𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

[avvail-tales]

Ileana’s Girls

SYNOPSIS: with the world taken over by superior creatures, vampires, humans have little to no purpose in the world other than to serve as food for their stronger and more powerful rulers. three strangers, all subjected to the cruel nature of vampires, have inevitably combined fates when they individually catch the eye of pureblood vampire ileana mavros. in a world of such disparity, their lives find room for what was thought to be lost — comfort, kindness, healing, and most importantly, love.

general content & warnings: vampire whump, institutionalised slavery, multiple female whumpees, female caretaker, minor character deaths, nsfw themes but nothing explicit, non-explicit themes of rape/non-con, suicidal ideation, polyamory

pre-reading note: ileana’s girls contains very real and very sensitive topics relating to different kinds of abuse and the consequences (and healing) of it. please read with caution.

girl endures the world﹑the starting point

ACT 1﹑lillia

the storm has come suddenly on

a renewed shift blossoms

ACT 2﹑brooke

ACT 3﹑cali

girl finds something better﹑feeling so loved

ACT 4﹑lillia

ACT 5﹑brooke

ACT 6﹑cali

girl and an enteral curse﹑diaries of a vampire

[avvail-tales]

guns for hire mini series: the fox #2

After Leo had taken the time to explain his situation to him, Remy had scarcely responded.

“Sucks to be you,” he’d merely sighed, resting his chin in his hand. The two of them had taken a seat against the wall, knees pulled to their chests. Leo picked anxiously at a thread on his leg.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t seen another person besides Roy, especially not one in a similar position to him. He was trying to prod for information, but Remy seemed like a hard egg to crack. His eyes were constantly narrowed, glaring at the basement door like he could will it open.

Leo bit his lip, feeling a bit miffed after all the talking he’d done.

“We’re in the same position,” he murmured, rubbing at his arms. He didn’t want to sour Remy’s mood anymore than it already was, and he was a little surprised to see such an unexpected reaction instead. Remy hadn’t even said anything, but his jaw tightened visibly and his eyes darted away. Leo blinked, tilting his head.

“Aren’t we?”

The orange haired boy remained silent until he groaned in frustration, running his hands over his hair again.

“I, I don’t know!” He snapped, nibbling on his nail. “It’s complicated.”

Leo frowned, unsure how to feel. Maybe it was because he simply didn’t want to be alone, the time he had taken to just talk to Remy soothing his racing mind something he clung onto. But he knew, realistically, there might never be an opportunity to have a helping hand.

He let Remy stew in his small outburst, clearly pondering over something he didn’t want to say. The blond gave him space, glancing at a spot on the ground.

“You want to get out, right?” He asked, sensing Remy look at him. “Don’t you?”

He swallowed, letting his legs drop, stretching out in front of him. He didn’t verbally answer, but he didn’t need to. It had shattered the stubborn pride just enough for him to finally open up.

“My older brother is involved in this kind of stuff,” he muttered, expression tightening and his voice thick with bitterness. “He’s an idiot. But something happened, and—”

Remy sighed in frustration. “I got involved with someone I shouldn’t. Not by choice, not really. I don’t even know exactly what...” He paused, as ig contemplating even saying his name. “...Roy has to do with this. But I know it has something to do with my brother.”

Leo’s chest squeezed in sympathy. “Do you think he’s going to...?”

He didn’t dare say.

“Kill me?” Remy finished, his nose scrunching as he shot Leo a dark glare. “If he, or somebody else wanted me dead, I would be. Do you think either of us would be stuck down here in this shit hole if they were just planning on killing us? Fucking stupid.”

The words stung, sensing the hostility again.

The blond decided the glass had smoothed back over, and didn’t prod. They sat in silence until, after what felt like hours, the basement door screeched open. Both their head shot up.

Roy still looked like he was in a foul mood. His eyes were unusually callous, landing on Leo with a suffocating weight. He quickly strode over, fingers digging into the top of Leo’s arm.

With a rough yank, he was staggering on his feet, a sharp cry of pain escaping his lips.

“Move,” Roy ordered, his voice cold and sharp. Tears stung his eyes as his shoulders came up to his ears, the gloved fingers pressing uncomfortably hard into flesh, bruising. He swung him to the door.

The last thing Leo expected was for the dragging to cease. Fiery orange hair appeared before him; Remy had shot to his feet, and shoved between the two of them with all of his might.

