walkingshcdow

[walkingshcdow]

‘ if i love you , is that a fact or a weapon ? ’ (margot @ alek)

Alek exhaled slowly, looking up at the ceiling. Overhead, the painted mural of metallic dragons and colorful birds would arbitrate. Icicles formed where his breath met the chandelier. It was an excellent question. Utterly unfair.

They had never said "love" before now.

Was it a fact or a weapon? Was it even the truth?

What was there to be gained by lying to him? He was only half-dragon. He was the only son of Lord Argynvost but he was a failed knight, who was only home long enough to lick his wounds. They were just having fun - had been for years. That wasn't the truth, either. He didn't want to examine the truth too closely, lest it cut him open.

"Are you handing me a weapon or holding it to my throat, Margot?" Alek asked, rolling on his side, propping himself up to look at her. She was beautiful, but especially in the glowing candlelight, where she looked softer and more vulnerable. He brushed his fingertips up and down her side. "Because even if it's a fact, in the right hands facts can be deadly."

#noblehcart #ch: alek gwilym #.006 | au #thread: alek gwilym x marguerite st. just | noblehcart #x. asks

[walkingshcdow]

┏┓

┃┃╱╲ in

┃╱╱╲╲ this

╱╱╭╮╲╲house

▔▏┗┛▕▔ we

╱▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔╲

Love and appreciate canon divergence

╱╱┏┳┓╭╮┏┳┓ ╲╲

▔▏┗┻┛┃┃┗┻┛▕▔

#x. ooc

[walkingshcdow]

#ch: alek gwilym #likes & aesthetics: alek gwilym

[walkingshcdow]

The amazingly talented @spicyspell has utterly captured my game's Alek Gwilym! I cannot overstate how pleased I am with this piece, how beautiful it is, and how excited I have been all day to unveil it to my players - especially my player whose cleric is Alek and Strahd's son.

In Blood Countess, Alek Gwilym has many titles. He is Commander Gwilym, Master at Arms of Ravenloft. He is the former squire and eldest scion of Lord Argynvost. He is the avatar of the Morning Lord. Most importantly, he is Ayah, or Father, to Godfrey and Alistor Gwilym.

Alek was the son of the dragon lord, Argynvost, and his human wife, Freya. He spent his youth at Argynvostholt, training to be a knight. He even became his father's squire. However, his mother was killed by the wizards of the Amber Temple and Alek abandoned the order. He became a mercenary sell-sword and traveled far and wide. He eventually returned to the Balinok Valley to serve as a bodyguard and guide for the princess-general, Strahd von Zarovich. He was a powerful fighter and asset to the Barovian forces. After saving Strahd's life, he was inducted into her army and he rose through the ranks quickly. They fell in love and carried on an illicit affair until Strahd fell pregnant with twins and defeated the Tergic army. The boys were sent to live at Argynvostholt but Strahd was never informed of their whereabouts. Alek remained a devoted father to Godfrey and Alistor and repaired his relationship with his father while maintaining his position at Ravenloft's court as Strahd's right hand. However, Strahd became mired in her grief and obsession with preserving her power. Alek ultimately lost her but remained dedicated to her even to his own demise in the Amber Temple, where she killed him as a sacrifice to Vampyre. Alek made a deal that day, too, with the Morning Lord and agreed to be his avatar. Unfortunately, he was magically sealed away by the Dark Powers and he awaits the day that he can reunite with his sons.

In the meantime, he's tried to exert his will on the valley with mixed success. Currently, he has one (1) warlock: a nun from Krezk who is more than the sum of her parts and has sent an angel to try to heal Strahd with unfavorable results. He's trying. He really, really is. It's tough to be a god!

Especially when all he wants is to see the people he loves one more time.

I absolutely adore Alek and I am so thrilled to have art of him! I am so happy! I love his dragon scales, which look a little like vitiligo. I love the curls of his hair and the sharpness of his nose. I love his smile and the fact that when I showed my cleric, she said that he is definitely Alistor's father.

(Also, his and Strahd's portraits face in opposite directions. I can make them face each other and he looks besotted while she's looking away or I can make them face away from each other, back to back, in comparison. Hell. Yes.)

#ch: alek gwilym #((thinking about bringing my favorite commander to the blog))

[walkingshcdow]

The Elvish oath on her lips made Percy laugh, giddy as he was and dizzy with joy and desire. He would marry her. He would marry her tomorrow if he thought they could get everything in line. He wanted to do this right, though, and humans took this kind of thing almost as slowly as elves - proportionally speaking. There’d need to be a dress and flowers and guests. He’d never really thought about what a wedding with all the human trappings might require but now, his mind wandered down corridors it hadn’t dared to venture. He wondered if Keres would have him as elves married each other, in the eyes of the gods and each other alone with a party that followed for days or weeks after. No, probably not. He was thinking about Keres with sunshine on her skin and playing with her hair and the light in her eyes in a green glade; he was thinking about Keres in one of the opulent city churches in elegant white that made her look like an ethereal queen. He was thinking about worlds where they had married sooner, worlds where they were already man and wife and this was only a silly and loving game. 

He hadn’t forgotten why she’d come to his door in the first place, but soft surprise touched his features as she took his hand and led him into his own bedroom. Soon, it would be theirs to share. Thoughts scattered by her kiss, Percy threw himself into the passion of the moment, holding her tight, not as if she was a delicate bird who might fly away, but as a man who had been too long at war holds his beloved upon return. DIdn’t matter that the only person he’d been fighting this whole time was himself: her arms felt like home. 

“Since you’re so eager t’ lead,” he teased, “why don’t you get comfortable on the bed first? I got a feelin’ we’ll be in here for quite a while.”

