𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖊 / KINGDOM *

it's a dog eat dog world and i've got bigger teeth than you

[etrnalsnhine]

taikamin‌:

There was something about the girl that was fascinating to Taika. Be it her pitch black wings with the sun reflecting glints of deep scarlet that matched the hair upon her head, or the way she sat so poised on the shore, or how she fought the smile begging to be spread across her features. Ailsa, the only fae she had ever saved. Something about her made Taika want to always be there to save her. Perhaps all fae had this effect on mortals. Risking their short lives for the sake of ensuring their immortal counterparts the fate they had always been promised. Though, maybe it was just Ailsa that had the affect on Taika. She wouldn’t truly know until she had associated herself with more of their kind, but as far as she was concerned she would never get to that point. 

Soft chuckles fell effortlessly from her lips. “True, you may be older than me. But I assure you, I have lived plenty long enough to know that the amount of time you are alive is not comparable to the things you have done.” Her shoulders rose for a moment. “A girl could be young and still have experienced more in her twenty years than someone who has been alive for longer. I like to think I had lived many lifetimes by the time I was twenty,” she explained. Taika was being honest, it was what she had done with her time that mattered more than how old she actually was. “Mortals don’t have the luxury of taking their time, you know,” she nudged the Lady softly before pulling away. “So I think I’ll still call you little red. And you can call me Taika, if the Lady pleases,” she mused, a dangerously gentle smile rested across her features. 

Her eyes thinned for a moment as she drew in a breath. “So then you have thanked me and you can be on your way. Surely a fae of your standing has better things to do than sitting on this rock for a few more minutes,” she paused before looking over to her. “Of course, only if that was the reason you wished to see me. I am telling you I need no thanks, if it weren’t for me, then another mermaid would have saved you and you would be sitting on these rocks waiting to prove your gratitude,” she shrugged her shoulders. “Though, maybe you wouldn’t be and there’s no way to know for sure unless you leave right now. Noble folk are never really ones who like to waste time on petty affairs anyways.” Taika challenged the young fae, wondering if she had been here for more than just that. 

Ailsa knew how she looked; dainty and delicate, and in need of saving. She resented the idea, however, for she knew what she was capable of. Not that she couldn’t admit that she had needed Taika that day, that not all the merfolk were quite so peaceful, nor would she trust them to come swimming to the rescue. Her feelings on the matter were lost in conflict, though the heat in her cheeks could only be put down to her frustration at having needed saving in the first place.

“I have done plenty.” The faerie shrugged, wings fluttering gently in the light breeze. Her eyes trailed across the mermaid’s lithe form, looking every bit as otherworldly stunning as Ailsa tended to associate her type with. Her hair the deepest black, luscious and shining in the morning sun, was begging to be touched. Ailsa liked pretty things, severe as she could be when it came to her own appearance, she could appreciate a woman so perfect it was as though she was carved from marble. “Taika,” Ailsa nodded, straightening up somewhat. “A pretty name.”

She supposed that it was now or never. She had, after all, come bearing a gift still hidden away from view and cold feet had come to her at a most inopportune time. What was it that made her wary in the presence of this mysterious woman? Surely she didn’t fear her? How could she cower from her saviour? In truth, it was often said that Ailsa was born uncomfortable. Coming to life clad in black and silent, crying only when her dear twin brother did, needing only the bare minimum of attention and necesseties. She often felt wrong, not cut from the same cloth as the rest of her siblings. Not that she believed the stories, however. What infant didn’t cry out for their mother’s breast? “I’ve brought a gift.” She said quickly, the words tumbling clumsily from her mouth.

[etrnalsnhine]

aidenmacalistair‌:

“Only one person could probably possibly get me help but she knows better than that.” There was real magic in this world, magic that made him live forever and connected him to a force of nature that Aiden never wanted to question. To question would start him down a path of losing it all. Especially this connection he had with his sister. He would never wonder whether it was magic or just their blood or the literal shared experiences that tied them together, but Aiden was certain he would be completely lost without her. Even if their lives were lived far apart, by choice, Aiden always had Ailsa. Seeing her was like a switch would flip. The anger wouldn’t burn so hot and the issues would just be steam in the air.

