue to shift and change, some being straight up imported (Aphrodite for example). Dionysus himself changed a lot too, going from a God representing freedom and attracting slaves, women and those with limited power into his cult, to a God of parties for the wealthy.

Theseus and the Minotaur was a myth likely based on a Mycenaean myth based on a Minoan myth that changes Ariadne from an important, possibly the important goddess of an ancient religion and relegates her to a side character in a pantheon so vast that she would be lost within it.

All of this brings us to today. Today, where as soon as work ended I spent most of the day, as well as the past two days, looking up everything I can on Minoan civilization and added it to my notes. Spite is fueling me to write two possible different stories for two different fandoms where Minoa dunks of Mycenaea and it is giving me life. Expect an update within the next two weeks folks as I lose control of my writing life once more.

In summary: Ariadne deserves more respect, fuck the public education system for skipping over the good parts of Greek mythology instead of the r*pey as shit parts, the Mycenaeans can eat my shorts, and a world were Minoa became the predominant power instead of Greece would be an amazing world to live in.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. Pink out.

#minoa #minoan #crete #ancient history #ariadne #mycenaea #mycenaean #I hate #HATE #HATE HATE HATE the Greeks so much #homer is a dick #So much spite and curiosity went into this #if I ever get a time machine I will travel to the first years of Mycenaea for the express purpose of burning it to the ground before #they get a chance #the opportunity #to look at Minoa wrong

137 notes · View notes

kpopisthereasonihavenolife · 4 years

Text

kim taehyung / reader [f]

genre: royal/fantasy au, arranged marriage au, serpent prince!taehyung, priestess!reader, very soft romance, slow burn

warning(s)!!: slow burn (there is a lot of backstory oof), insecurity, jealous taehyung (who isn’t completely aware he’s jealous), heartache (a lot i’m sorry), hurt/comfort, almost nudity or translucent wet clothes, attempt at picking a fight/no-good townsfolk, past kidnap attempts, very minor depictions of violence, very breif mention of death, taehyung cries oops, y/n loves so much it hurts, taehyung being the most devoted boy to ever devote, obvs. religious themes (i.e. prayers, worship, offerings etc.), the royal family isn’t toxic and is in fact very sweet, jungkook is featured as a monk who refuses to cut his hair

w.count: 16.6k

Series | One-shot | Two-shot | Drabble | [Rated: PG-15 ]

synopsis: When he was born, Prince Taehyung was marked as the Serpent King’s Descendant with the mark of scales on his chest to prove it. As he grew up, he was appointed a playmate who would soon be training in the royal shrine as a maiden because of her unusually large spiritual power. They were pronounced engaged when Taehyung was just shy of his teenage years by royal command and he did nothing to fight the arrangement. Now, you’re a grown woman and head of the shrine as the Center Priestess and devotee to the shrine and royal family with a heart filled almost too full of love for your future husband-to-be. When the wedding is announced and a ball is held in an advanced celebration you wonder, does your fiancé really want to marry you? Or is he just following his father’s royal orders? You don’t know what your heart can't take more: the idea of being rejected and unloved, or never knowing the true feelings of Prince Taehyung’s heart.

t.list bc @lysannnnaa & @bella-victoria002 wanted to be notified when it was posted!

The Serpent King was an old mythical king of ages that had stories upon stories spun about him.

He was a man given the powers of a great sea serpent and among his journey to harness his powers and grow as the future king he knew he was destined to become, he traveled far and wide until he came upon an island. This island was completely devoid of creatures- be it human or animal- aside from a giant snake he had found lay sleeping in a cave by the sea. The Serpent King decided to make this island his home- and began to craft and build his kingdom to which he would rule- the snake by his side.

Years passed and soon there it was, the kingdom the Serpent King had dreamt of. However, before he could see it continue to grow and prosper, he fell ill and weak. Dying on his bed surrounded by his people and the snake that had accompanied him in his goals, he prayed that the power in which he possessed would one day be reborn inside a new future king.

The mighty island was named by the late Serpent King as the Hissing Isle. When he passed, the kingdom took not to grieving, but to work and worship. They built a shrine alongside the castle he had crafted. Created memorials to which townsfolk and the occasional visitor may visit and pray to. Monuments of him with a giant snake wound around his body. His people continued his kingdom and a new royal family was chosen and so the generations passed; everyone waiting until the next Serpent King would be born.

His companion snake was never seen again, rumor spreading that it took the to seas to watch over the island because it’s master was in the sky among the heavens.

Centuries later, the royal castle was in full bustle as the queen had gone into labor unexpectedly. Ushering her to a delivery room in the medical wing of the castle, the king not far behind as he left his work and notes in his study at the news of his wife. Servants very quickly scurried about in panic for the arrival of the new royal child.

It was an agonizing five hours later when the new baby prince was born. However, among the servants and the spiritual monk with the king and queen, none spoke. The room was silent aside from the cries of the newborn baby- the same baby who had a mark on his chest. A mark that was small, just the size of his newborn fist and detailed so delicately as a patch of scales.

The king shed a tear as he smiled at his wife, holding her hand to soothe and congratulate her on a well done delivery of her first child. The baby was soon cleaned and swaddled in a bundle of the softest cloth before the queen was requesting to hold her son. As he was placed in the woman’s arms, she smiled down at him as he instantly calmed. The king sat beside the two, his hand on his queen’s leg as they both looked at the mark on their son once more.

The Serpent King had finally chosen a new spirit to gift power to. Reincarnated into this small, healthy baby prince hundreds upon hundreds of years into the future. Serpent Prince Kim Taehyung, that is his name.

Two years after the young prince was born, another baby was born with special powers. Born in a brilliant blue aura and a strong, healthy body, a shrine monk had been shocked speechless at the amount of rare spiritual energy the newborn infant possessed. It was decided among the few hours after her birth, that this baby girl would grow to be a magnificent shrine priestess and when the time would call for it, her training to harness her abilities would begin.

Both the serpent blooded prince and the infant priestess would soon grow into bodies that would learn many things and experience many occasions and emotions. First, however, they would need to meet.

“Y/n, come here for a spell,” your mother called for your attention as you sat at a small open chest filled with small wooden toys and bells and ribbons you had been gifted. It had been four years since you were born and to you, your life had just started as your memory finally started allowing you to retain information and people’s faces.

Your mother stood at the door to your room in her dress of a distasteful shade of brown that laced around her stomach to shrink her waist and strapped over her shoulders. The dress trapped the off shoulder white blouse she wore over her torso as her hair was braided along the back of her head, pinned up and out of the way.

You looked back over your small shoulder still dressed in your pale yellow nightgown that reached your ankles with sleeves that covered your entire hand to your fingertips when you stood. Hair unkempt and unbrushed from sleep, as you had woken up and immediately took to your toy chest to occupy your time until you were fetched by your single parent.

Standing, you abandoned your trinkets as you rushed to your mother’s side. Grabbing her skirt in your fists and pushing your face into the fabric of her dress, giggling at the warm embrace she gave you. Her hands pushed on your shoulders and back as she leaned to greet you a good morning.

“Good morning, my dearest little girl,” your mother cooed as you lifted your face from her skirt and smiled up at her. You were always a shy child, but she hoped now that you were more aware of your surroundings, you would grow out of your shyness. She gently pushed you away just enough so she could kneel on the floor in front of you, brushing your messy hair out of your face with her fingers. “We have to get you dressed. Today is a very big day,” she told you.

“What does that mean, mommy?” You asked, your small voice pitched and as sweet as song bells to your mother’s ears. How she loved the sound of your voice.

“It means, dearest, that you’re going to meet someone who will become your friend today.” The woman watched your puffy child-fat-cheeks, extend in a pout as you frowned. “Now,” she started, softly but sternly, “do not pout like that. It would make me very happy if you would play with another child.”

“Well,” your small voice started as your pout lessened, “if mommy wants me to, I can try.” your mother smiled as she gently kissed your forehead. You were only four, but you were very kind and gentle, and smarter than you thought.

“That’s my girl,” she encouraged as she backed you up into your room to ready you for the day. Placing you in a dress the color of daffodils that reached just past your knee and the long sleeves open at the shoulders, your mother messed with your head.

You admired your dress in the standing mirror in your room. Ruffles of soft yellow running around your skirt and the white fabric on your chest dotted with small flowers. Hair now brushed and pinned only partially back with a flower clip, your mother was soon sliding flat, black shoes over your feet. “You look beautiful, dearest,” she cooed as she kissed your cheek.

“Mommy’s way more pretty than me!” You cheered as she stood and you took her hand, letting her lead you out of your room.

You had lived in the castle your entire life, but only recently did you start remembering the layout of the massive royal home. You often remembered going to the shrine more often than not, feeling so peaceful and calm inside the shrine’s walls. The fountain inside with a statue of a man and a snake always seemed warm to you.

Your mother walked slowly at your side as you clung to her hand the entire journey from your room, down the halls, past servants and guards alike until she came to stand at a grand, red doorway. You gripped her hand tighter, nerves bubbling in your small stomach.

She offered two easy knocks that reverberated through the halls, bouncing off the walls in echoes that seemed so loud you wanted to cover your ears.

“Majesty, it is Lily of the Shrine Courts. I have brought my daughter as you have asked,” she announced to the closed door. You thought her crazy until a voice echoed from behind the doors offering her entrance into the room beyond the red entrance. She looked down at you before smiling. “Do not worry, I will be with you the whole time,” she assured as you nodded, unaware of who was going to be inside.