He wanted to see her lie down in her rightful place in his bed. Their bed. It was going to be theirs soon. Maybe starting now. He wanted to see her relax, feel at home, before he gave her reasons for every muscle in her body to really relax. 

He also wanted to see if she’d actually do it. Human culture had so many hang ups about waiting. Elves were patient, but humans were punishing. He wanted Keres to know if she wanted to wait, she could and he would not complain, but also that if she was serious… well, he’d kept her waiting long enough, hadn’t he? It’d be cruel to prolong her suffering any more than he already had. 

"Then marry me, Percy. Marry me, and sweet seldraine stop talking about what it sounds like- I don't care anymore what it looks like or what it sounds like- I love you. I want you. I've turned down every decent marriage proposal that came my way hoping that you'd be the one and I-"

She huffed softly and let her face drop into his chest, shivering. A lifetime. They could have a whole lifetime. The thought of it was overwhelming, but it, thankfully, did not have to be lived all at once. And Keres knew what she wanted next, she'd known when she came to his door, after all, and Percy's wanting to marry her didn't change how much she wanted him- it only made it look honorable.

Did he realize that was one of the reasons that it was so easy to love him? All her life, men had had certain expectations of Keres and the women around her, and had not been shy about throwing their weight to see them fulfilled. Even the kindest of them didn't quite understand the power imbalances, or how truly vulnerable women were in the world as they hazarded through situations balancing necessity and perceived virtue and marketablility. But Percy never pushed. Never saw her as anything less than an equal, even when he should have. Never took for granted the hard work or the difficulty of a situation or all the thousands of ways it could be made uncomfortable. What kind of man cared so much for the comfort and true happiness of others? She didn't know if he understood how safe it made her feel. How freeing it was.

"Come on then." And she stepped past him into his bedroom, catching him by the hand on her way and stopping only to close the door behind her. "The hallway is cold."

And with that, she kissed him again.

#ch: percy brightstar #.001 | canon #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

@alittlefirebirdtoldme | continued from here

So she was all right. Now that she wasn’t coughing up water, her tongue was still sharp, still aimed true, right to the heart and right to the point. 

“Rather lose a jacket ‘n lose you,” Percy said, trying desperately to sound casual. He didn’t. He swallowed hard. A jacket was a jacket. Who cared about something so easily bought or swiped, so easy to wear out or ruin or go out of fashion? Keres was irreplaceable. One of a kind. If she had drowned, Daphne wouldn’t have ever recovered. Wouldn’t have forgiven Percy. Percy wouldn’t have forgiven himself. He would have grieved in a way human men just didn’t. In a way a man who wasn’t her husband should. He ran a hand over the back of his neck, ruffling his own hair, taking a steadying breath and trying not to look at Keres with too much intensity, trying to find another place in the hall or room to fix his eyes. They darted around like green dragonflies, never landing for long. “You honestly can’t expect I’d do anythin’ but jump after you. I’d do it again. Hope I don’t have to, but y’know. If you need someone t’ do somethin’ foolhardy and dangerous for you… Well, you know me. I excel in foolhardy and dangerous.”

And I would do anything for you. He wondered if she knew he was fighting against every instinct that told him she deserved to hear that because he knew she was right. It had been dangerous and foolhardy and, what she didn’t say, it had been improper. Noblemen didn’t fling themselves into the ocean to rescue their governesses People would talk. People already talked. He may have saved Keres’ life, but her reputation would undoubtedly take a hit. He’d be congratulated as a hero and people would wonder how long she’d been sleeping with her boss. Sexism looked so different in the human world than it did among elves. Utterly baffling. She’d probably tell him within the week that he should’ve let her drown. He’d savor her “thank you” while she meant it. His eyes landed back on her face. For someone who had just bathed and dried from jumping into icy waters, he felt hot and shaky. Couldn’t have been a fever already. Would have taken longer to settle. Percy sucked in his cheeks and then, on the exhale, smiled. HIs features were composed now because if he hadn’t wrestled himself into place, he would have kissed her by now. The last thing she’d want, really. He wasn’t owed anything for pulling her from the sea. He’d do it again if he had to, all without expectation. Wouldn’t be fair to expect anything. He really hadn’t even expected the “thank you.” He’d expected - if anything - to be turned away. 

This was why Andrew thought he was bloody pathetic. Heroes in stories got a kiss from the fair damsel they saved, yeah? Except Percy wasn’t a hero and Keres would punch him if he called her a damsel. They were just two people who were good friends. And if he couldn’t imagine living without her, if that terror had been more terrifying than death as he dove into the water, that was his own business, right? No one wanted to hear it or have it tacked onto this like a sodding condition. Nah. Better to say as much of the truth as he could and let her pretend she didn’t also think he was a sorry sap. Better to let her think he’d do as much for anyone because he was a risk-taking fool, even if she suspected - she had to suspect - that he was only a fool for giving her his whole heart. Elves didn’t do that. Elves loved expansively - multiple partners, multiple marriages - and Percy loved with a dog’s blind and fawning devotion. She should really tell him to leave before he made it all so much worse.

“Just glad you’re safe,” he said. “I’d say anyone woulda done the same, but I didn’t come here to debate the inherent goodness of man or anythin’. Just wanted t’ make sure you were doin’ all right. Are you all right?”

#ch: percy brightstar #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #.001 | canon #alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #drowning tw

[walkingshcdow]

Percy arched a brow. Wildly exaggerated? Sure. He’d believe that, but he’d also believe a woman who scarcely showed any skin was full modest - didn’t matter if it was false modesty or the real kind; she could still be lying. For all he knew, she was the only thing standing between Andrew and his next reincarnation. Guardian angel, huh? Never saw an angel before. Didn’t expect them to wear trenchcoats and a grimace. Or to be engaged to Andrew. Why was she looking for an exit? If he wanted to give her the third degree, he would have already. 