He gave her a shrug followed by a smile. A genuine smile that Ailsa only had the luck and benefit to see more than once in a lifetime. “Blame you? Only when you bring it up do I want to blame you. Just like how you somehow shoved your way out into the world first. There’s no blame. None at all.” His clean smile only lasted for moments before it turned into the usual smirk. Aiden jumped down, not bothering to use his wings, and landed with his hands bracing his fall, dirt now covering him, completely innocently. He went in for the embrace before she could move away and rescind her request. “Ah, I’ve missed you.”

Her brother was a brat, she had always told him so. Ailsa loved him all the more for it, his unfunny jokes and his sharp temper, through all of that, she loved him more deeply than most could understand. For this harsh girl of sharp edges and flat eyes to love anything as much as she loved her brother was a miracle indeed, and yet they shared something so deep that she was certain it came from the earth itself, something deeper than they would ever truly know. They had shared so much together, lived their entire lives side by side and so to be living lives apart from each other was a physical pain to her, like she was one half of a whole floating through a world she didn't quite feel fully part of, to see him now, happiness swelled within her.

“I will always be your better, Aiden, you may as well just accept it – ugh!” She grimaced when she saw him wrap those filthy arms around her, dirtying her as much as he had himself. It was as though he was still a toddler, determined to piss her off at every turn. They had fought often as kids, making up moments later as though nothing had happened, and even though he had mussed up her impeccable outfit, there was an understanding between them that the deed was already forgiven. “Aiden, you're foul. Get off!” She shoved him away, running her gloved hands over her gown, black as always and now stained with mud and earth.

[oksanelle]

[etrnalsnhine]

( @taikamin )

[childishsgambino]

[etrnalsnhine]

taikamin‌:

It was not often that Taika found herself in the likes of beings other than mermaids. She would rather not associate with species that weren’t her kind. Of course there had been some exceptions since the war had started like Mia and Celine. Even Viktor if she were to think about it. The red head was the first faerie she had come in contact with until the High Queen herself called upon her. She felt slightly disappointed that it had never crossed her mind to interact with the fae, the two she had run into seemed to be more beautiful than any being she had laid her eyes on. Mermaids of course held a certain beauty that humans just didn’t, their supernatural qualities giving them a slight advantage. But fae were on a whole other level, emanating a sort of ethereal beauty that was mortals were undeserving. 

She must have come from nobility, the way she held herself even as she sat on the rocks of the ocean was nothing but sophisticated. Taika had played her role of noble chancellor for long enough to know that she often found herself acting in such a manner when she was alone too. Taika softly repeated her name, letting it fall from her lips in a whisper. “It is a beautiful name,” she stated with a small smile. “Though I prefer little red,” she teased hoping to elicit a reaction out of the girl. She brought her hands back to herself, folding them neatly in her lap mirroring Ailsa. “Hardly,” the mermaid couldn’t help but laugh at her unhinged comment. “I have seen many in the face of death and while the reactions do vary, they are mostly the same. Everyone reverts back to the basic instinct of just wanting to be alive,” she softly shrugged. “You really did not need to bring me a gift though. You being alive and well is enough to soothe my mind. I’m glad you thought of it though. It’s really the perfect excuse to see each other again.”

The merfolk had always intrigued her. Ailsa was so caught up in the world of the fae, their gossip, their perils, sometimes she wished for an out, even just for a day. Collect her thoughts and return to the lion’s den. She was well equipped to deal with them, she always had been, some said that she was born for a life in court, and if she weren’t quite so good at it, she was certain that she would despise every second -- and every last one of them. She wondered about the court of the merfolk, their intrigues, their plots. She imagined them to be vicious, vindictive. They spurred her interest far more than she would let on.