“Let go of him,” he demanded, fingers fisting into the fabric of his shirt. He rammed his shoulder into his front, trying to dislodge his grasp. Remy was just half an inch shorter than Leo, and certainly didn’t have enough weight to stagger Roy. But he made up for it with fiery aggression, face twisted in anger.

“What gives you the right to grab him like that?” He snarled, his teeth bared. “He’s not sack of flour you can hurl around. Let go, now.”

Leo’s eyes had widened in shock, gawking at Remy in both horror and shock. One because he wasn’t quite sure how Roy would react, and because he had been sure he didn’t even like him enough to risk their captors wrath.

The outcome was a predictable one. Roy easily swatted Remy away like he was nothing, who stumbled and caught himself on the wall with a thud. The mercenary’s silence was the worst thing, and Leo could feel his nerves clogging in his throat.

Despite the fact that his grip had eased just a fraction, he continued to guide him to the basement door.

Remy growled. “Sick fuck.”

Leo glanced anxiously behind him, and although the orange haired boys hands twitched with unease, he still stood ramrod straight, and with no regrets for standing up for him, even if in vain. He swallowed, a flicker of something in his gut.

He only thought one thing, and that was how he wished he would be able to see Remy again.

[avvail-tales]

guns for hire mini series: the fox #1

“This is okay. I’m okay. My name is Leo. I live in London. My father is Sebastian Whitlock. My favourite musician is Joseph Bologne. This is okay. I’m okay. My name is—”

The words were a constant chant, whispered from his lips as he lay curled in the corner of the room. His back pressed hard against the concrete walls, legs drawn tight to his chest as he scrunched his eyes shut. Leo’s fingers dug into his thighs, desperate to ground himself from his rising panic.

The familiar setting of the basement always made him hysterical.

If he got too far in his own head, the horrific memories would start to burn away at him, old scars flaring like fire. Roy never starved him down here, but the tension in his brow was apparent. After he tried to fashion a shiv with the bathroom razor—(stupid, what was he even thinking?)—the mercenary had decided that a night back into the dingy basement would be punishment enough.

He hadn’t really seemed to care all that much, but threw him down here simply on principle.

Leo gulped in a shuddering breath, fighting for rationality.

“This is fine,” he whispered to the empty room again, his eyes fluttering open. Through blond hair, he finally peered around the room. “It just feels longer. He’ll take me out soon. You can do this.”

The door suddenly rocked open. Leo had moved to the side of the room before it happened, trying to adjust, his head snapping towards the sound. Frantic eyes instead watched as an unfamiliar body was shoved into the room, slamming onto the ground in a wriggling heap. He screaming between the gag, arms twisted uncomfortably behind his back.

Leo stared. His wide eyes flickered to Roy hovering in the doorway, expression twisted grimly. He caught Leo’s gaze, but didn’t flash a smirk. He’s pissed, he realised, swallowing hard. **Instead, the basement door squealed as he pulled it shut, the slam reverberating through the room.

Fear prickled at his chest, but he squashed it down.

Slowly rising to his feet, Leo cautiously stepped over to the new body. His hair was a fiery orange, with dark brown eyes that seemed to land on him with contempt. There was an already dark red mark on his cheek and blood had soaked into the white rag from a split lip and bleeding nose. Leo’s fingers began to unfasten the ropes, but it was a bit difficult with the boy’s struggling.

Once he was finally freed, two frantic hands shoved hard at his chest. Leo huffed, staggering backwards until he promptly hit the ground on his back. His head shot up, face scrunching in confusion.

“Stop,” he gasped, pushing himself up with a frown of disbelief. “I’m trying to help.”

The boy, who’d been scrambling backwards, looked ready for a fight. But upon seeing the sincerity and confusion in Leo’s eyes, and taking just a second to pierce through the haze of adrenaline, he softened just an inch.

He tugged sharply at his gag, trying to dig his fingers into the harsh material. Leo cautiously crept closer, and when the orange haired boy showed no signs of shoving him again, he helped untie the gag from the knot at the back.

Once free, the boy whirled around to face him.

“I’m sorry, I thought—” He didn’t even pause to take a breath, running an aggressive hand through his hair. He was twitching, eyes fleeting around the place. “Jesus, I don’t know, that the freak was handing me off to you or—damn it, just shut up.”