Well, he still kinda wanted to. 

Where was Cedric when you needed him? Sturmovia. Fucking hell. What a nightmare. For everyone. Poor thing, though. She was all drawn in on herself. Must’ve been scared enough without Percy being an ass. That was her fiance hooked up to all those arcane machines. At least Andrew’s heart rate was steady. Percy swiped a hand down his face. At least she was trying to be optimistic. 

“Yeah, ‘m sure you’re right,” he said, groaning into his palm. “He’s a stubborn bugger. He’ll pull through.”

He offered Keres a smile that he didn’t feel convinced by but hoped was comforting. Poor thing. Thrown directly into the Guild alone. His eyes drifted over to the bed again. Of course Andrew would get his ass beat and leave Percy to welcome his fiancee into the family alone. Bloody typical. His smile softened and eyes sweented as he looked at Daphne, who was still whispering to Andrew as if she could wake him. Forget his other concerns. Forget Keres. Forget Andrew. Daphne wouldn’t recover if Andrew didn’t. It’d been hard enough for her to grow up without a mother. She didn’t need another loss so young. Percy blinked rapidly as he realized tears were gathering in his eyes - tears he didn’t need to shed in plain view of everybody. He cleared his throat and shook his head. 

“I should probably pull Daphne off him,” he said. “Dunno if it’s a good idea for a kid t’ be in the ICU like this. Lost her mum - my wife - when Daphne was a toddler. Don’t need her catastrophizin’ about her uncle. I mean, you’re right. Medicine’s a marvel these days. He’ll be right by Solstice. D’ya celebrate? We were s’posed t’ have a whole thing this weekend… doesnt’ feel right without Andrew, but you should come, even if he’s still… y’know…”

Percy put a hand on Keres’ shoulder and squeezed. 

“Dunno if you’re a hugger,” he said, “and I wish we met under better circumstances, but…  you’re family now.”

He hugged her anyways. Arms wrapped around her tight, breathing deeply to steady himself and keep from crying, Percy couldn’t help but linger with the only other person here who would get it before going to Daphne, gingerly steering her away with promises of hot chocolate, and thinking that he had better call Cedric the second he was alone. 

His last thought, though, before leaving the room was that Toni was looking at Keres so fucking oddly. He’d try to remember to ask. Try. 

Of course, after the hot chocolate, the questions from Daphne, the continued medical paperwork, and the automated message that told him Cedric was still out of cell range, the only thing he remembered about Keres the next day was that he’d promised her a family dinner and she had smelled so good in that hug. Fuck. 

Keres would have liked to have been swallowed by the earth about an hour ago. The thing was, she hadn't meant to lie. She hadn't, really. She had meant to just gracefully fade into the background and go home to her apartment, but someone had overheard her sighing to herself and she'd been ushered into his room just in time to have his entire extended family cramming through the door and asking questions about Andrew and how they hadn't known he had a fiance. It had taken Keres about a minute to realize what they had assumed, and by then it was too late. If there was any mercy in the universe, she'd have dropped dead on the spot.

Instead, he had family that all looked so... confused and hopeful.

Shit.

The brother wouldn't stop looking at her. She had heard someone call him "Percy", and at least... no... this made it look worse. If she hadn't known what to call him reflexively, it would have made it easier to explain that she wasn't what they had all assumed. Shit, shit, shit.

"I- oh no, no it really wasn't anything-"

It didn't feel like anything now. What had she done? Cast one spell? Jumped down to wrestle him off a train track? Broken her heel and ruined her best pair of tights was what she'd done. Thrown herself into a frankly stupid amount of danger for an attractive stranger instead of trying to get the proper authorities involved. It still didn't feel heroic. Right now, it felt like the beginning of a very complicated mistake.

"All I did was roll him over, the rest of it is wildly exaggerated, I'm sure."

In-laws. So these people really were all his family. She always forgot how complicated elven families could become- maybe she should have learned something about the handsome man she commuted with before falling wildly in love him. Keres bit her lip and cursed internally, looking for an exit strategy and watching people buzz, watching this little girl hover and hold his hand and beg him to wake up- of course that's what she'd be doing. He had to be a wonderful man to have so many people who loved him. Family or not, most people didn't have a whole room stuffed with people to support them in these kinds of circumstances. She crossed her arms over her chest and hugged her trenchcoat close, looking for an exit strategy.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Mundane and magical healing have both progressed quite a bit in recent years, there has to be something they can do for his head."

#ch: percy brightstar #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #hospital tw #.002 | modern

[walkingshcdow]

@alittlefirebirdtoldme | continued from here

“If we could get all the patients” - this word he said as if it left a sour taste in his mouth, as if it wasn’t quite right to describe the horrid conditions, predicaments, lives of the women incarcerated in this prison. It was a prison, wasn’t it? Not a bloody sanctuary that was for sure - “outta here, I’d torch the place. Be a public service and a hell of a wedding gift.”

He looked far away for a moment, only a moment, as he imagined the flames, the frantic escaping, as if it were overlaid with his fantasies of the wedding, marrying Keres by the border before fleeing the country, making a new life, a house for the both of them where they could forget this place. Or pretend to. 

He kissed her temple. 

“If you’d consent t’ a marriage under Erevan Ilesere, we can get married tonight. You ‘n me on the run, in the woods somewhere. Otherwise, I sent word to the temple of the Seladrine on the eastern border. Get you far away from this place ‘n the sea ‘n all of it, ceremony at dawn. Felt fittin’. But if we’re doin’ that, we need t’ leave now. My men can only hold everyone off for so long.”