Ailsa lowered her eyes, the sound of her name upon the mermaid’s tongue pleased her more than she could admit. A sliver of a smile played upon her lips before it passed as a shadow would, no proof of its existance but the memory of her lips upturning automatically. “I am not little.” Amusement glimmered in her gaze, her red head shaking. “I imagine I’m much older than you.” She noted, eyeing the young woman warily. In the grand scheme of her immortal life, Ailsa was but a blip on the radar of time, however, she often felt ancient. Unchanging and unmovable. Swallowing, the faerie’s gaze dashed from the mermaid, her wings fluttered in her embarrassment. Black as night and glimmering with crimson, they were the source of all pride for Ailsa. “I did not come here with an excuse to see you. I simply wanted to thank you.”

[etrnalsnhine]

ofdevereauxs‌:

Balthazar knew the woods like the back of his hand. His leisure time was occasionally spent here and the stroll he took was no different. Among the sound of animals rustling into bushes or flapping their wings overhead, the pair of footsteps in the distance stood out the most. He followed, drawn to the possibility of it leading to something interesting. His gaze was cold as he took the fae in and he leaned against a tree once she finally became aware of his presence. He could tell he had interrupted a moment, but that didn’t make him turn away. “No, but perhaps you can ask the next person if you’ll be out here long.”

She could tell that he was a vampire if only from the way the air seemed unsettled by him, how it shifted and shuddered among something unnatural. Not that she had an opinion on their kind, they shared much in common after all. Those endless immortal years, the vindictive streak which was so common in the fae. She was no exception. “I’m not a guide.” She replied with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll be out here as long as I can be. So long as I’m not found out.”

[etrnalsnhine]

aidenmacalistair‌:

Something, something in the air was telling Aiden that his twin was free. Finally away from the disgust and pretentiousness of the court. It was a shift in the wind, Ailsa’s own element, but it was more than that. It was this peace that also settled within him, not like a roaring fire turned to a smoldering ember, but a warm fire that crackled late into the night and warmed the people that surrounded it. He let his instincts carry him, to find his twin, the other half of him, the air that kept him alive. 

“I don’t know. Many have tried. All have failed,” he said, a wise smile cracking at his lips when he saw her red hair rush around her like her own flame.  He stepped out of the shadows, only to break into a small run, leaping off a tree. His hand took hold of a branch and he pulled himself up to sit, preferring to feel his legs dangle in the air. “You’ve been around those nobles too much. It’s almost as if you were looking down at me too.”

Ailsa was not much of a smiler. Perhaps she saved them all for Aiden, for her dragged a bright and playful woman kicking and screaming from his twin sister’s coolness. They often said she looked ten years younger when he was around, her shoulders relaxed, her jaw unclenched and suddenly she spoke with colour. With kindness. And so she delighted in seeing him, this boy she had known in her deepest pits, in her blood, in her marrow. At the sound of his voice, Ailsa grinned.

“Some continue to try.” Her words were knowing and she stepped backward to watch as Aiden climbed the tree she had been drawn to. She wondered how he’d found her, it happened so often, running to one another when the time was right. Two parts of one soul as she had always told him they were. “I would never look down upon you. Physically, however, I can’t help it. Please don’t blame me for your height.” Chuckling, she held out her arms. “Aren’t you going to hug your sister or did you plan on showing off this whole time?”

[etrnalsnhine]

bodyguardgreyson‌:

Living on the mainland was proving rather difficult for the large merman. He longed for the feel of the water, the taste of the sea, missing the sights of beauty which lay under the sea. To him, the human land was disgusting. But his duty called to be on land, like a good soldier he obeyed. Every chance he got the male left the city and headed towards the lake in the woods. Anything to feel like himself. But overall he missed his tail, legs were stupid and feet were gross. As he walked through the trail he noticed a female ahead. “I was going to ask the same thing. I thought you were lost.” 

Ailsa turned to the man, her eyes trailing the length of his form. She was a tall woman, it was nice to feel small at times, this man certainly helped with that. Did she look lost, she wondered? She was no stranger to these woods, could walk them blindfolded if it came down to that. “Rest assured, I’m more than familiar with this place.” She tilted her head, her eyes cool as ever. “What brings you to these woods?”