She pushed the door open with loud, aching creaks as you followed her in. your young eyes were wide as you looked around the room you had entered with your mother. Large, wide and open with a single red carpet with gold trim lining the floor from the door to a set of 5 steps with thrones sitting atop them. There were three, dark wooden thrones in your line of sight.

One on the far left was the biggest of the three. Glorious and plush with red cushions that looked like you could jump on and sink right into the cushion. Gold trim surrounded the cushions as golden tassels hung from the arm rests of the throne.

The middle throne was much less extravagant and smaller in size, but still as beautiful as the one before. With A fanned, three curved humps at the top of the back and red cloth that hung from the cushion like a bed-skirt over a box spring.

The third, was just about the same size as the middle one. Resembling both the first and second, it was like a hybridized fashion of the first two- a child of the two thrones so to speak.

In two of those three thrones, sat two adults. In the first, glorious throne was a man dressed in black, gold and purple with a fur lined robe over his shoulders. A golden, magnificent crown sat along his head. Next to him was a woman, a small tiara sat atop her pinned and folded hair as her dress was a soft purple and flowed so elegantly you knew without touching it that the fabric would be soft.

You knew without a doubt it was the king and queen of Hissing Isle. The royal family that lived in Serpent Castle. You had never truly met them face to face before, and you thought your legs were going to freeze then collapse.

Your mother soon came to a respectful halt a fair distance in front of the steps leading up to the thrones before she lowered her chest in a deep bow. In theory you would have copied your mother, but you simply couldn’t move due to the nerves rampaging through your body.

The queen looked at you with a smile on her face as she soon rose from her throne and picked up the floor length gown as she revealed her jeweled heels as she stepped carefully down the steps and soon was approaching you both. You jolted as you felt your mother’s hand on the back of your head.

The queen was soon kneeling in front of you, her graceful beauty within arms reach, but all you could do is stare in wide-eyed awe and anxiousness.

“You have a lovely daughter, Lady Lily,” the queen's smooth, rich voice spoke to your mother even though she was looking at you. She reached out her hand as she brushed the back of her finger across her cheek and through your freshly brushed hair as you gulped. “Hello, sweetheart,” she softly called.

“Hello,” you croaked out as the hand of your mother’s brushed along the back of your head, soothing you.

“Do you know why you’re here this morning, child?” You nodded your head at the queen’s question “There are many things you are destined for, small lady. First, my husband and I would like to introduce you to another child just a couple years older than you. We hope you both can become friends.” You silently nod once again, still gripping onto your mother’s dress like a lifeline.

The queen stands back up and steps away from you as she exchanges words with your mother. You look around the throne room and back behind the curtains that drape behind the set of thrones you see a faint silhouette. You shuddered, thinking it was one of those shadow monsters you see in the corner of your vision.

You jolt when the shadow seems to have locked eye contact with you. You tug on your mother’s dress and reach to grab her hand as you look up towards her. She’s soon looking down at you, her precious child with eyes that can see almost too well, before she is grabbing your hand back tightly in hers.

“What is it, dearest?” You crush your face into the fabric of her dress as you feel her leg behind it. “Y/n,” she cooed, trying to have you behave just a bit better in front of the royal family.

“There’s a shadow in here,” you muttered as you felt her other hand on your head again, avoiding snagging her fingernails into your clipped hair. “Behind those big chairs, there’s a shadow,” you whine. Both your mother and the queen turn to look behind the set of glorious seats and the queen only smiles at the ‘shadow’ you had seen.

“Oh my,” the queen breathed, “why are you hiding back there again, Taehyung,” the queen called. You looked up from the fabric of your mother’s skirt as you peered around her to see the shadow move- making you jump. Soon, a young boy was walking out of the shadows, dressed in a black shirt and pants with a golden vest of thick embroidered shoulders and hems on his small framed torso. His blonde hair shining like a star. Your body relaxed- it wasn’t a shadow after all.

“I apologize for her,” your mother addressed and you instantly felt guilty. Your mother was apologizing because you jumped to conclusions because you weren’t able to tell the shadows from people yet; these shadows only just started appearing in your vision recently and they scared you. “Her eyes can see more than what others can, so she hasn’t learned spirits from humans yet.”

“I see the rumors about her abilities are true then,” from behind the queen, the king who had been sitting in silence had finally spoken. “I can feel her spiritual pressure even from here, and she’s of such young age. You should be proud of your daughter, Lady Lily.” The king rose from his throne as he descended the steps and called the child boy over to his and the queen’s side.

Soon, the king and queen stood in front of you as the young boy stood between them. You didn’t need to be told that this was their child- the prince of whom you knew of but had also never met. The look in his dark eyes made you shiver, like he wasn’t a happy child. But, the royal family was so kind and made you feel warm- why would his eyes look so grim then?

The king soon placed a large hand on the prince’s small shoulder.

“Young Y/n, as of today I would be honored if you would keep my son company.” You looked up at the king with a dropped jaw. The prince was the new friend your mother had told you about? You looked back down at the prince- his expression unchanged as if he was unhappy about your newfound company. Maybe that is why his eyes looked that way, he didn’t want a playmate. “Is that alright?” The king asked as if your four year old little heart had the gall to say no the royalty.

“Yes, sir,” you squeaked in shyness. “It’s alright,” you confirmed with your small, bell voice your mother always praised. It made the queen and king smile as the queen wrapped her arm around her son's shoulders, kneeling to his level and gaining his attention.

“Now, Taehyung,” she started softly, “Y/n is going to be your friend, so you treat her kindly, alright?” You jolted and sucked in a small breath when the prince looked back to you before returning his bland gaze to his mother.

“Yes, mother,” he muttered. The queen brushed back Taehyung’s hair and sent him off, out of the throne room. Soon, your mother was advising you to follow after him. With a small head pat from your mother and a gulp of attempted bravery, you trotted after the six-year-old prince who didn’t seem very happy to have a new friend.

It had been four days since you were assigned Prince Taehyung’s playmate and friend. You often spent time in the library reading while he studied, or walking behind him as he roamed through the gardens before sitting on a bench with a book, you sitting on the opposite end of the same bench.

Every night your mother would tuck you into bed and ask how your day with the prince was and you would always tell her the same thing. You were nothing but a duckling following around the royal prince as he never spoke to you even if you spoke to him. You feared he disliked you and you often sought your mother’s comfort as you would nearly cry at the thought of your first real friend hating you.

Every morning you’d wake up and pick out the prettiest dress and most eye-catching hair pins and ribbons to try and attract the prince’s attention. Even when you tried wearing shoes that clack with each step, he never even spared you a glance.

It was midday of the fifth day of being Taehyung’s new friend when you decided to try and be more aggressive with your mission you had dubbed: ‘make Prince Taehyung my friend’. You both sat in the library as he was scribbling in a book with another book open next to him. You had recognized the book he was studying today- a book of hymns from the past that are typically sung about or for the Serpent King’s spirit and the Sea Snake. You were currently being taught those same hymns by the shrine maidens and monks during the time you weren’t trailing Taehyung.

“Prince Taehyung,” you called softly, knowing he wouldn’t answer you. You swallowed your nervous breath as you pushed more words out instead of giving up instantly like the days prior. “Are you very interested in the Sea Snake and Serpent King hymns? If so, I can sing them for you,” you offered. You saw his fountain pen halt in his hand for just a moment before he resumed writing.

You almost smiled, that was proof he was listening to you- just ignoring you.

“You know,” you continued, stepped just ever so closer to the chair he sat in as his feet dangled, still far too short to reach the floor. “I’m being taught a lot of those from the shrine maidens. They said I need to know them because I’m going to become a shrine maiden one day too. They told me I’m going to be a priestess and that the hymns would be very important to know when I’m all grown up.”

He didn’t pay you any mind just as you were used to. You wracked your young mind to think as to why he was so uninterested in you. You’ve always wanted a friend around your age, and he was only two years older than you. He wasn’t so superior to you as a six-year-old that you had to be ignored. Maybe he was just a snobby prince? But, that didn't seem to fit him. The aura he gave off felt sad and calm to you- like he wanted something he just wasn’t getting, but staying to himself about it.

Then, you had a thought.

Prince Taehyung is the Serpent King’s descendant- his reincarnation as you were told- who was blessed with the ancient king’s blood. He would one day rule the kingdom and lead the Hissing Isle into a golden age- even more peaceful and prosperous than the Serpent Kingdom is right now.

“Prince Taehyung,” you addressed him again. You had gotten beside him and gently grabbed the cloth of his shirt around his elbow between your fingers. “Are you sad about being born like the Serpent King?” For the first time the child prince stopped his scribbling and the air around you changed.

It became tense and you felt like you were suffocating. Did you cross a line? Were you supposed to just keep your mouth shut and follow him like a little duckling for the rest of your childhood until he finally snapped and told you to leave him alone? You shivered. Would he snap now? Would he yell and tell you to be gone because you were prying into business that isn’t yours?

“Am I sad about being born this way?” The first sentence ever spoken to you from the prince’s mouth and it felt sharp as it hit your heart. “Am I sad about being told who I am and who I’m supposed to be? Am I sad about being so different that people can’t even use my name? Am I sad that I’m just ‘Serpent Prince Taehyung’?” He finally turned to look at you, his dark eyes lined with frustrated tears. “Wouldn’t you be sad about that?” He softly choked.