#ch: percy brightstar #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #.006 | au #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

The way the tips of her nails nipped his ear drew a growling moan from somewhere deep and primal at Percy's core. He gripped her breast for a savage and desperate moment. Hand relaxing as Keres moved against him, Percy grinned. He pulled up, just enough so that their eyes locked. Desire burned through him, crackling like a fire. Could she see it? Could she feel it, the way she set him ablaze? Like a volcano, his inner fire had laid dormant until Keres shifted the earth beneath him and reminded him what it was to feel warm, to feel hot, to feel molten and wild. He’d always been a wild thing beneath the veneer of respectability and whether or not she would readily admit it, so was she. 

"'Course you're mine," he said, cupping her cheek with one hand while letting the other slide down her soft skin - down her abdomen, then lower still. His deft fingers touched her with deep reverence and softly tremoring eagerness. "All mine." He pulled her head up for a kiss as his fingers stroked her gently, in wild contrast to the rough edge of his voice. He let his lips linger breathlessly against hers, easing her back onto the bed, then trailing kisses and nuzzles down her jaw and throat. "You're mine. I'm yours. All yours. Won’t let you forget it anytime soon.”  

Keres wrapped her arms around Percy's neck to hold him close, kissing him back with passion and contentment, a smile once again spreading over her face as her hands continued to move, one moving down his shoulder to his bicep, the other sliding up into his hair, cupping Percy's head with her thumb wrapped around his ear to rest on his cheek. She could hang off his lips forever and be more than happy. But as his hands moved over her flesh she was filled with light and heat and it made her shiver. He brushed over her nipple and her breathing hitched, burning in her chest and unable to escape. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and her fingers tightened where they lay, brushing against his pointed ear as he sucked at her neck.

How could Percy ever cross a line? She trusted him. He wouldn't hurt her, he wouldn't take more than she gave, and she wanted to give him everything. She wanted to be his- to take pleasure in him, but more than that to see and hear and feel him take his in her. To know what it felt like to be loved by the best man she'd ever known.

"Unless you're going to throw me up against a wall Percy, I can't imagine you're crossing a line." She might not have known what to ask him for, but she knew enough about things she didn't want to happen to be able to tell him that. Whether she'd tell him in the moment she didn't know, but she could say it now. "I... Percy I quite like that... I... " She sighed and kissed his ear, pressing her nose into his hairline. "I only want to be yours."

#ch: percy brightstar #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #.001 | canon #alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

Disappointed? A bright, bursting smile barely concealed Percy's laughter. How could he be disappointed? The woman he loved wanted to kiss him! A man would be a fool to be disappointed. All too happily Percy's lips claimed Keres' again and again and again.

"You don't have t' know what ya want," he whispered, sliding a warm hand into her gown and up her thigh, to her torso, until his thumb brushed over her nipple ever-so-tenderly. "But you gotta promise that you'll speak up if I'm crossin' a line. Or if you like somethin'. Do you like this?"

As he brushed his thumb against her again, he kissed a throbbing pulse point on her neck, sucking lightly enough to tickle, but not to bruise. So maybe he was teasing her now, just a bit, but if he didn't go slowly, Keres would push him away. And if he didn't ask not only for her consent and desires but for her feedback, Percy risked making her feel insignificant. By all the gods, she was the most significant person. He lived for her. Did she know that? She had to. His tongue traced a heart shape against her skin. She had to know that the only way she could disappoint him now was to tell him that this - (that he) - was a mistake. Everything and anything else was hers to take of him. He rubbed the cleft between her breasts, stilling his hand only to feel her heartbeat and breaths.

Did he have any idea how beautiful he was like that? He had to know- standing at the end of the bed, leaving her to collapse onto the end of the bed with her heart pounding against her ribs like a steam engine- he looked like a god. One who was powerful, and benevolent, and beautiful, and she wanted nothing more than to be made holy by his touch. Wherever his fingers strayed she felt her body come to life like for the first time. Somewhere in the back of her mind, something screamed about rules and discipline and assumptions- he didn't approach her like a blushing virgin, and the part of her beholden to society wanted to be offended. The rest of her was excited, even if a bit baffled by the question- it wasn't done- but he didn't care. He didn't care if she knew the things polite women didn't.

But she didn't know enough to answer that question. Her previous experiences had been rough and complicated, full of shame and anxiety and the hot burn of embarrassment. She didn't know what she wanted. Just that she wanted him.

"Will you be horribly disappointed if I say that I don't know what I want?" She couldn't prevent the edges of a blush from rising on her neck and chest, too difficult to hide in this little clothing. She had dreamed about it before- his fingers toying with her skin, his hands squeezing gently and then less so, nails catching in flesh as he stole the air from her lungs and pressed her back into the bed. Undoing the beautiful buttons on his waistcoat and peeling him out of his fine shirt, loosening the belt on his trousers so he could fuck her as he saw fit. It didn't come with decisions. Keres rubbed hands over the silk of his clothing and down to his hips, sliding back up and turning to float down his arms. "I want to kiss you again."