Leo blinked. “I, I didn’t—”

“He’s keeping you here too?” The orange haired boy grilled, pacing up and down the length of the basement. Before he could open his mouth to answer, the boy continued to rattle of nervous rambles. “I don’t even know how he—fuck, I couldn’t even do anything, I tried, but he had a solution for everything, the freak.”

“Roy,” Leo interjected softly. He wrung his fingers. “His name is Roy.”

The boy shot him a glare. “I don’t care what he’s called. I care about getting the fuck out of here. I’m not dying in some, some ugly basement.”

His fingers tugged incessantly at his hair, dropping into a crouch with a frustrated shout. Leo’s mind was whirling. Who was he? And why had Roy brought him here? Whatever the reason once, it must have justified the foul expression on the mercenary’s face when he’d dumped him in here. Was this a contract?

Leo snapped out of his thoughts, watching wearily as the boy scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration, before wincing and thinking better of it with the sore mark on his cheek. He hesitantly held out his hand. The boy glanced at it, before his cat-like eyes snapped up to him suspiciously.

After reasoning with himself, he turned up his nose. A second later, he took Leo’s hand, who eased him upright.

“My name’s Leo.”

The orange haired boy tilted his head, before his lips pressed into a thin line. “I’m Remy.”

[avvail-tales]

ileana’s girls: act 1﹑a renewed shift blossoms #2

The cart gave a harsh bump, dragging Lillia from the groggy unconsciousness that had gripped her. Her sleep had been broken, restless, a useless feat amongst the chilling cold that gripped her muscles and soaked her little dress.

The rest of the children were in similar states, the exhaustion and gruelling journey having lasted two sun rises. The bump had dragged everybody to a hazy wakefulness, frightened eyes blinking in confusion.

Lillia swallowed, her throat bobbing as the lock of the cart screeched open.

The sound grated against her ears like nails on a chalkboard, the only other sound apart from snivelling, soft cries, and hushed whispers she had heard for many gruelling hours. The little girl squinted as the sunlight spilled into the cart with harsh rays, stinging her already bloodshot eyes.

She felt Eddie cower closer to her, one of those monsters urging the children closest out of the cart. Some that took too long were jerked by their arm, the haste an underlying threat.

Lillia urged herself on, stiff limbs uncurling as she fell in step behind the gaggle of other children. Her breathing quickened as she drew closer, Eddie’s fingers grasped tightly in her hand.

She was tugged out of the cart, and a firm hand on her shoulder pushed her towards the other girls. Lillia gasped, her head snapping around as her fingers slipped from Eddie’s grip. He had been pushed the other way, into the separated gang of boys, and she could only cling onto the sight of his wide eyes before he was swallowed up by the children behind them.

Lillia stood on her tiptoes, desperate to seek out her friend, but another monster at the head of her group, a woman, ushered them away. She swallowed down a whine.

Pattering footsteps filled the path as they were lead into a huge industrial building; Lillia had never seen anything like it - the assortment of arched windows, doors, the sheer scale of it. The boys were lead further down, to an adjacent building. Theirs was marked ‘Sector B1’, whereas hers was marked ‘Sector G1’.

She was unsure what those words meant.

As they entered the building, Lillia fiddled anxiously with her dress. The size of this place was intimidating, the corridors lined with paintings and text she couldn’t quite discern. The vampire lady at the head of the group paused, and turned to face them.

Everybody seemed to stiffen, and go still, including the little girl.

“You’re all property of the Institution now,” she smiled, all sharp teeth and fangs that made the children vibrate with nerves. “There is nothing to be afraid of. You’ll be educated here, in all the ways a good human should. And eventually, when you’re older, you’ll be rehomed. Doesn’t that sound delightful?”

The vampire was pale, with long, braided blonde hair that fell gracefully over her shoulder. She seemed to stretch impossibly tall over all of them, like one of those winding trees on the outskirts of her village. Her eyes gleamed a dull red, narrowed and as sharp as a knife. She seemed to be assessing each and every frightened face that stared up at her, pinpointing one and then onto the other.

When she reached Lillia, she cowered slightly. All she could think about was the gleaming red eyes protruding in the darkness, a glowing reminder of the monsters that had torn through her village like a raging storm, like wordless animals.