“Prince,” you called in a small breath, unable to recognize that the small prince had been carrying such a burden on his shoulders. Was he really outcast like he claims? True, when you followed him around, all people did was bow their head and offer praises of the blood of the serpent king.

“How are you okay with the shrine telling you who you’re destined to become?” He asked, turning away from the book full of hymns and swiveling to look at you standing next to him.

“Because my mom said I’d grow up to be a great priestess one day,” you spoke in a heavily whispered answer. “And my mom would never lie to me, so I believe her.”

“She’s planning your life for you. Doesn’t that make you mad? Shouldn’t you have the freedom to choose what you want?” This was the most the prince had ever spoken in your presence.

“I’m not mad,” you quickly deny. “I really like learning all the hymns and the dances the shrine is teaching me. I get to dance with bells and ribbons and sing songs that will help people when I grow up. I get scared of shadows and odd creatures I see, but the more I learn from the monks, the more I can face those scary things. I have so much fun with the shrine people, so I could never be mad about growing up like they say I will.” You let go of the prince's sleeves only to grab his hand hesitantly.

His hand is relaxed in yours, not moving to pull away or to return the gesture. You think you finally understand why the prince’s eyes are so sad. He’s scared of his future and feels trapped. You step closer to his chair, making him lean back as you got into his personal bubble that had never been popped before.

“If you’re unhappy, the king and queen would surely listen to you!” You announced with a brow furrowed in determination. “If you told you mom and dad, I’m sure they’d listen and accept whatever you said! My mom always tells me to tell her anything and as long as I’m honest, she’ll listen without anger. I’m sure your mom and dad think the same thing, Taehyung.”

His eyes were wide as you quickly spoke- throwing out his title in the spur of the moment. Advising him to go talk to his parents about his woes? Addressing him so boldly in an attempt to cheer him up after all he’s been doing for as long as he could remember is brood in the idea of his set in stone future? Could he really tell his parents that he was scared of letting them down? He was just a child, a small little six-year-old who was scared of disappointing his parents.

“I can’t tell them,” he whispered to himself more than you, trying to get the idea of speaking his mind out of his head. He couldn’t be selfish, not when so many people expect so much from him.

“Then, you can tell me and I’ll tell them for you!” You announced again. “You’re my friend, Taehyung, and if you can’t tell them, then I’ll do it for you.” The prince dropped his jaw as he looked into the total seriousness of your eyes. You meant it; every word you’ve said you have meant. You looked down at your hand when you felt the boy grip it back, holding your hand tightly.

“You don’t think they’d be mad at me?” His true colors of youth finally broke through. You smiled brightly at him as you shook your head. “Then, I guess I can try… later, at dinner maybe.” you saw a small hue paint his cheeks as you giggled at the sudden cute turn his demeanor took. “You said you knew some of these?” He asked, referring back to his book of hymns. You nodded as he got up, let go of your hand and fetched a new chair for you, setting it beside him as he climbed back into his. “Then, could you sing one?”

Your child-like voice of bells sang any hymn he could find you knew and he could feel the serpent blood in him react to it, reaching out to the songs it found so familiar.

Two years passed, and Taehyung had finally started becoming a prince he could be proud of. He had apologized to you and your mother for being so rude for the first week of your friendship, but since then, you and he were inseparable. He would often come to the shrine to see you practice your dances and listen to your songs.

The prince was smiling more and enjoying his studies. He often talked with his parents when he had troubles now, and he had accepted his role as the future king. He had thought he needed to be perfect in the past, and now he knew that as long as he did his best and never lied, it would all be alright. Failure kept him humble, but it would never hold him back like it once did before.

On your sixth birthday, your mother gifted you with your first shrine maiden robe. Of red and gold, it hung loosely around your shoulders and tied around your waist with a golden sash. A set of golden threads looped into small snakes on each lapel of your robe connected with a red thread across your chest.

When you were dressed in it, you were eager to show Taehyung, but first wanted to learn a dance to properly show the robe off. It was your first ever maiden robe and you had been training in the shrine for as long as you could remember now.

Your mother who was growing older every year laughed as you would occasionally stumble over the long robe’s fabric as you attempted to learn the way it moved with you. That evening, Taehyung had come to the shrine to see you, having not heard a word from you all day.

When he arrived however, you were fast asleep on the marble floor, resting against the side of the fountain placed inside the shrine of the purest sea water. A pyramid of bells rolled out of your palm as you sat peacefully asleep in your new robe.

“Good evening, Young Prince,” your mother greeted, making Taehyung jolt. “I’m sorry if you’ve come to see Y/n. My daughter practiced too hard it seems and fell asleep the moment she sat to rest.” Taehyung looked and watched you sleep against the fountain.

Over the course of your training and aging, he had felt your spiritual power grow alongside the power he felt in himself. He still remembers the day you finally broke him of his shell when you told him how you would train to be the proud priestess your mother said you’d be one day.

He smiled as he walked to you, lifting your lulled head up and placing it on his shoulder as he sat next to you on the shrine floor. He looked up at your mother who was stuck between telling the prince to not sit on the floor and to just wake you up.

“Do you mind if I sit with her for a while?” He asked as she just smiled.

“Stay as long as you’d like,” she told him before retreating back to the castle. She later returned with the queen by her side when dinner came around and the two just stifled laughs at the young prince’s head resting on yours, you both fast asleep.

A year passed and Taehyung had finally grown his serpent scales and eyes that would stick with him the rest of his life. Golden scales grew under his eyes as the dark shade of them brightened to a gold you found hypnotizing. He had initially hid his face from the palace, unable to show his scales. It took a whole afternoon of you sitting in his room with him to convince him that it was okay and that his new scales didn’t make him scary.

Ever since his scales and eyes came in, he had been able to hear you sing from wherever you were. You could be in the depths of the shrine and he could be on the opposite side of the castle and he could hear your songs and feel your messages. He could tell when you were sad or happy or sick or in pain with each song he heard. Able to convey your emotions through your songs, he wondered why it was he couldn’t hear any other people.

When The monks chanted their mantras or the other maidens and priestess’ sung, he couldn’t hear them. Only your voice was heard in his ears.

He had often spoken to his father, the king, about it. The king was unsure as to the reason as well, but passed it off as a result of your spiritual power and your control over it. However, it wasn’t until one afternoon that Taehyung realized that he could not only hear your songs from anywhere, but he could find out where you were located if your situation grew dangerous or dire.

You were in the palace gardens studying flowers and leaves as part of your training on what plants or herbs to dry and place as offerings to the Serpent King’s spirit. Placing herbs and flower petals inside of a clay bowl, you had heard someone approach you. Turning around, you saw two men dressed in foreign clothes you hadn’t seen before.

“Hello,” you greeted weakly as you stood on shaking feet. Your clay bowl in hand as they just look at each other. “I’ve never seen you before in the castle, what are you doing here?” You had gotten braver each year and as a proud standing nine-year-old, you were determined to figure out if these were the king’s visitors or uninvited guests.

“Little girl,” one of them spoke as it made your skin prick. “You are a priestess?”

“Uh, yes,” you squeaked. The moment one of them moved to reach behind into a pouch they kept on their hip, you panicked. Throwing the bowl of herbs, you closed your fist, extended your two first fingers and chanted a small protective spell. The herbs that flew towards the intruders caught fire and gave you just enough time to turn and run into the maze of hedges to hide.

Taking so many turns in the maze you had no idea the layout of, you were soon tucking yourself away in a corner, trying to hide in the shrubs as much as possible. With each rustle of the plants and wind you grew more and more tense.

You suddenly remembered a certain song you were taught recently that was instructed by the king for you to learn. It was a song of calling when in danger. If ever there was a time to test it, now was that time. So, under your breath you whispered weakly the lines of hymns you were taught.

Taehyung was in the study with his father when the air shifted outside. Looking out the window, he stared out into the open gardens of trees, flowers and bushes. Even further, he could see the open sea of his island kingdom. He wondered why the air felt heavy so suddenly. He felt suffocated and stuffy as he pulled at the collar of his turtleneck shirt.

The king noticed his son’s discomfort. “What is it?”

“It just got really stuffy in here,” the prince replied, “that’s all.” Yet as he returned to his lessons, the uneasiness in his chest didn’t stop. For minutes it lasted until your name flashed into his head like a siren as his skin pricked before he was hearing you sing again.

Taehyung jumped from his chair, pushing it back with enough force to kick it back onto the floor, startling the king close to him. Taehyung’s golden snake-like eyes were wide as they looked out the window beyond the palace walls.

The king slowly stood, unable to determine his son’s sudden burst of haste. “Taehyung,” he tried, but the prince’s attention wasn’t drawn.

“Y/n,” he whispered. He walked around the fallen chair and to the window, placing his palms on the glass panes as he looked down into the gardens. Flashes of the shrub maze playing in his subconscious as he listened to your shaky, fearful song play in his mind. He saw the faces of two strangers, a bowl of clay, fire and then your back retreating into the maze before he started to panic. “Father,” he called in haste as he turned to the king behind him. “There are intruders in the garden and they’re after Y/n.”

The king was quick to act. Immediately dispatching guards to the gardens to catch the uninvited guests before they caught you. Taehyung couldn’t settle down, even with his father trying to convince him it would be okay and that help was coming to you. It didn’t help calm his blood that screamed to find you first.