#ch: percy brightstar #alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #.001 | canon

[walkingshcdow]

"Of course, I'll marry-"

She silenced him with a kiss and for the first time, Percy realized just how cold the hallway was and how warm Keres was. Not warm. Hot. She blazed against his skin with feverish desire. Graspingly, Percy sunk his hands into her hair and deepened the kiss. She wasn't the only one burning up. How long had he wondered what it would be like to kiss her? It was vibrant, electric, and life-affirming. The searing heat of a lightning strike jolted and burned Percy's core. He couldn't be close enough to Keres. One of his hands snaked down the side of her neck and then her body, grazing her breast as it sought her waist and tugged her closer. He caressed her hip, trailing curious fingers against her very-nearly sheer nightgown. With a gentle and firm push, he walked her to the bed until she fell out of the kiss and onto the mattress. Her usually-coiffed hair fell into dark rivers down her shoulders and breasts, disheveled and beautifully wild. Breathlessness held her in its palm and Percy watched her open lips and the rise and fall of her chest. Her gown had bunched up just a bit beneath her, exposing delicate ankles and taut calves he ached to rub and kiss. He thought of kissing hidden parts of her - the insides of her thighs and what lay between them. Dizzy desire swept over him. Percy leaned over the bed, looming over Keres. He kissed her mouth then down her chin and jaw and neck. His hands balanced on her thighs, rubbing teasing circles with his thumbs. He slid his hands into her hot lap.

"I owe you a decade of love-makin'," he murmured against the shell of her ear. "I could do a thousand things t' you tonight and I'd still owe interest. 'm gonna spend a lifetime doin' whatever you want me to. Where d'ya want me t' start?"

"Then marry me, Percy. Marry me, and sweet seldraine stop talking about what it sounds like- I don't care anymore what it looks like or what it sounds like- I love you. I want you. I've turned down every decent marriage proposal that came my way hoping that you'd be the one and I-"

She huffed softly and let her face drop into his chest, shivering. A lifetime. They could have a whole lifetime. The thought of it was overwhelming, but it, thankfully, did not have to be lived all at once. And Keres knew what she wanted next, she'd known when she came to his door, after all, and Percy's wanting to marry her didn't change how much she wanted him- it only made it look honorable.

Did he realize that was one of the reasons that it was so easy to love him? All her life, men had had certain expectations of Keres and the women around her, and had not been shy about throwing their weight to see them fulfilled. Even the kindest of them didn't quite understand the power imbalances, or how truly vulnerable women were in the world as they hazarded through situations balancing necessity and perceived virtue and marketablility. But Percy never pushed. Never saw her as anything less than an equal, even when he should have. Never took for granted the hard work or the difficulty of a situation or all the thousands of ways it could be made uncomfortable. What kind of man cared so much for the comfort and true happiness of others? She didn't know if he understood how safe it made her feel. How freeing it was.

"Come on then." And she stepped past him into his bedroom, catching him by the hand on her way and stopping only to close the door behind her. "The hallway is cold."

And with that, she kissed him again.

#.001 | canon #ch: percy brightstar #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

@alittlefirebirdtoldme | Percy x Keres

That some rival gang had kicked Andrew’s ass into a coma wasn’t all that surprising. Andrew had the habit of shooting off his mouth when maybe he’d be better off silent. He also crossed into plenty of territory he shouldn’t have. No surprise there. You know what was bloody gob-smacking? He had a fiancee. Pretty thing. Dark hair, wide gray eyes, buttoned up like she’d taken holy orders. Not at all Andrew’s type. Percy thought of kinder eyes and a Sturmovian drawl. Did Cedric know Andrew had a girl in the city? A human girl? Not that Percy could judge, not really. She wasn’t really a pretty thing. She was damned gorgeous. Not Andrew’s type, but if his husband was consenting, who was Percy to turn up his nose to plural marriage? It was customary for an elf to take multiple partners. Percy hadn’t remarried since his wife’s death and everyone looked at him like some kind of circus freak for it. No, he was in no position to judge Andrew - except that he was Andrew’s big brother and it came with the territory. 

Andrew would’ve hated the hospital if he was awake. The Guild packed into the room, claiming blood relation and gawking at Andrew in a way that was anything but flattering. Even the most attention-seeking asshat would blush with modesty. Andrew’s fiancee - Keres. Percy ought to call her by her first name if she was gonna be his sister-in-law - folded in on herself. She looked everywhere but at Percy, who tracked her like a mark. Couldn’t get a read on her. His lips twitched to the side.

“You sure she’s his fiancee?” he asked the nurse, voice low and quiet. “I know my brother and somethin’ just feels-”

“She’s more than that,” the nurse said. “She’s his guardian angel.”

“Don’t see a halo.”

“She saved his life,” the nurse elaborated. “You might show some gratitude, Mr. Brightstar. From what I hear, you’d be talking to the folks down in the morgue if it wasn’t for her.”

Percy hummed softly in assent. Gratitude, he could do. Even if nothing else about this made sense, at least Andrew was alive. He signed the papers the nurse offered him - everything an emergency contact should do - and then sidled up to Keres, who was staring out the window like she’d rather be anywhere but here.

“I know this is one hell of a way t’ meet your in-laws,” he said quietly, “but what ya did for Andrew… Can’t thank ya enough. My brother is a right pain in the ass, but I dunno what I’d do without him. Nevermind Daphne. It’d break her heart if somethin’ had happened t’ him. I mean, I guess somethin’ did, huh? You happened t’ him. You saved his life and I dunno how t’ thank ya properly ‘cept t’ say welcome to the family.”

Meanwhile, as he tried to muster a smile for Keres, Daphne, stricken, whispered secrets to her uncle’s unconscious body with the kind of reverence humans reserved for confession. Percy swallowed hard. Smiling didn’t come naturally in situations like these - brother fighting for his life, his new sister-in-law trying to disappear into the bland wallpaper, daughter acting like this was a deathbed, and…

And Toni was definitely checking out the fiancee. Bloody hell. What a nightmare. 

