Tender, Yet Tenacious

Willow Park || 22 || she/her Paradise awaits Only for the lonely The escapist and the brave

[halfawitch-willow]

[a-devious-route]

Taylor Tak

400*640

(( more ))

[halcyonhue]

Belated drawing for day1 of Willow Week, organised by @agrebel18 🌱

the prompt was “palisman bonding” so I drew fairy willow and clover having some in depth talks about the local flora 🐝🌸

I don’t know if I can do every day but I love clover and what she means for willow’s arc so I’m glad I got to do this one! Thanks for organising <3

Fairy willow concept credit goes to @lollytea

[alovesogentle]

The way this has me inconsolable and healed

[aliceweart]

willowillowillow

[lollytea]

Why did they give her a Gucci Cardigan

[lollytea]

[spiced-wine-fic]

The willow woman.

Photo taken by The Henge Shop, Avebury.

[leatherandmossprints]

‘Galatée’ by Charles Jalabert (French, 1819-1901)

[threegoblinart]

Happy Eclipse Day!

etsy l patreon

[turquoisespace35]

Everyone; her 💚

[lollytea]

[valtsv]

it's rotten work, but without the rot nothing can grow

[valtsv]

it's rotten work but decay is an essential part of the cycle of death and rebirth

[thegcldenguard]

I Just Want You to Know Who I Am || Daylily

[halfawitch-willow]

When she had first left the Boiling Isles, Willow had sworn she would never return.

She had believed down to the marrow of her bones that going back would kill her one day, and not in the peaceful kind of way. She would have died screaming, probably in pain, and alone.

She wasn't alone now.

Tears filled her eyes as she leaned into Hunter's kiss, and when they broke apart she was smiling brighter and wider than she ever had before coming to Swynlake. Before she'd made friends and discovered her talent, before she'd learned to accept who and what she was. Before she'd fallen in love with a dead man who had miraculously come back to life and decided to use that second chance to love her back.

"Okay," she breathed, laughing a little at how easy it felt now to make the decision. Around them, the plants she'd filled Darius's apartment with were spilling out onto the floor and up the walls in riotous, joyful bloom. "Yeah, let's do it!" Willow laughed again and her happy thoughts lifted her an inch or two into the air. When she tried to force herself back down, she ended up tugging Hunter down with her until they were sprawled out in a tangled heap on the couch, his weight the only thing keeping her from the ceiling.

She giggled and pulled him down for a long kiss, curling her fingers into the soft hair at the back of his head. The thought occured that if all went well, she would be able to do this for the rest of her life.

"I love you too," Willow told him once they came back up for air, all smiley and glittery. "Take me home, Hunter."

@thegcldenguard

[thegcldenguard]

The moment the life had flowed back into him on the floor of Belos’s tower, Hunter had realized that everything just felt more. 

Even before the whole Grimwalker thing, he couldn’t remember his heart aching and soaring and ricocheting the way it did now. Maybe it was because Belos had always been latching life from him. Maybe it wasn’t till he’d become entirely free that he could fully feel.

Every emotion, big and small and in-between, just felt more these days.

But nothing could’ve prepared him for just how much he felt right now — 

What was it? Happiness? Mixed with determination? Hope? Comfort? Glee? 

Possibility?

He was scared, a little bit. He was deliriously happy. He was kissing Willow and feeling fire course through his veins. They shifted a bit on the couch, their limbs tangled together, and suddenly Hunter was feeling very —

The doorbell rang.

Their takeout was here.

“Oh! Er! One moment!” Hunter scrambled up and smoothed out his hair, hoping that his cheeks did not look as red as they felt right now. He greeted the delivery driver, who apologized for being late to which Hunter replied no worries at all! It wasn’t even that late! And there was a bit of a back and forth, till finally Hunter took the bag of spinach puffs and plopped right next to Willow on the couch.

“Well,” he said. He reached in the bag and pulled out his puff, holding it up to Willow like a glass of champagne. “A toast to Swynlake. The friends we made. And a toast to the Isles and the future we’ll make together.” 

@halfawitch-willow

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow reluctantly let Hunter up to get their food, amusement plain on her face as the tender moment was interrupted. There would be more moments like that in the future -- she knew that for sure now.

She was back upright by the time Hunter came back with their food and offered her the spinach puff. The puff pastry crackled softly in her hand, flakes falling onto Darius's very expensive couch. She ignored the mess.