His gaze stuck outside, your voice still echoing in his head, your song replaying over and over again as your fear pounded in the center of his chest. He didn’t even register himself ripping his arms out of his father’s grasp as he ran out of the castle and into the gardens to find you himself, knowing exactly where you were.

It was two hours later when the culprits of your attempted abduction were caught and imprisoned, followed by a party of castle guards finally locating your hiding spot. Only, they were shocked to see that Taehyung had been crouched in front of you, holding your head on his chest as you cried before eventually falling asleep.

It was hard to explain to his parents and your mother how he could hear your songs, and feel your emotions. It was even harder to explain how he was able to know exactly where you were and know what had happened as if he had been there himself. It was that very evening that the king had made a decision that would affect you both in the coming years.

“Y/n,” Taehyung had called as you were knelt in the shrine, hands clasped together before you lowered your arms and looked over your shoulder to your prince. You were ten-years-old now while Taehyung was nearly in his teenage years. You both were nearly the same height as you stood to come to his call.

You nearly felt your cheeks blush in the presence of your beloved prince. Ever since you were nine and nearly kidnapped from the castle gardens, Taehyung had become increasingly more protective over you. This in turn created a delusional crush you held for the royal heir. You had to be careful of your songs so that he wouldn’t catch on to your feelings each morning and evening when you sang songs of greeting and farewell to the sun and sea.

“Yes?” You waited as you came to stand in front of him. “Do you need something from me Taehyung? I thought you had archery this morning?” You tilted your head in curiosity as he quickly took your hand in his, something he started a year ago so that he could always feel you behind him. “Taehyung?”

“Father and mother have called us to the audience chamber.” Your mouth opened in question as your mother came up behind you. Taehyung was quick to greet her. “Good morning, Lady Lily.”

“A fine morning to you, young Prince.” Your mother soon placed her hand on your back, silently ushering you on. “You can finish your morning devotions after your audience with the king and queen. It is alright,” she smiled. She seemed to know something you didn’t, like she knew what the call of presence was for. Though, you couldn’t ask because of Taehyung quickly pulling you out of the shrine with him.

“Your morning hymn was lovely,” he told you as he entered the castle’s second floor, taking your hands and helping you up the staircase so you wouldn’t trip on your long gown.

“Do you think so?” You asked, wavering on how you sang this morning. “I had thought my sound wasn’t as clear as before.”

“You improve everyday. Perhaps if you feel it needs improvement, sip water from the shrine’s fountain. That will certainly cleanse your throat and replenish any diminished power,” he advised. Typically, one would not be allowed to access the sea water of the shrine’s fountain, however you were the exception to that rule.

You never knew why, but the day Taehyung offered you a small sip of the fountain’s sea water to ease your aching throat, you were permitted exclusive access to the sea’s blessed water. As, if you weren’t granted permission, that small sip of pure ocean water would have spread like poison and certainly taken your life.

As Taehyung led you to the audience chamber, you grew nervous. Just what could the monarchs of your Isle be calling you about? Were you not doing a good enough job as a training maiden? Were you lacking somehow? Or perhaps you were going to be told to stop hanging around Taehyung, the future king, as often because of his coming of age. The idea of being torn from Taehyung made your heart ache.

“Do not be nervous,” he told you, squeezing your hand. You swallowed the lump in your throat, only nodding before he knocked on the chamber door, announced himself and you, before walking inside with you in tow.

The queen and her husband sat in the two tallest, iron chairs behind the long, table in the large room. They watched you both enter hand in hand, just as they had seen you do before. As the heavy door shut behind your back, Taehyung led you to a chair across from his parents. Sitting you down first, he then takes his own seat beside you. His choice of opting to sit beside you instead of his parents confused you for a moment until he took your hand in his again beneath the iron table top.

“I apologize for interrupting your morning session, Y/n,” the queen softly called. Though aged from the first time you met her, she was still carrying herself with the same grace and beauty you had remembered all those years ago.

“It’s alright, Majesty. My mother is finishing up the offering with the monks and I can return to the shrine to finish my devotion before midday.” Your voice was rigid from you trying to keep your nervousness undetected. You felt Taehyung’s hand tighten in your grip as he ran his thumb over your knuckles. You had to strain to hear the royal family’s words over the sound of your heart in your ears.

“We won’t keep you long,” the king announced. He looked at you and then to his son before he closed his eyes. His hands came up to rest in front of his mouth, fingers interlaced as his elbows rested on the iron table. “Would you say you enjoy my son’s company, Y/n?” The king’s directness made you jolt. With the smallest pink tinted cheeks, you glanced at Taehyung, seeing him only looking at his father with inquisitive eyes.

“I would. I greatly enjoy the Prince’s company.” You answered with a smile that spread unconsciously to the set of royal parents in front of you when you directed your gaze back to the pair.

“As you know,” the queen started in place of her husband, “Taehyung is the heir to the Serpent King; however, as you may have noticed, our son has a special connection with you particularly.” You lifted your eyebrow at this. Since when had the prince and you had a special connection? In truth, Taehyung never told you that he could feel what you feel when you sing and can pinpoint your location as your voice carries to the sky like a beacon. His grip in your hand falters.

“Mother,” he warned. He didn’t want you to know in fear that you would find it invasive. What if you found out and you hated it and locked up your voice in retaliation? He thought his heart would shrivel up and die if you stopped singing.

“Our son is able to hear your songs from any location on the island, we believe that it’s due to not only your bond you’ve built over the years, but also your spiritual power.” You remained silent as you took in the information. You had known Taehyung could hear you, but from such a wide scope? That shocked you. “Taehyung and you share a special bond, that much we are certain, so my husband and I spoke with Lady Lily.”

Your back straightened as the mention of your mother. “You spoke with my mother? About what, might I ask?”

“It is our intent to have you both become engaged to marry.”

You felt your heart stop at the king’s declaration. Engaged to marry? You and Taehyung? Your heart began to speed up, doing somersaults in your chest as your grip on the prince’s hand slacked. You turned to look at the preteen prince.

“Me, marry the-,” you cut yourself off, unable to speak the words. Your young cheeks flushed hot when Taehyung turned to look at you, pulling your hand tighter against his under the table. Making up for the space you created when you pulled away. His golden eyes burned into yours as he then turned back to his father.

“I’m willing to go through with it,” the young prince announced, shocking you. “That is,” he turned his sights back to you, a soft smile on his face replacing his previous look, “if Y/n agrees as well.” The queen had to hide a smile behind the back of her hand as your face wouldn’t cool down. You looked down to the hand he held out of his parents’ sight before taking a breath.

It wouldn’t be selfish to want this- you look back up at him with hopeful eyes- right? Smiling back after a heartbeat or two, you turned to his parents and lowered your head.

“I’m honored by the royal families decision. If you’ll accept me, I agree to the arrangement as well.” A small talk about formalities and official announcements of the engagement later and you and Taehyung were dismissed back to your daily routine. However, everything felt shifted now.

As Taehyung led you back to the shrine, you stayed absolutely silent- something the prince noticed. You were always talking to him about something, but now you were speechless and it made him nervous. He wasn’t even holding your hand anymore, because the moment you both stood to leave the audience chamber, you had let him go.

“I’ll properly thank your mother when I see her next,” he told you suddenly in the empty hall he walked with you down. “Since I’m your fiance now, it’d be rude if I didn’t thank her for her permission to marry you.”

“Ah, right,” you made a small noise before acknowledging him. He stopped in the hall and sighed, turning to you.

“So, it is the engagement that’s making you so quiet.” You shrunk, not wanting to be a problem. “It’s okay. If you don’t want to agree to it, then-”

“No!” You screech, immediately covering your mouth. You cleared your throat, looking around to see if anyone had seen your outburst and gathered your thoughts. Your heart wouldn’t stop beating and your stomach felt fuzzy from the speed of it all. “It’s just happening so fast,” you breathed, “that’s all. Really, I don’t mind.”

“Are you positive?”

“Yes, I am.” It was an odd sensation when Taehyung pulled you into his chest to hug you. He had held you before. When you were lost in the maze, when you were sleepy during your lessons he attended with you out of curiosity, when you both hid from castle guards who were trying to coerce you both back inside. This time was different though.

“Don’t worry. Nothing’s going to change,” he assured you. As you lifted your arms to hug him back, you knew why it was so different and why any embrace from him would be different from now on.

Because every time from this point on, forever, would be an embrace shared between betroths.

You took a deep breath of the ocean air as the ship you were aboard grew closer to the docks of your beloved Isle. You were returning home after a trip to the mainland to familiarize further with their culture and step closer to establishing a lasting treaty. You weren’t exactly pleased forming relations with the world outside of your island home, but in the end it had to be done.

On a positive note, you were returning with all sorts of new herbs and dried meat, roots and fruits that Hissing Isle didn’t have. They would surely work well as offerings and if not, a fine snack for the castle.

“Lady Y/n!” Someone called as you turned to look for the call. A young man dressed in stained white and brown clothes and a bandanna around his waist had been the one calling. “The ship will dock in just a little while. Please prepare your things for departure. I’m sure the Prince is eagerly waiting for your return.” The man offered you a polite, if not playful, wink before he was scampering off.

A lot has happened since you had gotten engaged to the Serpent Prince twelve years ago. Your twenty-second birthday had just passed as you stood on the side of the ship, your bag of belongings and mainland offers on your back.

