It Was Not Always Clear To Zoya Who The Enemy Was At All Moments Those Who Whispered Nightmareish Rumors

it was not always clear to zoya who the enemy was at all moments — those who whispered nightmareish rumors of her being, fearmongers and certainly not the last to do so. it was a war of a lifetime that had been deemed fit with her position as catalyst, they demanded the dragon's head on a pike, and yet cowered in her presence. politics was a different beast she had no patience with, much preferring the straightforwardness of battle, in seeing the crimson spilt for the cause. “ they may have bent the knee but we can see that their hearts were not in it. it only becomes more obvious now as i try to free myself from their hold. ” she could not help the argumentativeness, defensive to a fault. “ they are not my soldiers. they have no sworn duty. i am out of my depth, and i can admit this. it easy to rule with the command i've used as commander, but it would only breed distaste, disloyalty. i do not want to rule with fear. ” legs crossed at the knee as she shifted in her seat, nails drumming against the wood of her chair, the sound sharp against the cold silence between their words.

if there was one person she could trust, it was bianca. and even then, she worried that her own mistakes would be the undoing of those she cared for immensely. she was no stranger to the casualties of war, the collateral damages carried out in the name of destroying the stranger sat upon a throne they felt unworthy of it. the wrong move and she was certain that she would not have her right - hand by her side, would not have that fierce gaze staring her down with a ferocity she missed being able to demonstrate. there was a long pause as she swallowed her proposition, tongue swirling over ivories 'neath a tense jaw, and then released a sigh, not nearly as weighted as the mass in her core. “ i want to go. ” stubborn as ever, unmoving in her decision. they both know the narrative the fjerdans spun about her, the image she had. zoya was no simple human in their eyes, but a shrewd witch, an entity of nightmares meant to curse their land and people. she could hardly keep up with it all. “ we will go together. i'm curious of their reaction. wonder what other tale they could curate from it, they're rather creative with their descriptors. ” slender digit twirled the end of inky locks, lashes fluttering over warm cheeks, “ they say i feed on the newborns for my beauty. ” / @zeitkeist

superstition and religion made for skeptical ravkans, and skeptical ravkan made for a distressed queen. bianca had heard, what had been whispered in the shadows of the dark alleys for months now, the dragon-witch astonishing in inciting fear yet unable to carve herself a place in people's hearts. they loved their kings, of course. they loved alexander the third, and they loved nikolai. the blond fucker with the sly grin of a fox and with a head full of schemes that would have put half the ravkans into comatose if they could read into it. but they cannot find it in themselves to welcome their queen with open arms, no, and there is a long list of reasons for that bianca finds either extremely dogmatic or idiotic, neither better than the other. zoya had never shivered in the ravkan cold before, but the pressing fjerdan audacity and the brainless council of the nobles are sure testing her very human patience. which is why bianca intervenes. the queen's hand is a position that comes many duties, including soothing the wild beast that lurks within' her.

‘ it's irrelevant. ’ bianca's statement is short & unforgiving, no longer coy and desperate to ease, but meant to put worries aside at once. the jade gaze pierces into the storm that lurks in the queen's eyes. ‘ you are the queen and they bent the knee to you. all else is irrelevant. this is not about diplomacy, zoya. this is about commanding, and you are the best commander this land has ever seen. ’ all formalities pushed aside with the back of her hand, the name spilling out of her mouth coated in honey in love and not deceit. the hand may be a smooth talker yet she always utters the truth. ‘ you do not worry if your soldiers find you worthy or not, do you? these men are your soldiers, now. they will do as you say. ’ the crinkle of her nose hints at how she does not enjoy the situation, startled by the rush of worry that seems to have consumed the queen. ‘ i will go see to the retaliation of fjerda myself, if you would permit it. i want them to know what darkness tastes like. ’

“ i'm sure there was a way ... your arms are so strong. ” words in a purr, molten discs traveling the curve from his hands up his arms, soft hum emitting as she reached out to trace the slope through the air. a pretty picture, one she'd like to cut out and frame, stare at all day. and then laid her arms back to her side, resigned sigh emitting. part of her wanted to be relieved that she hadn't awoken to familiar walls of her home, where the ghosts of the past would have greeted her with a bone - chilling embrace. he kept her grounded to an extent, the anchor to her whims, the calm to her storm, yet all the while fueling the parts of her that wanted to run and dissipate from the weight of her horrors. the bed is stiff against her back, poor excuse of a mattress sinking with her weight and she could feel the scratchiness of the material brushing against her skin, more bothersome than she'd like to admit. the indistinct chatter of the nurses outside of the room reminded her that they were not alone, that she was likely being watched from a distance — she knew how they gossiped, the cameras that turned on when meant to keep an eye on the more volatile patients. supposed that she had become one of them, though she could hardly remember what landed her in captivity in the first place, memories a blur aside from the clear image of his face, the look of concern. “ maybe that was the plan, but i have you to save me. and you did, always do. sweet of you, it's fate. and endearing. ” she waited a beat before flipping the bed sheets off with the intents to stand.