[etrnalsnhine]

ffromrealms‌:

“Calm yourself Ailsa it’s just me.” Thalia said as she made her way into the clearing. She had stopped by to visit her parents as she liked to do every couple of years, but didn’t expect to run into an old friend. If she call the girl a friend. They knew each other through her brother that Thalia had dated a couple years back. “You seem awfully jitterish. Is everything okay?” 

Thalia was a face she hadn’t expected to see, not out here. It had been some time, though they had only known each other a short while, it was nice to see her face once more. “The faerie pirate.” She couldn’t help smirking at the idea. Ailsa couldn’t picture herself aboard a pirate ship, the filth alone would have been enough to send her packing. “I’m perfectly fine. I certainly wasn’t expecting to run into you.”

[etrnalsnhine]

taikamin‌:

She could remember the moment many months ago vividly. The sight of a young girl drowning in the ice cold water, flailing violently with fiery hair swirling like tendrils of a willow tree in the breeze around her icy features, and her wings heavy in the water. In her line of work, it should have been easy to just leave the girl there to her ill-fate that she brought upon herself. What sort of fool would find themselves in the middle of the ocean in a winter like that? Though Taika had garnered a ruthless reputation in her job, when she was off duty she was every bit merciful and kind. It was her biggest weakness as an assassin. She couldn’t seem to find it in her heart to watch innocent people suffer. So on that day, she did the only thing she knew to do and saved the drowning girl from a fatal end. 

Taika wasn’t shocked when the girl had been nothing but a mumbling fool when she came to on the ocean. Frankly, it was plenty embarrassing how she ended up in the situation of it all. But she took it all with grace. She had seen the many faces of near death and they all were different. It came as no surprise and didn’t hurt her ego in anyway. She had saved the girl for herself, not because she wanted to be praised or thanked for it in anyway. She was convinced that she would never see the fae again, that her day at the beach had been enough to serve her curiosity for a lifetime. Yet as she made her way back to the water after a day on land, she couldn’t help but feel the corners of her mouth tug up as she saw that same hair gently caught in the ocean breeze. She approached her silently, wanting to make sure she wasn’t aware of her presence before she spoke. “She sits precariously perched on rocks staring into the horizon,” Taika started to speak from behind her placing an arm on her shoulder so she wouldn’t react badly enough to lose her balance. “Careful now, I won’t always be here to save you, little red,” she offered a small smile before she sat down next to the girl. “I would have figured your taste for the ocean would have been quenched the last time I saw you.”

She didn’t know if she would actually come, not really. She had hoped, sitting there with that little box in her hands. Though she was many years older than the mermaid who had saved her, Ailsa felt foolish young thing, a pale cheeked little girl waiting on the rocks all straight backed and poised. Did it matter out here? She couldn’t help wondering, for there was no one around to see her slouch or cross one leg over the other. Not that she ever would, she was too disciplined. Well trained like a pup. 

Slowly, the other woman’s presence dawned on Ailsa like the gentle light of a new day. Her head lifted to meet the gaze of the woman whose name she felt herself to be hungry for. Her cheeks began to heat when she felt the other’s arm across her shoulders, when she spoke gentle poetry into the chilled breeze. Swallowing, Ailsa stood and fought her instincts to bow her head in respect. She felt rigid as she always was, however in front of such a woman as her saviour, it all felt like too much. Stiff as a board, that was Ailsa. “My name is actually Ailsa.” She arched an eyebrow, the ghost of a smile flickered upon her lips before dying out. ‘I don’t have much love for the ocean, no... however, I did come with a thank you gift. It may be several months late but... well I simply couldn’t stop thinking about my behaviour that day. You must think I’m unhinged.”

[etrnalsnhine]

fckpeter‌:

peter hadn’t meant to intrude on the red head’s walk, but he’d hardly been paying attention to where he was. after the events of the few day blackout, everything felt out of place but being in the woods wasn’t very different than what he’d been doing anyway. he hugged his cloak tighter around himself, stepping on a weak branch that caused a snap that echoed through the forest. it even brought him back to reality before the girl spoke, he was already ducking his head in an apology. ‘my bad, i was just passing through. though maybe you could help. i’m trying to get to some water. anything close by?’