When you were twenty, you had surpassed your trainers and taken over the shrine as the Central Priestess. Your abilities to harness and use your spiritual powers in both offensive and defensive strategies still awed some. In fact, you planned to use your power to enforce a barrier around the island as soon as you could. Bringing back a sacred dokkosho from the mainland, you planned to use it- combined with your powers- to protect the island from malicious intruders.

However, years have not always been so kind to you. Among those years, you still wish your young mother was around to see you flourish into the priestess she had known you to be. She had fallen ill when you were eighteen and she did not last the year. You still remember how your heart broke as Taehyung shushed and held you for days upon days, as you could do nothing but cry and mourn. You could not even sing her farewell through your tears.

As the sea breeze blew through your hair and whipped at the long, loose sleeves of your dress, you smiled as the sight of your home growing closer. Your dress was off your shoulder, loose around your chest and tied with a brown sash around your waist as the skirt fell to your ankles. It was a simple dress and not at all what you would typically wear when fulfilling your role as isle priestess, but it was yours.

When the ship docked and your feet finally hit land again, you let out a breath of air. It had only been a month, but you felt like you had been away for far too long now. While you were gone, you had left the shrine in the hands of a monk who had come from the mainland years back. His skills were exceptional, but his playful attitude always left you a bit nervous.

“Lady Y/n!” The same man from before had called as you had stepped off port. You turned and quickly caught something he had tossed towards you. Looking, it was a ripe apple. “Come travel with us again soon,” he offered as you smiled at him.

“I’ll look forward to the next time then,” you bowed your head as you headed off. Heading through town, you were met with small smiles and children running to hold your hand and welcome you back home. In your small kingdom, you were well known as the main priestess and many would come to you for advice. Your position as Taehyung’s fiance added to the warmth of the island-folk.

However, not all were as kind as most.

A young girl hung off your arm as you humored her with your attention as a drunken man cut off your path. Your destination towards the castle temporarily halted. Typically, you would brush past him, however the young girl at your side only shrunk away at the sight of his disheveled appearance.

You knew this man, of course. He often gave you a rough time, unable to swallow his bit-swollen pride and accept orders from a woman who technically wasn’t of royal blood. Spending all his time and money in taverns, you were certain if you wounded him, booze would pour out of his body instead of blood.

“May I help you?” You sneered, tilting your chin and looking at him in a collected, calm warning.

“It’s a shame the mainland princes’ didn’t want to keep you over there,” he slurred. “Do us a lotta good if you stayed put on the other side of the sea.” You remained calm as you took a breath. You looked down to the young girl who clung to you. This man was not only well known to you, but to the rest of the castle town. He wasn’t exactly too well liked because of his attitude.

When he saw the little girl staring at his stubble, unshaven face, he sneered. “What are you looking at brat? Huh?!” The verbal attack to the youth was cut short when something was thrown at the drunkard’s head. Stumbling back in an over-dramatic fit of drunken balance, he looked at the ground. There lay a single, red apple.

“Even among a basket of perfect fruit, there always has to be one bad apple it seems.” Your arm was lifted, the only needed evidence the drunkard needed to know you had thrown the fruit at him. “I suggest you direct your disgust elsewhere and not towards the Isle’s youth. They will determine in the future to help or neglect you. You’d be wise to not mistreat them.”

“Why you stuck up-” the man had stomped towards you, harshly pushing you back as he grabbed the front of your dress into his fist. The child on your side was knocked away as she started to cry for the man to let you go as he just growled into your face. His breath was horrid, teeth yellow and skin tinged sickly.

“If you keep drinking, you’ll last no longer than the season,” you calmly told him even in the state you were being held in.

“My lady!” the little girl cried, as a crowd started to gather in a murmur. You knew better than to fight back, it was against your views to harm your people- even if they act so grotesque towards you. You would only tell yourself to grin and bear it.

There was a sudden hush over the crowd before they could even begin to act on freeing you from the no-good drunkard, and it was without surprise as to why. The man was grabbed by the back of his shirt collar as it was yanked back, the shirt riding up to his neck and thrusting him into cut-off, breathless panic.

His grip on your dress released immediately as he was yanked backward until he fell over his feet onto his back on the stone roads. His eyes were squeezed shut and were only opened when the one who had pulled him back and off you squats to come closer to his face. The man froze at the pair of golden eyes glaring down at him with brilliant matching scales under them.

“I do believe I’ve told you before that the next time you harass my priestess, I wouldn’t let it slide,” Taehyung sneered as the little girl had rushed back to your side, hugging you around the waist as you placed your hand on her shoulders. “Stay on the ground,” he demanded as the drunkard only nodded weakly as the prince stood back up and looked at you. Your dress was stretched and messed up around your chest now.

Yet, you smiled warmly to him nonetheless.

“Welcome home, Y/n,” he greeted as he came to your side. He smiled down to the child in front of you, petting her head. “How about I take her home from here?” He told the little girl as she ran off back to her home, leaving the crowd to disperse and the drunkard to be picked up off the road and taken back to the castle by a set of guards that were stationed in town. “I’m sorry you had to deal with him first thing after returning.”

“It’s nothing I couldn’t have handled,” you reassured, even if you had no intention of actually instigating a fight. “What brought you into town? Running errands?” He smiled as he shook his head.

“No. I felt your spiritual pressure when you landed. I simply couldn’t wait to see you after such a long time,” he told you. Your heart squeezed in your chest as he then began to lead you back to the castle. You asked about the shrine and how the offering and sessions were progressing. Taehyung was curious as to what the mainland was like and you offered to show him the goodies you brought back with you once you reached the castle.

All the while your heart pounded in your ears.

The crush you had on your prince only kept expanding in size with each passing day since you were announced engaged. You were sure if that had never happened, you would have grown out of it, however your love for him was deeper than the sea surrounded the island. You were absolutely sure, however, that Taehyung would never truly love you back.

He had always shown that you were his closest and deepest friend he had. Loving you as his first and best friend and close companion that helped him grow. However, you doubted he would ever be in love with you like you are with him, and the knowledge of your betrothal made such a bittersweet taste on your tongue.

You had often attempted to talk to him about the arrangement of your marriage. You wanted to give him the option now that he was a grown man and was able to understand what marrying you would mean. You wanted to give him the option to choose if he wanted you to become his wife for the rest of his life or not. And if he chose not to wed you, then you’d accept that, no matter how much it would break you.

You never had the strength to bring it up though. Too scared of letting him go, when he truly wasn’t fully yours. Unable to let go of the fantasy of marrying him, unable to let go of your selfishness.

You let out a sigh as Taehyung had entered the castle with you. He looked at you with furrowed brows and gold eyes.

“That is the fifth sigh since town. Are you unwell?”

“What?” you were unaware of your unconscious sighs until he had said something. “I’m fine. Just tired from the trip is all. I think I just need to rest a bit before I return to my shrine duties.”

“I’ll make sure to instruct Jungkook to keep watch over the shrine’s progression until tomorrow. Take a break until then. You’ve just returned from a long journey that I’m sure required a lot of strength. Do not push yourself.”

You nodded. Jungkook was the monk in-charge of the shrine when you are absent or unable to manage it for a number of reasons. He often watches it once a month when your body is in such pain that moving from your bed is a battle in itself.

He was a stubborn monk, but he was well versed in his craft you had to admit. He was different from the other monks you’ve grown up with. For instance, he refused to cut his hair like the others who had clean heads without hair at all. His long, brown locks curled around his ears and over his forehead, occasionally being tied back with a hair string for rituals.

“Yes,” you agreed, “that would be nice.”

You two had walked further into the castle when someone had rounded a further corner ahead and caught sight of you. Speak of the devil.

“Hey! Y/n!” Jungkook waved in his robes of black and purple, rushing towards you. He was a friendly monk, child-like and free spirited and never addressed you properly by title. You almost admire that about him. He came to a stop in front of you and Taehyung as the prince suddenly drew quiet without you noticing. “Welcome back home,” he grinned down at you, standing a head taller.

“Yes, it’s good to be back.” You smiled in greeting as you both conversed. Taehyung watched you both talk so openly and comfortably. You often spoke without formality when you were with Jungkook. With himself though- even if you had known him since he was six- you still held a sense of formality. He didn’t realize how much he missed your relaxed speech when you were young until he was watching you talk so comfortably with the long-haired monk.

“I hope you won’t mind keeping charge of the shrine until tomorrow. I have to wait a bit longer for my powers to return to normal. The mainland pressure is far different than the island, so adjustment takes time.”

“Leave it to me, it’s not so hard.” He shrugged smugly. You rolled your eyes as Jungkook soon looked passed you to Taehyung who had been standing in silence. He looked back down to you. “The lovely couple off somewhere?” His chide was met with you snatching the staff he had at his side from his grasp and whacking him with it. “Ow! What’s with the sudden aggression?” He whine sorely as he rubbed his back. You gently handed the staff back to him as if you had done no wrong.

“That’s your punishment for improper speech to the woman who is technically your superior,” you told him, but you both knew the real reason you whacked him. Jungkook was the sole person you’ve confided in about your feelings for the serpent prince. “Return to your shrine duties, I’ll be stopping by with new offerings later,” you told him as you started away.

“Yes, yes. As you wish, My Lady,” he submitted as he watched you leave, Taehyung silently trailing behind you.