“There are plenty of facilities for you all to feel comfortable,” she continued, motioning around her to the grand, opulent building. Glittering balls of light glowed from above them, and Lillia’s nose scrunched in wonder. It didn’t seem to be on fire. How was it emanating such light? “Shared sleeping quarters, a cafeteria, classrooms, and plenty of outdoors for your physical health.”

She wanted to go back to the village. She didn’t want to stay here.

“Come,” the vampire motioned for the stairs, her lithe form moving as though she didn’t even touch the ground. An agility that made Lillia feel quite twitchy with nerves. If one of the kids got scared, wanted to run away from it all, there would be nothing that they could do to escape her observant eyes and inhuman speed.

The orange rays of the sun leaked through the windows as they climbed flights of stairs, soaking into her dirty, tear soaked face with each gruelling step. A few children lagged behind, their solemn faces crinkled with flashes of pain. But it seemed like the vampire had a keen eye on every girl, assuring she made it to the top floor with little issue. A large, circular window greeted them, and two long corridors flanked ominously on either side.

The blonde vampire took them to the left, stopping gracefully in her tracks. She whirled around to face them, and Lillia gasped softly when a girl bumped into her from behind. She glanced over her shoulder, the short brunette cowering slightly under her gaze. She was cradling her arm, a glimmer of blood peeking out from under her tattered sleeve. Lillia’s eyes softened, and she turned back to the vampire as her voice filled the quiet space.

“Bathroom facilities stair side,” she informed, and then gestured to the other side. “Bedrooms to the window side.”

Eyes blinked up at the doors.

“You sleep at 10PM and you wake at 6AM, no earlier, no later,” the vampire explained firmly. “You’ll be educated on your superiors and the life you’ll live for them. You will be fed here, clothed, and provided for. You’re all serving a higher purpose.”

Her expression turned mocking. “No need to look so sad.”

The little girl barely glanced down at her clothes, her muddy dress making her chest squeeze with a flurry of emotions. She couldn’t stop thinking about how upset her ma would be if she realised her dress was dirty again. She really liked this dress.

“As girls, you’ll remain desirable as long as you excel in cooking, cleaning, and other services,” the vampire smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. The little girl wondered what she meant by ‘other services’. “But in this sector, your education is your primary focus. You refer to your superiors, like me, as either sir, or ma’am. Your lords and ladies, my lord or my lady. Don’t worry so much, these will become second nature to you.”

Lillia’s mouth went dry. She couldn’t keep up with what she was saying, desperately trying to retain the information being tossed at her so casually. It surged into her racing thoughts, before becoming muddled and useless. She blindly followed the vampire’s movements as she waved her hand, and one of the bedroom doors clicked open.

The little girl gawked at the display of power.

Another girl, clad in a grey dress and pinned back hair, was waiting patiently, her hands clasped in front of her and her head bowed politely.

“Ma’am,” she greeted, keeping her head inclined. Lillia stared; this girl looked only a few years older than her, still baby faced and small, but so well behaved. The vampire smiled again.

“Delilah. See that you and the other representative’s clean them and provide them fresh clothes before breakfast.”

Delilah nodded sweetly, her shoes tapping against the floorboards as she crossed the corridor to the bathroom, popping the door open for the girls. She ushered half of them in, greeting everybody with a warm face as they entered.

As Lillia went to move into the bathroom, the vampire stopped her.

“The rest of you to the other side,” she ordered, spinning the little girl by her shoulder and urging her forward. Her feet skittered along the floor nervously, the rest of the group crossing into the other hallway. Another girl in a grey dress was waiting by the other set of bathrooms, guiding them inside.

Lillia glanced nervously behind her, noting that the vampire was gone. Her bones shuddered a sigh of relief. Other human girls greeted them, and groggy from the restless journey, she allowed herself to be herded to one of the baths. Some girls had to share, but Lillia was lucky enough to get one by herself.

The girl at the door ran her bath with warm water, folding some fresh clothes on a tall chair with a towel for her.

“My name is Dol,” she introduced politely. She had dark black hair that reminded her of her ma’s eyes, which fell in a short wave under her chin. She, too, looked the same age as the girl from before. Some of them looked various ages, but no older than eleven, Lillia sumised.

