& SO SHE BECAME A BEAST

ASTRID VITELLO | Athena | 25 "from the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king. all that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost."

[astrid-vitello]

ashlynnpemberley:

     The Aegis … that was something she hadn’t thought about in a long, long time. Ashlynn supposed it must’ve been weeks but it felt longer than that. With all of the chaos, it just wasn’t something she put her attention to. Highcrest, though. That, she’d thought about. “No one can really move much now,” she murmured with a frown, glancing towards the woods. “So … Highcrest isn’t coming until that’s settled.” Ashlynn didn’t want to risk it. Not until they knew what was happening. Frowning, she turned back to Astrid. “I think we should stay together. The women that want to help, that is. With everything that’s happening, I think it’d be best.” 

She was aware of the current situation –––– had heard about it from Portia because it seemed to be the one thing her customers always seemed to talk about. Being trapped in the capitol wasn’t a first; it’d happened before but... then, they had an army to fight back the monsters threatening the city. Now? Astrid kicked at a piece of rubble at her feet. There was nothing but ruins and impoverished people. No structure or safety to speak of.     “Do you want to be a part of it though, is my question. Many of the women are willing to stay because of the state of this city but we’ve had people leave us too. If you want to break away, I need you to know that that’s perfectly alright, Ashlynn.”

[astrid-vitello]

ashlynnpemberley:

@astrid-vitello

      Ashlynn pushed too hard and the wood snapped in her hand, splinters cracking free as she glared at it in contempt, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she tossed the useless remains to the side. If only her mother were here — she winced against that, quickly shaking her head and reaching for another piece. She paused when her eyes locked with another. Ashlynn hopped up from the charred remnants of a half-wall, standing in the tangled weeds to watch her cousin approach, giving a little nod when they were close enough. “Astrid,” she said, a half-smile appearing as she wiped her hands on the front of the loose-fitting tunic. “Everything alright?”

                   It was harrowing to be stepping foot onto the what used to be her home. The Keep was burned to the ground –––– nothing left of it but rubble and unidentifiable charred ashes. Astrid kept recalling the different rooms as she walked through the remnants of the place. This was where she used to hide away when Hypatia was in one of her less tolerant moods. And this was the place where her room used to be... By the time she reached the agreed upon meeting place, she was overwhelmed with sentiment. Yet she attempted to give the woman a smile, because at the very least she was allowed to live.  “We must talk about where to take the Aegis... I understand if you’d much rather leave for Highcrest Mountain, however.”

[adelaidekanedaily]

[astrid-vitello]

dailyadelaidekane:

Adelaide Kane Photographed by Jordan Harvey

[dianawraybrn]

mythology moodboard: athena

requested by anonymous

[adelaidekanetr]

[astrid-vitello]

cyralangden:

Cyra ran towards the voice, fear in her eyes as the beast chased after her, nipping at her heels. She had only been enjoying the reading when the foul creature had found her amongst the roots of the trees. “Lady Astrid,” she cried out as she neared her. She ran past her and the direwolf heeled in front of the two women, wagging its tail and looking like a playful puppy. Cyra knew better. She remembered the night that she had fled Highcrest. The direwolf was anything but cute. “It tried to murder me as I read,” she informed her as she glared at the beast. “Tore nearly all the pages out when it grabbed my novel.” Cyra showed her leader the ruined book that the direwolf had tried to grab to play with her. She gave the direwolf another glare for safe measures, not finding anything fun about the impromptu tug-of-war or chase.

Astrid was startled to see hear Cyra scrambling towards her with Perce chasing after the woman. It took only a moment for her to overcome the initial shock and gave the direwolf a stern look. When it seemed like he was going to stay seated, Astrid turned to take in the sight of the other woman. "Oh dear! I’m so sorry, Cyra. Perce is the most rambunctious of the group. He didn’t mean any harm, though it looks like your novel is ruined. Could I find you another copy?”

[astrid-vitello]

“Perce?” Astrid stopped near the edge of the forest, trying to listen for the excited pup’s calls. It had been awhile since she had last taken him out for a walk and he didn’t hesitate to bound off between the trees. There was fog clouding the thickets of brush and though she was well aware that Perce would most likely come for her if he heard anything wrong, her surroundings were a tad unsettling to the eyes. “Perce?” she called out again, a bit louder this time.

(more info on her direwolves)

[astrid-vitello]

ruinedstrength:

“Did you?” He asked, his interest suddenly far more peaked and his brow coming together in a frown just this side of angry. More irritated, than anything else, really, but still; he’d never been one to be fond of people accosting his wife. “Who was it, give me names,” he demanded, only half teasing as he smiled at her and rubbed circles into hip with his thumb, “I’ll have them all reported, you see if I don’t. Mmmmm,” he hummed, his free hand finding the small of her back as he pulled her closer. “Better now that I have you here, doll.”

She shook her head, deciding to spare the poor souls of her husband’s wrath. There was a part of her that knew there was some true malicious intent masked behind the joking manner in which he demanded the cops’ names. The only reason why that didn’t scare her was that she also knew that he loved her and given that she grew up in a violent environment, she was used to such things. Astrid bit back a grin and smacked Marcellus’s chest playfully. “You’re such a flirt.”

[astrid-vitello]

antonyvitello:

“Present.” He shrugged, “Sure I missed a birthday a some point, anyway, Al isn’t too fond of-” he held it out, “Shit surprise if I ruin it, Come on, nothing illegal this time, swear it.”