It was silent again as Taehyung and you continued on your way to the throne room to greet the royal family and tell them of your return. They must already know you had come back since Taehyung had shown up so quickly as you landed, but it was still a requirement of the shrine’s center priestess to announce her departure and arrival.

“You and that monk seem to get along well,” Taehyung spoke, bitterly refusing to use Jungkook's name.

“Yes, well, he is two years younger than me. It’s easy to speak naturally to him when he’s only just turned twenty.”

The conversation was short lived as Taehyung didn’t speak after that and you didn’t either. The silence was almost comfortable and before long, you were entering the throne room with Taehyung just as you had a million other times before now.

As you grew closer, the queen sat higher in her chair. Her hair had faded to a shade of silver from age as the king’s black hair had begun to follow. “Ah, young Lady Y/n, I’m glad you’ve made it back safely. Did you enjoy your visit to the mainland?”

“Not as much as I enjoy the feeling of being home, Majesty.”

“Of course,” she mused. “I’m glad you have returned. My husband and I would like to speak to you and Taehyung if you have a moment.” You looked at the man beside you as he looked at his parents with an indifferent gaze like something was weighing on his mind.

“The wedding is next week?!” Jungkook screeched. You had just returned to the shrine from the castle in which the royal family had decided that you and Taehyung would be married by next week's end. “It’s so sudden,” the monk stated in a much milder tone.

“Not really,” you told him as you removed the wrapped herbs and roots from your bag. “I’ve been engaged to him since I was young. It was bound to happen one day.” You kept replaying the conversation from earlier in your mind. Just as it had been in the past, the moment his parents decided it, he just nodded and went along with their plans.

The same feeling in your gut wrenched and twisted like a dying tree root. Was he just going along with his parent’s decision because he admired them so much? Was he just doing this for the sake of his people because you were the Isle’s priestess? Or, was he doing this because it was something decided so long ago and he felt like he had no way out now?

As you set your items along the marble alter inside the shrine Jungkook watched you with soft, dewy eyes. He knew how much your heart loved the prince and how much you kept breaking your own heart over and over again. You never let yourself have the satisfaction of being with Taehyung all because you wouldn’t let yourself believe Taehyung would ever love you.

“Y/n,” he gently called. “Why don’t you just talk to him? I’m sure if you told him how you felt, then-”

“There would be no point in that,” you interrupted. “If I told him how I felt, and he didn’t return those feelings, then the whole relationship we’ve built up our entire lives would be ruined. At least if we get married as childhood friends, I can keep a piece of my happiness when I wear a ring around my finger.”

“But, if you just-”

“Jungkook,” you cut him off again. “Please, just drop it. I’ve made up my mind, you can’t change it.” The monk yielded as he just sighed and moved to stand beside you. Looping his arm over your shoulders, he pulled you in for a side hug.

“Just don’t get hurt,” he whispered.

Three days later, a ball would be held in an advanced celebration for the prince’s wedding. The event is grand, even invitations sent to the mainland were met with positive notes and promises to attend. You grew more and more anxious as the ball grew closer, specifically because you were going to be in charge of the first song of the evening.

A part of you thought it unfair. You were in charge of singing the first song for the guests in attendance. Meaning you wouldn’t be able to participate in the first dance and even more sour tasting is that Taehyung had the option to dance with whomever he chose. It was your engagement ball too, but there was no way around it- since it was the priestess’s duty to sing after all.

Jungkook offered to take your position and perform a hymn in your stead, but you simply told him not to worry about it. He wouldn’t be attending the ball- even if he was invited- simply because he had to watch the shrine while you would be preoccupied for the day.

Everyday prior to the ball you were cooped up in vocal training and hymn precision so as to not ruin the first dance. The morning of the ball, you only practiced once and then saved your voice for the evening of the event.

The castle was bustling with servants and guards running to and fro, along with the steady flow of mainland guests arriving in the town’s port. You sat somewhere in the twists and turns of the hedge maze as you tried to steady your heart. The wind blew softly, like a blanket of comfort before you were opening your eyes to see the prince in front of you.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said calmly in the wind.

“Everything’s so busy, I guess I just wanted to escape the chaos for as long as possible,” you shrugged as he came closer to you. You slid down the bench you sat on as he moved to sit beside you. It was silent for a time before he spoke up again.

“Do you remember the first time you came into this maze?” You looked at him. “You were confronted by criminals who had sneaked into the castle grounds with the intent to kidnap you. You ran into this maze, crouched into a ball and sang. I still remember that day so vividly.”

You looked away from him as you turned your sights to your lap. Dressed in your common gown, your hands were folded on your legs.

“Yes, I remember. You came to save me that day. I remember I was so scared, then you came running around the corner and I just started crying.” You laughed bitterly at the memory. “Next thing I knew, I was waking up the next morning in my bed like always.” You paused, contemplating on if you should speak more or let the silence envelope you both. “I guess you were always saving me, even all the way back then.”

Taehyung watched you as you kept an eye on your lap, fiddling with your hands in the warm breeze of spring. Your hair dancing in small wisps, almost hypnotizing him.

“Mother told me you’re performing the song for the first dance this evening,” he opened in a new conversation. “Which hymn have you chosen?” He asked.

“You don’t already know?” You looked at him. His gold scales reflecting off the sunlight. “I thought you always listened to my songs,” you teased with a lopsided smile. He returned the gesture back to you.

“I’ve been trying not to listen to your songs the past few days, as to not ruin the surprise.”

“Then, I guess you have no reason to know what I’ll be singing.” You both sat comfortably for a while and you even started thinking about actually unloading your heart to him. Jungkook’s constant push to tell Taehyung how you felt nagging at your mind as you sat with him so calmly in the garden. Now would be the perfect time, but it seemed you spent too much time thinking it over, you overran your chance.

“Lady Y/n!” You sighed as you heard someone call for you from afar. Taehyung straightened his back, narrowing his eyes to the distant voice who had disturbed the peaceful atmosphere. He looked to you when you suddenly stood and called back to them.

“I’m here!” You shouted as you stood and looked down to Taehyung. You smiled at him, but his eyes widened when he saw a small touch of sadness on your lips. “I look forward to seeing who you’ll choose to partner with during the first dance tonight.”

“Wait-” he reached out to you as he had begun to stand from the bench but you had already moved away from him. Disappearing behind the shrubs and out of his sight before he heard you conversing with a servant who was probably going to rush you off into preparations for the ball. He listened to your voice grow distant as he looked at the open palm of his, not able to remember the last time he held your hand. In that moment, the spring air felt colder to him in the sunlit maze.

You’ve never dreaded putting on a formal gown more than now, knowing that you’d be wearing it to your engagement ball. The dress itself was beautiful. White lace surrounded the breast and around your waist to wrap around your entire torso before the lace ended at your hips to let the red skirt fall to the floor where more white lace hemmed the end of the skirt. Your arms were covered in open fingered gloves that extended just past the elbow as the dress had to straps and rested on your chest.

Your hair was partially pulled back, the fronts of your locks pulled back behind your head and pinned into a knot with a white ribbon as the rest lay on your shoulders. A servant had come into the room as a lace was being wrapped around your neck when another necklace was presented. A small, red gem in the shape of a teardrop- apparently a gift from Taehyung for you to wear. You wore it along with the lace choker. You could already feel the beginning of an ache in your feet from the heels that encased your ankle and enclosed your toes.

You stood outside the ballroom entrance door, trying to gather your breath. You would typically enter the ballroom with your guest, but Taehyung would be appearing later on with his father and mother- fashionably late as royalty demanded.

The moment you entered the ballroom, all eyes were on you along with a small murmur followed by an applause at the arrival of the lady of the hour. You just waved them calm before you took to mingling like a proper lady should. Speaking and greeting the visitors who took the time to come to your island home, you couldn't get your throat to unclog.

The anxiousness of singing, the dread of possible mistakes, the sorrow of not being able to dance with the rest of the ladies during the first dance and the ugly jealousy of whoever would be lucky enough to dance with Taehyung first. All of it stuck in your throat like a toad.

You jump when you feel a hand rest on the small of your back, getting your attention. You whirl around, ready to scold who dared to touch you so familiarly, but stopped short when you look up to Taehyung’s snake eyes.

“Prince,” you muttered. His hand that was on your back moved to rest on your waist in your hasty turn. He was dressed in a golden vest that matched his hair and compliments his eyes and scales. His white dress shirt beneath his vest was wrinkle-free and his trousers hung off his waist in perfection as the toes of his boots reflected the ballroom’s light. A royal blazer with embroidered shoulders and decorated lapels. His hair was brushed and parted, as soft looking as ever. You noticed a golden teardrop necklace with the chain tucked under his dress shirt’s collar as the gem rested on his chest.

“You look beautiful, Y/n,” he compliments. Your face is the same shade of your dress as you fiddled with your skirt. You took a breath and looked up to him with a smile.

“You look as handsome as always,” you told him, sincerity dripping off your tongue. You lifted your hand to toy with the necklace that was given to you. “Thank you for this,” you said. He in turn touched his own golden gem that was nearly identical to yours. You looked around, not seeing the king or queen in the ballroom yet. “Where are your parents?” You asked him as he just chuckled.

“I came early. I wanted to see you before the event started.”