“I’m the lead representative of this ward, so please feel free to come to me if you need,” Dol smiled, encouraging the girl to remove her dress. Lillia stared at her with big eyes.

“But…” Her hoarse words trailed off like sand slipping through a crevice, her nose wrinkling in sadness. Dol’s eyes softened with sympathy.

“I know,” she whispered, leaning down to stop the flow of water. She tested the warmth with her hand, satisfied with the outcome. “It won’t be returned to you. I was sad, too, when I was first brought here. But I’m afraid it’s filthy, and you need to be washed.”

Lillia clutched her dress, shaking fingers digging into the muddy fabric. She opened her mouth to retort, to cry, to scream, but she couldn’t. Weariness had settled so deep in her bones, that a harrowing tiredness made her too numb to do anything.

So she stripped out of her clothes, slipping into the bathtub with a little sniffle. She felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks, her chin all tense and her nose wrinkled as she feebly tried to keep them at bay.

Dol nudged her cheek tenderly, and got to work on washing her. The older girls fell into a unified rhythm, lathering them with strong smelling liquids that frothed in their hair.

Dol worked vigoursly to untangle her wild locks, the colour returning bright and smooth like new. She marvelled, rubbing a rough cloth over her face to clean off the dirt.

“You have a lovely hair colour,” she complimented, and Lillia’s red rimmed eyes peeked up shyly at her. “I’ve never seen a blonde like it.”

The little girl sniffled, running her fingers through the locks clumsily. It was so soft to the touch; she was quite overwhelmed by all these new things, like how those round objects in the ceiling made light, and how warm water appeared from the metal on the end of the tub.

Once she was thoroughly cleaned, Dol helped her clamber from the tub, all clumsy, soaked limbs. She dried her off with a towel, and out of the corner of her eye, Lillia noticed an older girl tending to the one who had bumped into her before.

She was dabbing a wet cotton ball to her arm, soaking up all of the blood. The little girl was sniffling through tears, glimpsing at Lillia through her eyelashes.

They both stared at each other.

Then, Lillia was helped into her new uniform, the same grey dress over a clean white shirt. Dol fixed her collar and pulled up her tights, and then slipped a shoe onto her foot. She then paused, laughing apologetically.

“Oh, these seem a little big for you. Let me fetch a smaller size.”

The little girl watched her go, and picked uncomfortably at her new clothes. Her nose wrinkled at the impossibly creaseless fabric, her toes wriggling in the airy material of her tights. She took a fleeting moment to gaze at the rest of them, all in various stages of dress.

The girl from before looked a little less in pain, but no less uncomfortable.

When Dol returned, she slipped the shoes right on her feet and buckled them in. She took her to dry her hair, another odd machine that blew hot air from the circular hole. The older girl let her play around with the strange buttons, but nonetheless got right back on track not a moment later.

Her fingers combed through her hair, drying the damp strands with ease.

“I will arrange you for Mălina’s class,” Dol gently spoke up, her eyes turning serious. “Of course, don’t ever call her that. Only ma’am. The other vampire, she’s called Viorica.”

Lillia blinked miserably.

“Mălina is strict,” the girl whispered secretively in her ear, having leaned forward like in some form of confidentiality. “She likes girls who look neat and are well dressed, so always wear your hair in a bun. My bunk is on the far left of the dorm, so if you need help, come to me. You will have to learn how to do it yourself eventually, though.”

Sir or ma’am. Wake up at this time and go to bed at this. Wear a bun. What more did Lillia have to remember when all she could think about was the horrors she witnessed at her village?

“Be sure to volunteer to answer questions,” Dol encouraged, brushing Lillia’s soft locks and scraping it back into a neat, tidy little bun at the bottom of her neck. “Mălina likes that.” Her voice turned serious. “Just be sure you’re certain you answer correctly.”

The little girl’s eyes crinkled. “Will I get my dress back?”

Dol’s expression saddened. “No,” she sighed. “It’s an honour to be in the Institute, er— what was your name?”

She fiddled with her fingers. “Lillia.”

“Lillia,” she repeated fondly. “This is the best place to be. We humans are so lucky to be looked after so kindly. Here.” She tapped under her chin, encouraging her to look at herself in the mirror. “Don’t you look pretty?”

Pretty, yes, Lillia thought. She wondered if her ma would think the same.