#.002 | modern #alittlefirebirdtoldme #ch: percy brightstar #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #hospital tw

[walkingshcdow]

Percy cradled Keres' face in his hands, gentle as if she was a butterfly or exceptionally small bird who might fly away at the slightest provocation. Her skin was soft and warm to the touch. Close as they were, her breath and his mingled. His eyes searched her face - all of it, drinking in her honesty and the horror etched in her delicate features. Was it really so mortifying to love him? Quite probably. He was her employer, after all, and he had held his tongue for that simple fact alone.

"Then I see no reason t' have you for just this one night," he said. "Marry me and we could have every night together."

He paused, sucked in a breath, and muttered a Sylvan oath.

"This is why I've kept my mouth shut. D'ya hear how that woulda sounded if I'd just said it t' you without knowin' you might actually return the feelin'? Talk about mortifyin'. I just... 'course I want you, but I love you. Love you far too much t' put you in a position where you feel obligated t' do somethin' you don't want or else t' put in your resignation letter. But, swearin' upon my life, I want t' marry you because I love you. And you're free t' do with that - and with me - whatever you will."

"That might be the longest you've ever been quiet about anything."

Keres reached up for his face, wanting now only to hold him. Of course, it was real- she was cruel sometimes, it was true, but not when it came to people she cared about. And Percy knew her better than that, or she hoped that he did- she could keep a secret, but she couldn't lie.

"We both know I haven't the sense of humor or the ability to lie this convincingly."

She'd be his wife already? Then why the hell had he ever been quiet about it? They could have been years into the happiest marriage in Daggerford, a proper family for Daphne and holding each other at night and- would he ever have ever said anything about it if she hadn't been ready to ruin herself for a chance to hold him for just a moment?

If he was lying she didn't think she could take it.

But she'd never seen him look so shy. Percy was all charm and flash, smooth voice and brilliant good looks and self-educated at a rigor that meant he could dance his way through society with no one the wiser for his deficiencies. He danced and swirled and hid behind fashion and color and spectacle that left the upper crust of the city dazzled. Keres, in contrast, was publically all sharp words and unforgiving gazes. It was a delicate dance, every Perry of her tongue caught in his brilliance and effortlessly pushed out the way.

"Percy, I am...painfully in earnest. Mortifingly so."

#ch: percy brightstar #.001 | canon #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

@alittlefirebirdtoldme | continued

What was she supposed to say? That she was so sure that he wouldn't even want her for a night? Percy had so many other options- what could he want with a poor human governess in her thirties? On this, she kept her mouth closed though, and instead kissed him in return, holding his elbow to keep his hand on her face, leaning in just a little closer so that her body pressed against his. He had to know. If this hadn't done it- she'd hardly been strictly professional in her tenure. The lingering glances. The brushes of hands. The nights she stayed up reading in his study or talking to him about nothing or turning down perfectly good marriage proposals in his parlor. The way she called him "Percy" like it meant he was an idiot and a confidant and a dear friend and the only person in the world she wanted to dance with or talk to or be vulnerable with. "I've waited nearly ten years for you, Percy Birghtstar." If he was lying, she'd kill him. She'd walk into the ocean. She'd take a position in Bauler's gate and leave in the morning and never truly recover. She could have started to sob, but opted instead to return his kiss with one of her own that was hungry and raw and reaching for the safety of his arms and his smile. Her face flushed. "I'd let you have me as long as you wanted, however you wanted."

"You've waited nearly ten years?" He laughed, voice hoarse and barely above a whisper after that kiss. "Hells, Keres, if I'd known that, you'd be my wife already. You better not be jokin' with me. You... aren't jokin', are you?"

For a rare moment, his smile slipped. He looked raw and vulnerable and... afraid. This would, of course, be the perfect practical joke. Andrew would come crawlin' outta the woodwork to laugh and jeer, and he and Keres would together tell him how pathetic he was. But after that kiss? And the one before? Could someone fake that intensity? What kind of sick person would pretend desire? Not to be that cocky, but most people wouldn't pretend to desire him. He was either their type, or his good looks didn't make up for his bad jokes, patchy education, and general disposition. He knew what people thought of him. Didn't matter much, though, compared to what Keres thought of him. He always assumed he wasn't her type because if he had been, someone as outspoken as Keres would've said something in the last decade. She wasn't like him. He could keep a poker face. Keres? Could barely tell a convincing lie to Percy's twelve-year-old. If she'd been in love, she'd hidden it well.

Then again, could just be because she needed a husband.

Humans didn't kiss husbands like that, though. That was... Sweet Sehaine... that was love and lust and the heady cocktail of a kiss Percy had craved for far too long. It couldn't have been an act, Could it? He smiled so, so shyly it pained him.

"I don't think I could take it if you didn't mean it," he murmured. "Because I've been keepin' my bleedin' mouth shut for nearly a decade and you know me... That's a personal record."

#ch: percy brightstar #.001 | canon #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

"Trust me, Keres"

It was a laughable thing for a thief to say, and even more so from a conman. Keres knew more than most exactly what Percy Brightstar was, and how little anyone should ever take comfort in such a phrase. And yet, he was perhaps the person in the world she trusted most in the world- so much that when she was pushed by the jostling crowd over the short ledge that constituted the sea wall near Daggerford, it was Percy's name that she shrieked. The water had been choppy and icy cold down below as she'd plunged into it, her mouth and nose filling with salt as the water choked and soaked rapidly into her dense clothing, pulling her downwards into the depths. She'd dreamed that this was what hell was like- all rushing water and deadly quiet, the cold soaking into your bones, a voice so deep in the bottomless darkness that it echoed in your skull.

There you are. I've waited for you to come back to me at last.

She screamed again and tried to surface, feeling for all her efforts as if she made infinitesimal progress, pulling in a small gasp of air before sinking like stone.