“Oh,” was your instant reply to the soft smile on his face. You cleared your throat as you gathered your thoughts and changed the topic. “So, have you decided on someone to dance with while I sing?” You ask as cheerfully as you could muster. Your resolve faltered at the look the prince gave you without speaking. Maybe he hadn’t been asked yet?

“I won’t be participating in the first dance,” he declared with a slightly dipped brow. “Why would I, knowing that my fiance wouldn’t be my partner?” He grabbed your hand. “I will dance and mingle through the night just as I’m expected to, but if you cannot dance in the event’s opening, then neither will I.”

Your face grew rosy. His words were heavy on your heart and squeezed your chest like you were drowning. Would he ever be aware of just how much his words mean to you? Would he realize one day that everything he tells you and every praise he sings made you want to crumble under the weight of your unspoken, suffocating feelings?

Eventually, the elder royal couple of Serpent Castle had made their appearance and your presence was requested at the back of the room in preparation. As you spoke with the instrumentalists who would replace your voice through the remainder of the night after your song, you instructed them to stay silent and keep their instruments hushed until you were finished.

As the opening was announced, partners were grabbed, the floor was scattered with pairs and Taehyung stood behind you, his hands tucked informally into the pockets of his trousers as he watched your back. Then, you sang.

The hymn was something Taehyung hadn’t heard before. He had heard you sing up close before, often coming by the shrine at early morning or late evenings just to hear it clearly rather than through his serpent’s blood. He did not recognize this hymn, yet it resonated so clearly with his serpent counterpart as his blood felt like it was getting warmer behind his skin. It raised goosebumps on his skin under his clothes and made the hair on the back of his neck stand.

Whatever this new hymn was, it was immediately his favorite. The flutters it put in his chest made him remove his hand from his pocket just to push his palm against his breast. He felt his heart pound under his palm as he just stared at your back with wide eyes of awe.

When the hymn was over and the first dance of the evening concluded, there was a round of applause for your unparalleled performance and then the instrumentalists finally took over.

You felt a weight off your chest as you sighed in relief. You had performed well in your opinion. Not missing your notes or beat, but then again it would be harder to do an official hymn rather than the one you sung.

“Y/n,” you heard Taehyung call behind you. Turning, you saw his eyes shining brighter than usual- perhaps it was the ballrooms light gleaming in them. “That hymn, I hadn’t heard that before.”

“Oh, well it’s because I composed that hymn myself.” You opened your hand and started counting on your fingers. “I suppose it was a few weeks ago, but I have begun writing my own hymns- just to see if perhaps they would be as effective as those written in our books.” You lowered your hand back to your side. “I hope it wasn’t distasteful to you,”

“It was magnificent,” he breathed in truth. “I hope you sing it often so I may hear it.”

“I-,” you stuttered at the compliments, “of course. If that’s what you wish, then it shall be my Prince.”

Taehyung quickly reached for and took your hand, holding it tightly as he pulled you beside him. “Come,” he told you. Leading you out among the peoples in the rooms as they danced to the tunes played by the men who plucked strings and blew into flutes. “Be my first dance,” he smiled. “It may not be the first, but it shall be our first dance.”

Taehyung’s hand re-positioned in yours as his other rested on your waist as you gripped his shoulder and your feet were soon slotted beside each other. Your chest brushing against his as the next song had begun and your feet moved with the harp and flutes tune.

Taehyung spoke as you danced, speaking of the upcoming wedding and it’s preparations. The set up and guest attendance will be filled with all the people in the ballroom currently, leading to him telling you that they would all be staying on the island until the wedding had concluded. The ceremony was hopefully going to be quick and not a drawn out afternoon, as you got choked up just thinking about it.

Of course, the toughest part of it all would be vows.

Your vows specifically. You briefly wondered if in your vows that fateful day of union, you would admit to him finally that you had loved him for such a long time. Or, should you keep your secret locked up in your heart forever as to not ruin what could be a happy enough marriage. You shook your head, it was clearly Jungkook’s insistent pushing to make you confess getting to you. You had already made your mind up, you couldn’t change it now.

The song of harp and whistles ended and you almost immediately drew yourself away from your husband-to-be. Before he could reach out and stop you from retreating he was flocked with all sorts of visitors. Women asking to dance- to which he cannot refuse- and men wishing to converse of trade and business with him. He watched over a sea of heads as you ran off until he couldn’t see you anymore.

You had retreated to a wall hidden by a table with glass flutes of a sweet alcohol. Typically, you avoided the beverages, but just this once you decided to indulge just a little. It was a white wine, clear as crystal but not as delightful to drink as the fountain's shrine water.

“Good evening, My Lady,” a man addressed from beside you. You were unaware of his approach and his opening startled you. Turning, you saw a man who was undoubtedly from somewhere far inland you imagined. “I am Duke Lethan. I watch over a small country stead far from the coast of the mainland. I must say, your song earlier was beautiful.”

His flattery felt nothing like Taehyung’s words. His cheap words did not make your heart flutter or your stomach toss. Though, he was being kind and so as to not ruin the merry mood of the ball, you humored him- as much as you wanted to be left alone.

“Thank you very much, kind Duke.” You spent a small amount of energy carrying general conversation with the duke of the mainland as you kept your guard up. You never did trust the men from off the island, your recent visit abroad having one too many encounters with rude, entitled ones.

You smiled when you were cued to smile, and you laughed at his small attempts at humble humor, but you just wished for the conversation to end and him to be on his way. Instead, he began to persist in the idea of a dance with you.

Trying to politely decline the offer, he tried convincing you- obviously not taking no for an answer. Ready to put your foot down, merrymaking be damned, you felt that familiar hand on your back before it slid around to encase your waist and rest just above your white laced stomach. It was no surprise- or perhaps it was- to see Taehyung at your side as he held you to his chest.

“I do believe she’s already refused a dance. Go find a different partner if you would, Duke Lethan.” Not in a position of authority to begin to argue, the duke just lowered his head and went on his way into the crowd to find some other poor woman to give in to his pressure. “Y/n,” he called as you looked up at him from where you were once watching the duke retreat. “Dance with me again just once more.”

He had been watching you as soon as he could locate you after you left him after your dance. When that duke approached you and started making you smile, something in his chest lurched. He felt irked just knowing you were conversing so happily with a stranger and not with him. He was distracted as he danced with a lady from the mainland and he quickly left her abandoned mid-song at the look of distress on your face when the duke wouldn’t depart from your presence.

However, he would never disclose that to you. He didn’t even understand how he felt, all he knew was that he felt better when you were beside him like this.

“I’d be honored to dance with you again, my Prince,” you agreed with a smile up at him and the pain in his chest soothed instantly. You chalked it up to your imagination, but it felt like during this dance Taehyung held you tighter than before.

As the evening finally started dwelling down, guests started dismissing themselves back to their temporary rooms in the castle or back into town where their room in a local Inn was waiting for them. You were standing outside the ballroom, fiddling with your necklace. Exhausted from the evening of non-stop mingling and dancing.

Taehyung had pulled you away from a handful of men who seemed a bit ‘too interested in his fiance’, he claimed. You danced with him each time he did so.

“Y/n,” Taehyung called behind you. You startled, not expecting to be found in your little nook away from the dwindling down madness. He came to stand beside you, his golden eyes and scales seemed to grow faintly in the dimly lit halls of his castle. “Are you well?”

You felt a lot of things tonight. The burning eyes of mainland damsels on your back when you danced with the prince they knew they couldn’t even begin to woo because he simply didn’t give them the time. The watching eyes of older couples of tradition who thought it unjust for a simple priestess to marry into royalty. The sly eyes of men who wanted to dance to you and maybe catch a grip of something more- not that you’d allow that. And the squeezing of your heart whenever Taehyung held you and danced.

You sighed, making Taehyung take a step closer as he raised his arm to rest on your bicep, stroking it in comfort.

“I just,” you cut yourself off with closed eyes and a breath. “I’m just overwhelming myself and thinking about something.”

Taehyung moved to stand closer, grabbing your arm and hooking it around and under his own as his hip was next to you. He smiled down at you as he started walking forward, pulling you with him lightly.

“We’ll take a walk outside. Fresh air will help,” he told you in promise. Maybe the moonlight would shed away your worries- you could only hope. You were hardly aware of where Taehyung was leading you as you were so lost in your head. The fact that the man beside you was going to marry you in just a matter of days spiraled in your head like a hurricane. As did the doubt of if he even wanted to.

When you finally noticed you had been walking with him in silence for a while, you clocked back into reality and realized he had taken you back to the garden maze. This same maze is where you first truly realized you were in love with Taehyung and would be for the rest of your life- even if you were so young back then.

When you were in danger, and you sang- it was him who came running. It was him who found you in the maze and it was him who held you as you cried yourself into unconsciousness.

It was also this maze where you both sat just hours before that same day, talking in the sunlight that felt so comfortable. The spot where you realized you were going to marry your childhood playmate. Your one and only love interest and also your kingdom’s precious prince who was filled with serpent blood. It was this Taehyung who would be your husband and your feet stopped.

You halted in his step as your arm slipped from around his where it rested and he jerked when he felt it fall and slip away from him. He stood in front of you, half turned back to see your arm fall back to your side and your chin dipped.

The way the moon cast a shadow over your body should have been a romanticized look of an ethereal priestess, but the way you stood and avoided eye contact only made it grim. The prince felt his stomach twist as he straightened his back as you lifted your head to look directly at him for the first true time tonight.