As the boy spoke, Ailsa’s eyes followed the body of a ladybird now crawling across the leather of her glove, bright red against the usual black she could be found swathed in. She often felt as though she were an awkward creature, too stiff, tall and stern. She’d been told she was a piece of cold porcelain, let her drop and she may shatter into a hundred pieces. That image seemed to stick with her. Nature’s creatures, however, she had infinite softness of them. “There is.” She confirmed, holding her hand out flat now that the insect had taken refuge in her palm. Finally, she looked up at the boy. “Come, I’ll lead you.” 

[etrnalsnhine]

matthieugreyheart‌:

He was patrolling the woods, ever since the Wren-Beaumont wedding Matthieu had been more diligent than ever when it came to preventing security breaches surrounding the royal castle. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if the vampires made their way into the heart of Acrine, it was bad enough that they had already claimed so many lives and harmed so many people. However, he was kept busy these days, busy with the princess and keeping her as safe as possible, so most of his patrols were done later in the evening when she was practicing dance or attending one of her many lessons. Not that that was enough to keep her from getting in trouble, he thought to himself grimly, she was more of a handful than he had been prepared for. He walked slowly through the woods, broad shoulders tense and trained nose sniffing for any unfamiliar scents, and when he heard someone moving nearby, his stormy blue-grey eyes narrowed and began to trail after them. A fae—a young, small red-headed fae. She wasn’t trespassing yet but given their court’s new alliance with the vampires, they still couldn’t be trusted. “That depends,” he said lightly, watching her carefully as she seemed to almost … caress an ancient-looking oak tree. Fucking faeries. “What are you doing so far from home, little monarch?” 

The woods felt like home to Ailsa, a gentle place, strong and as sturdy as she was. In truth, court was exhausting, vindictive and treacherous, so much so that the faerie often felt she went about her days holding in her breath, counting every step to ensure that none would be a misstep, never setting a toe out of line. Ailsa was good at it, for she was born noble, born to be this perfect Lady of the court. Tiring as it was, she felt a small part of her truly enjoyed it. At times. But now that she was out in the world, the girl felt as though she could let that breath out, exhaling into the chilly air and feeling the stress fall from her shoulders as though it was a cloak. “I am visiting the woods, I didn’t know that was already forbidden.” She replied mildly, taking the man in. His hulking form should have been imposing but she had learned never to cower to men. 

[starksistersdaily]

[etrnalsnhine]

Floundering arms in icy water, that was the clearest memory. The deepest of winter and Ailsa had found herself drowning, her lungs swelling with water. She had felt sure and steady arms around her, dragging her ashore where she had coughed and spluttered and when she had regained her voice she had begged that poor mermaid not to speak a word of this to anyone. The ravings of someone who had just avoided death, no thanks or gratitude, just the desperation to know that word wouldn’t spread of Lady Ailsa’s ventures into a world she didn’t quite know. 

She had returned to that beach, her eyes on the sand she had coughed up more water than she had thought possible. Where a woman with raven hair had saved her life and gotten little in return than Ailsa’s chattering teeth and fearful words. Ailsa felt foolish and, not knowing what to do with herself, she took to the rocks where she perched herself, her back straight and her hands folded neatly in her lap, her eyes on the horizon. She had come with a gift for the mermaid, a thank you she should have offered her on that day so long ago. And perhaps she just wanted to see her again -- illadvised as that may be.

@taikamin

[etrnalsnhine]

Ailsa had been lucky enough to get away for the day. Life in court was an intriguing thing, secrets were abound and the red headed faerie had a set of perceptive ears and quietly unassuming eyes. She enoyed the petty gossip as much as she adored the politics, however she found that she needed air and had taken herself on a short walk into the woods. The air was pleasantly cool against her pale cheeks, the crispness and the gentle winds brushed her hair across her shoulders and she took light footsteps until she finally paused in her travels and pressed a gloved hand to the bark of an old oak. For a moment, Ailsa breathed in the sharp air and accepted the peace surrounding her -- a footstep against a twig snapped her eyes open and pulled the fae back to reality. Swallowing, she dropped her hand and turned to the intruder on her serenity. “Can I help you?” She asked, her voice low.