She felt, rather than heard, something hit the water nearby. Hands locked onto hers and familiar arms dragged to the surface coughing. It couldn't have been more than a minute, just long enough for Percy to push through to the wall himself before diving in but it had felt like lifetimes. Keres hadn't known she'd been sobbing until someone had them hauled up in a boat shivering, clinging to each other like lifelines.

Now they were back at home, and she was still trembling even with a blanket wrapped around her wet frame. It wouldn't have been terrible, but her hands shook and made it impossible to get the wet clothing off so she could sink into a warm bath. Keres was fiddling with the buttons on her sleeves, almost ready to tear them off when the same hands that had lifted her from the depths, the same ones that had held her tight on the way home, and shook with their own cold and shock covered hers, and that voice- honey-sweet dripping over gold- interrupted her thoughts.

"Trust me, Keres."

A smarter woman, perhaps one less in love, would have told him to leave her be. She'd manage. But it was hard to think when he was so kind and all she wanted to do was pretend he was hers. So she nodded and pulled ruined hair out of the way, letting him help her out of layers until she could manage on her own. His fingertips were gentle, almost tender, and for a moment she could have sworn she felt his eyes following the curve of her neck, the hesitation to pull away as he brushed a loose strand of hair back behind one ear. It was a cruel trick of the mind. He held no such regard for her, and if he lingered it was because he too needed to be put into a hot bath and clean clothing as much as she.

It was this she reminded herself as she thanked him and withdrew flushing into her rooms.

Trust me, Keres.

There wasn't much Percy Brightstar admitted to fearing. Not that he never got scared, mind. A good bandit captain knew to keep these things close to the chest. The only people who needed to know what you feared were people who wanted to exploit those fears. He wasn't so hard to read, though. He had a daughter. Most people would think threatening Daphne would be the quickest way to make Percy's blood boil.

Maybe it was. Didn't mean he didn't have other fears.

He feared the future the way any sensible person might. He feared the inevitable close of Daphne's formal education because human society would expect her to make a debut, and, just as bad, Keres would leave his home for the last time. To say he was a bit in love with her was like saying the Weave was a bit magical or the universe was a bit vast. Not that he'd do anything untoward. She was his daughter's governess. His best friend, too. Couldn't lose her.

For a moment, though, he did. He lost her in the crowd. Throngs of people came to the seaside for a holiday and they separated them because Percy hadn't the courage to hold her hand. He spotted her though quickly enough. Against the gray sky, she was a dark silhouette. He admired her windswept beauty for a moment and then he saw the carelessness of the jostling crowd and pushed his way towards her. He wasn't quick enough to catch her before she fell off the edge of the sea wall, but he was quick enough to doff his coat and leap after her. What a sight it must have been - behind him there were shouts and gasps that got swallowed by the wind. Below him, a splash. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for frigid waters.

The dark water reeled Keres in, her gown soaking up water and pulling her down. Someone once told Percy never to save a drowning person: you only ever got pulled down with 'em. He never heeded moralizing. He wrapped his arms around Keres, the closest he'd ever held her - likely ever would - and pushed towards the surface. The gods must have smiled upon him because they breached the surface with gasps and help had already gathered - a small fishing boat took them in while onlookers gawked at the show.

He feared losing Keres more'n almost anything. He'd almost done just that. Now, she clung to him and they both shivered. He murmured against her hairline, not sure what words he said to bring her comfort, not sure if they were words at all. He rubbed his numb hands against her shoulders. He feared losing Keres, but he hadn't, not today.

Home was a blessing. The warmth. The familiarity. The safety. Daphne rushed downstairs to pepper him with questions he did not answer as he rushed Keres upstairs, ordering a hot bath be drawn for her. She trembled under his touch and his own hands shook - hands, legs, core. Was it the drenched and half-frozen clothing? Fear? Adrenaline? Something else? No telling. All he knew was that Keres was shaking even more and that if she didn't get warm she would die and if he didn't see to it himself that she got warm, he'd die a different type of death.

He had to be strong for her. For them both. He braced himself.

"Trust me, Keres."

He'd had a wife once before. He could manage the layers her hands weren't steady enough for. Gently, Percy peeled wet clothing from Keres' body once she gave him that little nod. His breath felt hot - and so did his core, despite the chill - as he leaned in. He pried wet strands of hair from the delicate curve of Keres' neck and his hands began to shake again, for new reasons now. Maybe it was better she only trusted him so far before retreating to her rooms. Otherwise, he would have kissed her naked and cold flesh with the stupid belief that his hands could warm her as well as any bath. He stood alone in his room with her sopping wet gown and nearly ruined corset laid upon his bed. He picked them up, heavy as they were with seawater, and hugged them to himself. They smelled of ocean salt and ozone and it was the first moment Percy realized that Keres smelled exactly as the wild waves did before a storm. He draped the wet garments near the fireplace. A servant told him there was a bath drawn for him as well and he dumbly followed. Sinking beneath the warmth, Percy wished he had been just a little braver. He was brave enough to dive into the ocean after her, but not to pursue her...

Once dressed and dried, he dared to knock on her door.

"Keres? I came to check on you. May I come in?"

#ch: percy brightstar #.001 | canon #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #morpheoussilvercreature #x. asks

[walkingshcdow]

Keres had loved Percy Brightstar for almost ten years now. It was a thing she tried to keep to herself, but even if no one else knew, she was well aware of the lengths she'd go to in order to make sure that he and his family were safe.

She tried hard not to dwell on it, but today she no longer had that luxury. Percy was under suspicion for having once attacked the Duchess of Daggerford in order to gain his position and title, and unless something could prove otherwise or make the city assured of his loyalties in a major way, he would lose his title, his life, and the safety of his people.