His golden eyes widened a fraction at yours, seeing something in them waver and shake. It pinned his feet in place. Stood frozen in a half turned state, facing you as your fists balls behind the skirt of your dress, wrinkling the palm of your gloves.

“Be honest with me, Taehyung,” you called, foregoing his title and addressing him by name. It made his hair stand. “Are you going to be happy marrying me?” The prince parted his lips as he looked at you incredulously. Did you not want to marry him? Was that it? Was that what was weighing so heavily on your mind?

Ever since he could remember, ever since he got engaged to you so long ago in youth, he had known this day would come. He knew a celebration would come and a wedding would soon follow. He knew you were going to become his wife and a princess along with your priestess role. He had always known, and he had always been impatient waiting for all those moments to come. Now, they had and he was so caught up in himself and his own feelings- had he been wrong to think maybe you’d want to marry him too?

“Do you regret agreeing to marry me, perhaps?” He asked in answer to your question, still not giving you a proper answer. Your fisted hands uncurled just enough to ensnare your skirt’s cloth as you squeezed them shut once again.

“That isn’t it,” you harshly breathed. Denying so strongly that, that isn’t how you felt. “I’m- gods, I’m overjoyed that I get this chance. I am- just,” you took a calming breath. “I want to know if you’re doing this because you want to, or because your parents told you to.” You felt guilty, playing the card of his parents. He hadn’t often gone against their wishes because they were mostly reasonable people. You feared this engagement was just another order to him.

“You mean,” he stuttered, finally turning fully around to face you. Still not daring to step closer yet in fear you’d turn and run from the tense air. “You don’t know?” You flinched under his words, thinking for a split moment he was reaffirming that this was because his parents thought it was for the best. “I never knew you thought I didn’t want this marriage to happen. I’ve always been under the impression we agreed to this because we both wanted it.”

You looked at him with a twisted brow. What? What does that mean? Before you could ask him, a tear slid down his cheek. Falling over his golden scales from his equally as gold eyes. You gasped, stepping closer to him and the moment your hand caressed his cheek and your thumb touched under his eyes, he felt like he could breathe again.

“Why are you crying, my Prince? Don’t cry, please,” you pleaded. “I apologize, I should have kept it to myself,” you tried to fix the situation, but the hiccup that leapt from his throat at your words only seemed to worsen it all.

“Tell me,” he choked as he sniffed and you watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. “How do you feel about me as a husband?”

“I-,” you hesitated. You could lie, tell him a fib to appease him. Though, if you did- you’d just be biting into your very own poison apple. You wouldn’t lie anymore. “I love you, and I do want to marry you. I have ever since we were little because I’ve always loved you, Taehyung.” The word vomit spilled out in quick sentences, thinking that the speed of the words would hurt less coming out.

The prince crumbled, his knees weakening as he grabbed your hands and pushed them further against his face. His palm covering the back of your hand as his crying grew louder. You panicked.

Taehyung fell to his perfectly ironed knees as he kept your hands on his face, weeping. You panicked above him as he reeled into his mind- coming to such sudden realizations. You had been the only constant in his life aside form his very own family. You were always beside him, helping him and learning with him. You helped him when you were little and you were helping him even now.

Since when did you really grow up? When did he fall in love with you?

He was so ignorant of his feelings, he had pushed them off as- he didn’t even know what. Perhaps, he’s always known- but was too cowardly to admit it to himself and confront that love. All while he sat in his ignorance, you were withering in your admission and acceptance to how you felt. For so long, you had been growing more tired and the ache in your chest just kept growing because of him.

He cracked his eyes open from their squeezed state when he felt your hand move under his to wipe his tears. Your figure was blurry, blending in with the moonlight in the maze when he snatched your wrist and yanked you towards him.

He sighed when you fell down against his chest. His breath stuttered with his exhale as he started to finally calm down.

“I promise to take better care of it,” he started in a stiff, nasally tone. “So, please, give your heart to me and I’ll give you mine in return.” When you stiffened in his hold, he tightened his arms around you, burying his face into your neck where you could feel the chill of his tears on your skin. “I love so much about you, I can’t think of where to begin. Let me be selfish one more time when I ask you to never stop loving me. Because, I don’t think I can stop loving you either.”

You’re not sure when your tears started falling, but there they were. Trailing down your cheeks and dripping off your chin as you rested against the prince’s shoulder. You just nodded, not trusting your voice.

The two of you sat, kneeling in the middle of this garden maze crying for what seemed like an eternity before you both finally were able to talk to each other without tears or hiccups. At the end of the night, Taehyung felt it far too difficult to let go of your hand when he walked you back to your room.

“Mother,” Taehyung rushed into his parents’ room where the queen was sat at the balcony window, a cup of tea in her hands raised to her lips. “Have you seen Y/n, this morning?”

“My, you seem to be in a hurry. Did something happen?” His mother’s question made the prince’s cheeks bloom before she was setting her cup down on it’s saucer before replacing it on the windowsill. “Did you finally admit that you loved the girl?” She chuckled as Taehyung’s chip dropped and his mouth opened.

“You knew?” He asked, astonished.

“Call it a mother’s instinct, darling.” She teased. “Plus,” she chuckled at the state of her son, “your shirt is half tucked in and your cloak isn’t properly clipped.” She rose from her chair and strode to her son’s front, properly latching the golden string across his chest to let the royal violet cloak rest on his shoulders like it should. “Must have been in a rush to see her, huh?”

“I suppose so,” he smiled down at the top of his mother’s head. “I’ve been putting her through so much during our years of engagement, I don’t want to be away from her when I don’t need to be.”

“That’s a big admission from the Serpent Prince, isn’t it,” she jokes as Taehyung smiled wider and shook his head. He knew she didn’t just see him as the ‘serpent prince’, and neither did his father. It was just a long running tease from when he confronted them about his ‘destiny’ when he was a kid- birthed from your young, innocent advice. His smile softened, another realization that opened in his mind of you. “Y/n was called for an early singular devotion. The waves were rough, so she set out to pray in the fountain at dawn.”

Taehyung stepped away from the queen, thanking her before kissing her cheek and rushing off. She just chuckled as she readied a story to tell the king when he came out of his morning shower.

The shrine was deathly quiet as he walked through the doors as quietly as possible. For single devotions, it was required for the center priestess or priest at the time of management to be alone in the shrine for prayers. It would heighten concentration of spiritual power.

As soon as he entered, he could feel your power flowing through the shrine's interior like ribbons. He was one of a small circle of people who could enter the shrine anytime without reason no matter the devotion or time- a perk of being the descent of the island god. He walked through to the center fountain and just as he figured, there you were.

Your back was to him as you were knelt in the fountain water. Your hands were clasped in front of you as your head was dipped, eyes shut and lost in your conscience. He leaned against a pillar, silent as he watched you. It was absolutely silent as you prayed, but he could stand there and watch you do nothing all day and be content.

He pushed off the pillar when you shivered and then gasped with a jolt. Losing your sense of balance, you teetered to the side, splashing your hand into the fountain to stop yourself from falling in completely. The water splashed up into your face and clung to your already soaked, white prayer robe.

He stopped mid step when you turned to look over your shoulder, seeing him there. He felt like he had just got caught in a crime, though he was technically not breaking any rules. He saw you exhale a breath, your rigid back deflating into a terrible sense of posture.

“It was just you, my Prince,” you breathed. You sat back up, moving to stand from your kneeling in the water as you turned to walk out of the fountain. Taehyung rushed to the fountain’s wall, offering you his hand as you took it and watched your feet as you stepped out.

Water followed you in a small wave when you hopped over the fountain wall and the shrine’s marble floor became wet as your robe dripped more water along it. Your robe was nearly translucent.

Taehyung could see the pink of your thighs and stomach all the way up to your ribs and around your back and bum. It was proper attire to only wear a single white robe and nothing more when in singular devotion- a reason as to why it had to be cleared of all others in the shrine was to keep the body of the priest or priestess hidden from other’s eyes.

He quickly unclipped his royal robe from it’s golden string and slung it off and around his shoulders to quickly wrap it around your wet body instead. You greatly accepted the cover, hiding your body and what could be seen behind it’s thick, warm fabric.

“What brings you here this morning?” You ask up to him, drops of water falling from strands of your hair. Taehyung smiled at you, lifting those wet strands and putting them over your shoulder before he leaned to quickly kiss you. When he stood up, you just covered your lips with your fingertips and a flushed face.

“I wanted to see you as soon as possible, that’s all.” He gently led you to sit on the fountain wall as he sat beside you and before you could call him cheeky, you both were conversing like before. Or, perhaps it was easier than before- talking to each other. “We’re getting married soon,” he happily reminded you as if you didn’t already start counting the days.

“I’m very aware,” you humor him as you pull the cloak further around your shoulders. Taehyung placed his head on your shoulder and days later, when the wedding was held he was anxious all day.

Unable to see you until the ceremony, he was restless while you were being groomed up and down, while Jungkook stood back and laughed, watching it all happen. The prince was able to breathe again when you stood beside him as vows were spoken and promises made with them.

You walked out of the shrine a married woman that afternoon. That evening, you slept beside your husband and you woke up, not only a priestess, but a princess too.

- END -

404 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

heffawhump

And Bruises

chubbyandcutebxtch

luv

inner-gal

may-be

jesuschristwhatsgoingon

Just A Daydreamer

bipolarhoeee

emotionally :) unstable