MASTERLIST ﹑link here

TAG LIST﹑@vampirewhump

[avvail-tales]

ileana’s girls: act 1﹑the storm has come suddenly on #1

“Ma, ma!” 

The young girl’s voice drifted through each dew drop of rain that fell from the sky - her fingers hiking her dress above her ankles, plodding across slippy grass. The grey clouds had cascaded over the little village in an unsuspecting sweep, her blonde hair a ratty mess, stuck to her cheeks in a damp tangle of locks. 

An older woman had risen from her spot beyond the cobbled fence, wet and heavy clothing slapped over her shoulder in haste, ruined from the storm. A disapproving expression fell over her face as the little girl stumbled through the gate, snapped shut by her mother’s free hand. 

“Lillia, you’re muddy,” she scolded over the rain, clasping the girl’s hand in her own and tugging her swiftly over to the open door of the cottage. She struggled to keep up with her mother’s fast strides, eager for them both to escape the rain. Her shoes clipped her dress, smearing mud over the white fabric and pink trills her mother had sewed for her. 

Lillia’s bottom lip wobbled with her sadness. It was her favourite dress. 

“Oh, the washing is soaked,” her mother moaned, dropping the soggy pile upon the kitchen table. A furrow lined her brow, running a frustrated hand through her dirty blonde hair. Lillia stood there, feeling quite useless, until her mother turned and began her incessant fussing. 

“Off with your shoes, quickly,” she urged, helping her pull off her mud caked footwear. “What were you doing so far out, young lady? I told you to stay close to the cottage.” 

Lillia pouted, her skin feeling sticky and soggy as she peeled off her dress. “Eddie wanted to play.” 

Her mother shooed her over to the tub, before popping a pot of water on the stove. She quickly lit it, letting it warm as Lillia clambered into the small tub, the bottom rough against the pads of her toes. Her mother detoured to untangle her wet plaits. The sensation tugged pleasantly at her scalp, curling her legs to her chest with a pleased hum. 

“You need to ask me first, Lillia,” she scolded, combing through her locks with her fingers until they were dangling past her shoulders. The movement allowed her to catch a bright flash of red on the little girl’s pale hands. “What is that?” 

Suddenly, she latched onto the girl’s wrists, a look of frightened anger passing over her weathered face. “Is this blood? Did you cut yourself?” 

Lillia winced as her mother prodded at her palms, smoothing her thumbs over the red stain. When she felt no bump of a cut or sign of an injury, her eyes darted up to her daughter’s face expectedly. Lillia blinked up at her, her eyes wide. 

“We picked berries,” she answered quietly, her shoulders stiff. The mother’s chest rose and fell with a deep sigh, her hand coming to tenderly cup her cheek. The anger was gone, but the fear remained stagnant in her voice, in her body, bleeding into the air around them. She seemed to shudder, and it made Lillia’s skin prickle with an expansion of goosebumps. 

“You can’t go that far without me,” she whispered, her voice breathless. “If you’d cut yourself and they had smelt it then—” 

The words dry on her tongue, a wobble of emotion evident in her voice. It’s as though nausea clamps her throat closed, and she tenderly brushes her thumb against her cheek. She rises to her feet to fetch the pot, before gently taking Lillia’s wrists and pouring the warm water over them first. 

“Off it goes,” she murmured softly, rubbing the juices off her small palms. The little girl shudders when the rest of the warm water is poured over her, the stark change in temperature making her bottom lip jut out in protest. 

The mother gently slips her hair over her shoulders, unsticking wet bits from her cheeks. “You know how dangerous it is out there, Lillia. I just want to keep you safe. We always pick berries together because I know I can protect you. If you go out there alone, I won’t know if something bad has happened to you. Do you understand?”

Lillia blinks up at her mother, blue eyes shimmering under the dim lighting. “I’m sorry, ma.” 

Her mother sighs heavily, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. “You are the most precious thing in my life, my sweet girl. I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Lillia whispered quietly. The woman’s expression relaxed just enough to allow a small smile to tug at the corners of her lips, before she resumed scrubbing the sticky mud off her skin. 

The girl absentmindedly watched the clean water turn a murky brown, the calming scent of tea tree filling the little cottage as her mother attentively cared for her hair. By the time the water had gone cold, she clambered out of the tub, a shivering pile of gangly limbs, and dried off with an exaggerated huff. 