Unfortunately, Keres knew how to cause a distraction in Daggerford that would mean Percy would go free. More unfortunately, it meant that she needed help, and there was only one place to get it. Keres kissed Daphne goodbye and went off to find her unfortunate ally.

. . .

"Here's the plan, Andrew." She steeled herself, pacing in his parlor. "You're going to denounce me to the Duchess as a cleric of Umbreelee, someone who's been scheming for years while your brother wouldn't bring the case without evidence. But you'll tell them I got careless with him away and you saw me trying to summon a storm. They'll lose all interest in Percy's rumors if you sell it correctly and he'll be home a hero within the hour."

"And then?"

"You remind him he has responsibilities."

"Beggin' your pardon Keres, but you realize the consequences for bein' labeled as a storm cleric, a traitor to the Duchess-"

"More than I like to think of."

"You love him, don't you?"

"That's none of your business."

"I'll tell him, when it's over."

...

The thing is, Andrew had always been a reliable conman. It was easy to forget with the way that he carried on, but he was a competent second and Percy had chosen him for a reason. He delivered her to the courtroom all in fury and righteousness, spinning the tale of how he'd caught her summoning a storm, at worship to a dark goddess and his brother had tried to catch her for years to gather proof. How she'd become careless, but even now Percy had told him to keep watch on her. He played her up as a villain, and she struck him bitterly with lightning to confirm his story.

Within the hour she was sentenced for her treason against the Duchess and her people and sent to prison to wait for her end.

She prayed it would be short and kind, but kindness was hardly a thing they were inclined to give. If they simply exected her, it would be mercy enough.

Keres was right though.

By nightfall, Percy was delivered home to Daphne's arms safe and no longer under suspicion, heralded for the work he had done to protect the city from internal evils.

--

#ch: percy brightstar #x. drabble #morpheoussilvercreature #x. asks #.001 | canon #alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar & andrew brightstar | alittlefirebirdtoldme

[walkingshcdow]

"Trust me, Keres, we're going to try something." Percy sighed into the crook of her neck, holding her tight against him. Carefully, he rolled them over in his bed, settling her carefully on top of him, pressing her upwards to where she sat straddling his hips. The explanation died in his mouth as she squirmed on top of him, fading into a moan as he gripped her arm. "Mmmph-gods, Keres, I... I thought you'd like being on top. Running the pace of things. I-" He stayed her hips, licking his lips but ready. "You've just got to-" She moved again, thighs tightening around him to push her up and let her back down onto him in a long, deliberate stroke. He could feel her holding her breath, shivering as she adjusted to do it again. "-clearly, I don' t have to tell y'a anything."

She took to it easily, panting as he helped to guide her up and down within the sweet, frustrated noises she made. Long elegant strokes moving slowly punctuated with short, deep bounces close to his body. She whined deliciously and it was all he could do to keep from thrusting up into her with an enthusiasm that he was sure would shock her in that moment. Keres could feel him straining under her, trying to keep still, trying to maintain composure as she ground against him greedily, teeth worrying at her lip as she tried to get him in just the right spot for another moment, another, another- "Percy-" Keres cried out and dug her nails into Percy's chest as her body clenched around him again and again, leaving him just the opening for the final thrust he needed to fill her and take his own pleasure. She collapsed onto his chest in a satisfied heap, ashamed only of the mess she'd made as she nuzzled into his neck and kissed him.

Outside a soft rain had started to fall, turning the room into the true sanctuary it was always meant to be.

So maybe what they said about powerful men was true. At least, maybe it was true about Percy Brightstar, who ruled the criminal enterprises of Daggerford with power and acumen gained only from being the best, the most experienced, the untouchable folk hero. So, when he wanted to be touched, he maybe didn't need to have all the control. Maybe it's one of the things he loved best about Keres: she had the power to command him. She was a force of nature and he was happy to bask in her great and terrible and beautiful wake.

And there was nothing in this world or the next he wouldn't do to make her happy.

Somehow, he got the notion she'd be happier on top, controlling the speed and duration and every beautiful thing about fucking.

Somehow, he got the notion he'd be happy to watch and happier to be her plaything to use until she was spent and satisfied.

She looked so regal, towering over him. Her white throat jutted forward as her head lolled back, dark hair cascading behind her like a waterfall. He admired the way she let herself be greedy, not so worried about being good and proper, and finally being hungry, eager, and happy... He moaned. Pinned to the bed as he was, he could only squirm a little and encourage her and hope that she got everything she wanted from him before he took his own pleasure. Fuck. She was pulsing and warm. Each clench and unclench tested his limits, and he found himself swearing in Sylvan, gnashing his teeth, between praise for her. She'd hate it if he said it out loud: she looked like a fucking goddess.

His hips canted desperately upward. She stayed him with her nails, biting into his flesh, leaving red and white half moons in their wake. How was he meant to keep composure as she rode him harder into the mattress and scratched into his skin?

It had been his idea to put her in charge, but fucking Hells, it would be the death of him. What a way to go!

The rhythm intensified. Deeper, harder, faster. She spurred him on, and the deluge of her orgasm gave him unspoken permission to come. Warmth flooded his body as she collapsed atop him and he held her to his chest, not daring to pull away for even a second as the rain pattered against the window panes. His breathing ragged, skin slick, Percy reached up to tilt Keres' face towards his for a kiss.

"Corelleon's cloak, Keres..." he whispered. "Wish you could see the view I just got. You looked... That felt... Holy hell... We're doin' that more often."

#ch: percy brightstar #.001 | canon #morpheoussilvercreature #alittlefirebirdtoldme #thread: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #r: percy brightstar x keres whitlock | alittlefirebirdtoldme #x. asks