“More than one, surely. I swear to God, if you’re trying to be funny, I’m not going to let you off easy.” Astrid hesitated to open the envelope, but did it anyway. It wasn’t as if he could have set off a gun or anything like that... even if she wasn’t on good terms with them anymore.

[astrid-vitello]

antonyvitello:

“They should’ve. Probably doesn’t help being seen with me, Sorry. Just wanted to drop this off.” Antony held up the envelope, showing it to her, before holding it out to her.

"People are desperate for news about the family, but it’s still unnerving.” The woman paused to take the envelope and raised a brow in Antony’s direction. “What is it?”

[astrid-vitello]

ruinedstrength:

“Don’t think there’s anyone in the world that could forget about you, doll,” he said easily, shrugging off her apology and wrapping an arm around his wife’s waist. “People’re always gonna talk, Astrid, so let ‘em talk.” Raking a hand through curls that never managed to stay in place no matter what he did, he dug his fingers slightly into her hip and smiled at her. “Did you enjoy your morning, at least?”

Her expression lightened considerably at his flattering words. “I can’t help feeling irritated that people keep coming to me for information about them. I’ve had a few Johns stop me on the road to question me too,” she sighed. “But other than that, my morning has been swell.” Astrid returned the smile, resting her hands against his chest. “You?”

[astrid-vitello]

"Beat it. I don’t hear nothing from them anymore and I don’t have time for a bull session with you. If you really want to know something about the Vitellos, talk to the Johns around here or read the Rumble.” she brushed the stranger away and turned to her companion. “Sorry about that. I thought they’d all forgotten about me by now.”

[astrid-vitello]

illiasrivers:

“I don’t want to fight you.” Gods, he sounded like a child saying the words. ( He was an unstoppable force, and she was an immovable force. Who could walk away from that collision? ) “You’ll try to save the way of the kings, salvage what you can, and we’ll try to destroy every glimpse of it. The only way this war ends is when my people are either dead or victorious – but I won’t harm you. I don’t think I could. You saved me once; before my life is through, I know I’ll have returned the favor.” 

“Are your people not run by a King too, Illias? He just goes by another name: ruler, chief, commander... Every group needs its leader, but I want to abolish the monarchy. Have a people run by its people. And I don’t want to fight you for it. I don’t want to fight your people either. How will you save me when your people only see me with the crown on my head and Vitello tacked onto my name? Their worst enemy? How will you convince them that I’m different? You’ll end up being shunned by them for trying to protect me. So if the time comes where this kingdom crumbles to the ground... if I fail... and you have to press a blade against my throat... do it. Because I don’t think I would mind if it was you, Illias. Return the favor to me that way. Free me from the shackles of my upbringing. Let me be that girl who gazed up at the stars with you and dreamed bigger dreams.”

[astrid-vitello]

we were free | marcellus & astrid

[astrid-vitello]

ruinedstrength:

Astrid. He knew her presence immediately, before he even turned to stare at the woman he almost married, the woman he loved still. It was torture to keep his expression neutral and even as he nodded once, reaching out to take her hand and lift her smoothly from her curtsey. Every movement was practiced and fluid, with a savage grace that spoke of barely contained violence. If his hand snapped to her waist too quickly, if it dipped too low on her back, if people gasped and spoke in loud whispers, it didn’t matter. People would talk. People would always talk. he’d told her that, once upon a time, and he wasn’t about to start caring about the opinions of the sheep now.

“ The honor is mine, my lady. ” 

As the music swelled and the gossiping swelled with it, she chose to focus entirely on the one thing she wanted most — the one man she wanted most. No one could know her love for him. No one could understand her sorrow. Her expression was sad, as it was on most days, but a hint of a smile upturned the corners of her lips as she gazed up into his eyes. Astrid had often wondered if they would ever be able to be together in public. So much time had passed sneaking around in the shadows to be with one another that it was almost becoming a habit. The short times they were with each other were passionate — desperate — but it left her feeling cold and yearning for his touch each time he left. They were close enough to carry on a conversation without anyone overhearing. This was their time and their time alone.

“I’ve missed you.”

[astrid-vitello]

we were free | marcellus & astrid

“Pardon me, my lord. Would you honor me with this dance?” she asked as she curtsied low in front of the man. Astrid paid no attention to the people beginning to whisper around them. She had danced with Isiah and they had nothing to say about that, so what did it matter that she enjoyed one simple dance with her former husband-to-be? It was just one dance.

[astrid-vitello]

haydenbattaglia:

“Yeah. He surprised me too.” And not in a good way, either. Hayden listened to the rest of her spiel with a blank expression, trying to gauge if she meant it genuinely, before he finally said: “Forgive me for being just a bit skeptical about that, what with you not having done jack-shit.”

"You speak with poison on your tongue when you have no idea what I’ve been doing. Just because it seems like I’ve not done anything doesn’t mean it’s true. Appearances can be deceiving and you are too quick to judge and blame. You’ll be freed soon. Send for me when you’re out and you’ve considered what could be accomplished with your street smart and my influence over the knights... when you’re done being bitter at anyone who carries some sort of title. There’s a war coming; as I’m sure you know. That’s all I wanted to say.”

[marstuart]

[astrid-vitello]

marstuart:

insp