“Doesn’t this dress just look so pretty on you,” the mother preened, peppering the little girl’s cheek in kisses as she squealed in delight. 

“Ma, that tickles,” she giggled, wriggling in the woman’s arms as she easily kept her close. 

“I can’t help it,” she chuckled softly, tapping her nose and watching it crinkle. “You’re so beautiful, Lillia. The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” 

Lillia blushed humbly, biting back a pleased little smile at the compliments she was being showered in. Her mother kissed her temple, dried off her hair, and rose back to her feet. 

“The storm won’t pass until tomorrow,” the woman noted, ushering the girl to the small wooden table by the window. “Go sit down, Lillia. I’ll cook your tea.” 

“Okay, ma.” 

Lillia promptly did as she was told, clumsily clambering onto the chair and resting her fingers on the edge of the table. Her feet swung idly back and forth, her fingers drumming along the table, eyes watching the rain thundering hard on the windows. 

It was raining so heavily it was almost as though the glass was rattling, shielding their home from the onslaught of the battle. 

Water droplets seemed to form intricate patterns on the surface, chasing each other in a cascading rush until they reached the bottom. Lillia followed five rain droplets as they made their journey down the glass pane, tilting her head in curiosity when she caught something peculiar outside. 

She shuffled onto her knees, pressing her small hands to the glass. Blurry figures seemed to be approaching from the forest line. 

“Ma,” she called, momentarily distracting her mother from the stove. “Who are those people?” 

There was a quiet clatter as her mother shifted the pan from the stove, Lillia’s eyes watching the fuzzy figures in the pouring rain. Her throat made a soft noise, blonde eyelashes fluttering gently. 

“They’re going to get muddy,” she whispered under her breath, and the moment the words left her tongue, her mother suddenly gave a strangled cry. 

Lillia barely even had time to process it before she was abruptly yanked off the chair, her mother’s arm clamped around her waist in urgency. 

“Downstairs, now!” 

Her socks barely found any semblance of grip on the ground as she was hurled across the room, her heart in her throat and a horrible prickle of fear on her skin. But within mere seconds, a resounding bang erupted through the cottage, the wooden door splintering under an impossible force. 

Lillia screeched in fear, her mother throwing herself over her as the wood clattered against the ground and smacked into the walls. A whoosh of air tore her mother from around her, Lillia’s tear filled eyes snapping up to find one of the creatures on top of her, like a wolf snagging its prey. 

Her mother’s guttural scream ripped through the cottage, a spray of wet redness splattering against the walls and up the stove, painting the potatoes red. Her thrashing limbs were squashed under the figure, the fighting a useless feat. 

“Ma!” Lillia sobbed, barely climbing to her wobbly knees before a whoosh of air snatched her too, hurling her off the ground with complete ease. The bruising pressure almost made her want to throw up. 

“No, ma!” She screamed, clawing desperately at the air as she kicked and flailed hysterically, as though she might be able to reach her mother one final time. Her mother, who was barely twitching, convulsing from the creature’s fangs in her torn flesh. “Stop it! Ma!”

Yet, as she was carried outside of the cottage with ease, despite her struggles, the pelts of rain and roaring winds hit her like bricks. Wet droplets smashed into her cheeks, causing her to gasp from the cold chill that seized her throat like icy claws. Her eyes squeezed closed, scrunching as a horrid throbbing pain seemed to erupt in the back of her skull. 

Screams were dulled by the storm. 

The unmistakable onslaught of destruction, houses wrought from a fast descending destruction, window panes smashed, and sprawled corpses lay face down on the grass in mangled heaps. How swiftly the monsters had torn through their village, truly like the relentless howl of the storm. 

Lillia felt her swiftly soaking hair sticking to her cheeks, a lump squeezing her throat so tightly she felt like she couldn't breathe. Mind spinning with the rapid pace of it all — how quickly she had gone from the kitchen table to the arms of a terrifying creature. Her socks were sodden with wet mud, ruining the hem of her pretty dress. No, Ma just washed me, her thoughts choked. I’m muddy again. 

Said vampire roughly hurled her into the back of a cabin, uncaring of her fragile limbs as she landed in an awkward heap on hardwood, crying out in pain. She desperately scrambled back, only catching the ominous glow of two red eyes in the haze of the pouring rain before the cabin door slammed shut with a thundering bang. Loud enough to make the organ in her chest lurch into her throat. 