if they were not in his place of occupation, he might have decided to raise his voice. although, if he were to be completely honest with himself, would he ever raise his voice at her? at anyone? she says they would have been happier at her home. how true can that be of a place that has spiders lurking in the walls. in a place that she seems so desperate to escape from, considering her stunt pulled last night. so much emotion overwhelms and bubbles up as she speaks to him.... when you're feeling overwhelmed, you count to three. one. he watches the way she rolls about in her freshly made hospital bed, a snot-nosed child who doesn't realise how good she has it. two. a hand reaches out to ensure that the hospital sheeting doesn't uncover her in an indecent way as she does so. three. then he's leaning back, away from the bed, away from the temptation of her. gangtae bites at the thickness of his tongue, as though it will keep him from saying something he will regret. ‟ you were being unreasonable. there would have been no way to take you home. ” he doesn't speak to her with the voice of a friend, but the voice of his position. nothing more than a worker of the hospital she will now call home for the next twenty-four hours. calm, yet collected. the next words that come out of him, however, he cannot stop from being said with angst --- ‟ you could have really hurt yourself. ”

he'd lived for his brothers before and he'd decided he'd die for his brothers. brother. the guilt still hung over him as a clouded anchor, a weighted reminder of his failure in the promise he'd meant to keep for the entirety of their existence — across lifeforms, across universes. vessel or no, he was meant to be the protector. and so he would protect the only one left in this world, holding on so tightly that it meant he cared little of his own demise. it would be the price of love, the reward of family. and supposedly, as evident with the sincerity of his words, of his intents — of friends. foreign concept and yet something so wildly natural, he hadn't caught onto the way he looked after her with the same care he'd reserved for his brothers. it confused him, the extents of these emotions, how his loyalty would cling. “ you don't need to ask, and it isn't so much of an offer as it is a promise. ” he blinked, once, and then twice. unassuming as the thoughts roamed in the crevices of his mind. he'd always decided his existence was null to a point, a means to an end. was he worthy of grief, of being mourned ?

“ whatever we do, i'm sticking with you throughout it. there's no use in going about it alone, and i would rather die knowing i did my best than to do nothing. ” if anyone deserves to carry on living, it's you. but the words never reach past his lips, never fall from his tongue. “ have you talked to your brother since ? does he have any intentions of visiting ? ” attention shifted from the scenery towards her, inspecting those kind eyes, something he'd caught onto early on. he'd never figured how someone who could withhold such a thing, but his gut said it. yuuji mentioned once before gut feelings were important. “ i don't have a lot to talk about. unless you mean literally ... ” free hand reached up to brush over his earlobe, brows furrowing the slightest. “ don't think we can change our ears. ”

@leventar: you don't understand, it doesn't matter what happens to me.

the soft chirping of birds filled the air, the sounds a gentle caress against her skin. the beauty around her stood out in stark contrast to the heavy silence that hung over her like a suffocating cloak. she'd always loved this little area ever since she moved to tokyo, loved how secluded it was, how quiet. everything was slower here, more timid, more calm, which was something one wasn't truly used to due to the amount of cursed spirits around. shams could hear the faint echo of everything surrounding her as she notes his presence. she was supposed to be inside by now, but the longer she lingered there, the more she felt the pull of the curse's presence, the echo of the touch haunting her like a ghost. she knew, however, that she ought to step into the very same room once again. she should have taken another minute, another hour. with a deep breath, she adjusted her posture, making a mental check of the time. ``     i guess i have to be the one doing this.    `` despite the fact that she already knew of this, it felt heavy as soon as she said it. ``     i cannot risk anyone else's life.    ``

but she finds herself stopping for a second as she hears him speak. it doesn't matter what happens to me. a sentence she has told herself a hundred times, but the more she has lived, the more she knew that wasn't true. being needed was a simple human necessity. it happens whether one wishes for it or not. her gaze instantly flickers back to his eyes. she scans his face, taking in his features, noting that they were quite truthful, at least from is side. she gives him a smile, then, a small glimmer in her eyes. ``     i don't think so, chōsō. while i do appreciate you helping me, i cannot ask anyone to do that.    `` a pause. ``     you have a brother, don't you? i'm sure it would matter to him. i'd understand. who knows what my brother would do if i suddenly disappeared?    `` she lets out a small laugh at that, but it has been a thought that troubles her mind every second. if she does not survive this and cannot return home, what will he do? her gaze momentarily drifted to their surrounding, before settling on him again, eyebrow raising. ``     i'm quite good at listening, you know. you look like you need a good ear.    ``

❙⠀ ⠀ 𝒊.⠀ IORI, UTAHIME.⠀⠀⠀.𖥔 ݁ ˖⠀⠀“⠀⠀can you not freak me out even more than i already am ?⠀⠀” ⠀⠀[⠀. . .⠀]⠀⠀@hiohaku .

“ i'm not trying to freak you out, it's just the curse's ... stuff on me. ” inky black, dripping from head to toe, he'd just been swallowed and cut his way out. he truly disliked being in such a situation, hated the way it clung to his skin and stained his clothes — and he'd picked something decent - ish for once. hazels danced over her features, “ got a towel or something ? ”

Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy (2023)

it’s finally october aka the macy month 🏃🏻‍♀️