Lillia curled her legs to her chest, her wide eyes darting around the cabin in flickers of pain. She caught glimpses of terrified children staring back. 

One in particular, that made her throat close up with a choked sob. 

“Eddie,” she gasped, a ragged noise. 

His tear stained face lifted from the solace of his knees at the familiar sound of her voice, his nose wrinkled with quiet sobs. She struggled to find a semblance of strength in her limbs to crawl over to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. 

He tucked himself into her with a muffled whimper, shaking fingers digging into the sleeves of her dress. His wet, ginger hair tickled at her nose as she cried softly into the messy heap, her heart aching like wildfire in her lungs. 

Even as she closed her eyes, the image of her mother, her blood, coating the walls of their home, tormented her with a cruel reminder of their sudden reality. She gasped for breath, her ragged sobs suffocating her. The reality, that this was no nightmare. 

No matter how much she prayed for it to be just that. 

The cart gave a harsh jolt, wheels rumbling across the wet path as it drew away from the carnage ensued. Water droplets shimmered across the delicate strands of her eyelashes, melting into the stream of salty tears that tracked down her cheeks. No child dared unfurl from their tight, protective balls, too shaken with terror at the might of the monsters to do anything. Lillia wasn’t thinking about escaping, or her fate, or anything of the sort. 

All she could think about was how much she wanted her ma. Wondered, what about supper? She’ll surely be mad if she’s not waiting at the dinner table for her food. Oh, ma hated wasted food. Those potatoes will surely have to be thrown away. They can’t have blood in their food… 

Eddie’s squeezing fingers dragged her out of her thoughts, feeling disorientated. His wide, green eyes were staring at her, bottom lip wobbling with a whispered murmur of her name. Lillia stared back; she’d been talking out loud. She could tell, because her throat felt tight. 

“My pa,” Eddie choked, the words like hot ash in his throat. He was trembling so hard. 

“Where are they taking us?” Lillia whispered frantically, sensing the entire cart of orphaned children flinch violently at the crackle of thunder outside. Even she did, too. The boy frantically shook his head. 

“I don’t know,” he choked. His fingertips were still stained with berry juices. “I don’t know…” 

She clumsily wiped the water droplets irritating her eyes, and when Eddie buried his head into the crook of her neck to cry some more, she simply held him tight.

MASTERLIST﹑link here

TAG LIST﹑let me know if you would like to be added

[avvail-tales]

ooo what do you plan to change in GFH?

happy first official post :)

over some time, i have plans to schedule posts for two series! both of them already existing (somewhat). when i wrote GFH, it was a very spur of the moment thing and little planning. a rewrite will likely be longer, there may be small little changes to plot points/new scenarios, a bit more character building etc. i also want to write some more short stories in the GFH universe + things from other people’s POV! that’s something that we will have to wait for.

the rewrite will likely be scheduled posts, with chunks written in advance and a steady flow of parts, considering this is a series that’s already been written and read! anyone is free to request just like on my other blog.

from the royal bought series, i’m planning on writing ileana’s girls in full — this is split up into a variety of acts (somewhat chronological), following each character. the first three acts are whump, the rest is recovery, healing, and romance. this will likely be the project i focus on the most at the moment. any questions (or if you want to be on any tag list) then as always let me know!

hopefully, i can maintain a real schedule for these series for consistent updates. if you would like to support me on ko-fi, that would help so much! it’s a big incentive to keep writing and it helps so much with my motivation to keep going. writing in advance is hard for me when i don’t have feedback/comments to soak in, and can be very discouraging for me, so anything is appreciated.

new projects will be revealed once i get stuck into these series!

[avvail-whumps]

hello hello!

i am moving to a separate blog for all of my series - i have taken such a huge break since my exams that i can’t find the motivation or the right feeling to jump back into where i left things off :(

i plan to rejuvenate and revamp them all, particularly GFH, and so any new content will be over on @avvail-tales rather than here. maybe even rewrite it, too, where i’ll post it over there and over on ao3 for a bigger experience.

i am not sure how often i will post on this blog, but i am still writing prompts on my main blog (@/avvail). so please give my new blog a follow! i am also eager to expand the GFH universe and see a few things from other people’s POV 👀