"To Swynlake," Willow echoed with a grin, tapping her spinach puff against his, "to the Isles, and to us."

In a few weeks, Willow would graduate from Pride U with her friends and family around to celebrate. She would pack up the last of the things in the apartment with Darius's help, and she would say her tearful goodbyes to her friends with promises to visit as often as she could. Queen Clarion would hand her a small pouch full of pixie dust and reassure her that the Hollow would always be home to her as well.

And then she would board that same train that brought her to Swynlake nearly two years before; this time without hiding her ears or her tail, and this time not alone. And this time, instead of running away, she would be charging ahead.

@thegcldenguard

[halfawitch-willow]

@thegcldenguard

"Orpheus?" "Yes?" "You finished it." "Yes... Now what do I do?" "You take me home with you."

[thegcldenguard]

I Just Want You to Know Who I Am || Daylily

[halfawitch-willow]

As Hunter spoke, Willow turned her face so she could look up at him from his shoulder. His words tugged at her, echoing some of her own feelings. Willow had more reasons than most to hate the Isles for what it did to her, just like Hunter, and here was her opportunity to go back and thrive despite their attempts to salt the ground.

She'd achieved a lot out of spite, what was one more victory?

Hunter's attention turned to her and Willow sat up a little straighter, ears perked curiously. It took a moment to process his request, but once she had, her whole face flushed red and her heart began to pound in her chest.

That Valentine's dream felt worlds away, even though it had really only been a year ago. To have it quoted back to her now -- after so long really never acknowledging it -- made her insides twist in the best way. She laughed with him as her tail happily flicked back and forth. She felt like that little girl in the castle again; scared but hopeful and happy and falling a little in love with the Golden Guard. Except this time all of the masks were gone.

This time it was just Hunter, and she would follow him anywhere.

"Hunter Deammone, you better mean that if you're pulling out the big guns on me," Willow chided playfully, wrapping her arms around his neck as she tugged him down to her level. She pressed a kiss to the smiling corner of his lips. In a softer voice, she asked "Do you really mean that?"

@thegcldenguard

[thegcldenguard]

“Yes,” Hunter replied, without hesitation

There were many things in his life that he was uncertain of, perhaps more than the average person. There were so many things he’d discovered, just in the past year or so, so many variables. 

But amid all that chaos, all that rumbling, he knew one thing for certain —

“Willow, I — I love you,” he said. He thought his voice might wobble, but it didn’t. Willow’s face was close to his. He could count her freckles, her eyelashes. He could still taste her sweet lips on his own. He reached to gently touch the side of her face. “And I mean it. I want to go back to the Isles and I want you with me, because I want to do everything with you. Go to the Isles. Order takeout. Brush our teeth. Ride our brooms.” 

It was a big declaration, he knew. But he also knew — he also knew it was true, trembling through his bones and in every beat of his reawakened heart. 

“So, come back with me,” he said, leaning to kiss her again. “Come back with me.” 

@halfawitch-willow

[halfawitch-willow]

When she had first left the Boiling Isles, Willow had sworn she would never return.

She had believed down to the marrow of her bones that going back would kill her one day, and not in the peaceful kind of way. She would have died screaming, probably in pain, and alone.

She wasn't alone now.

Tears filled her eyes as she leaned into Hunter's kiss, and when they broke apart she was smiling brighter and wider than she ever had before coming to Swynlake. Before she'd made friends and discovered her talent, before she'd learned to accept who and what she was. Before she'd fallen in love with a dead man who had miraculously come back to life and decided to use that second chance to love her back.

"Okay," she breathed, laughing a little at how easy it felt now to make the decision. Around them, the plants she'd filled Darius's apartment with were spilling out onto the floor and up the walls in riotous, joyful bloom. "Yeah, let's do it!" Willow laughed again and her happy thoughts lifted her an inch or two into the air. When she tried to force herself back down, she ended up tugging Hunter down with her until they were sprawled out in a tangled heap on the couch, his weight the only thing keeping her from the ceiling.

She giggled and pulled him down for a long kiss, curling her fingers into the soft hair at the back of his head. The thought occured that if all went well, she would be able to do this for the rest of her life.

"I love you too," Willow told him once they came back up for air, all smiley and glittery. "Take me home, Hunter."

@thegcldenguard

[thegcldenguard]

I Just Want You to Know Who I Am || Daylily

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow hummed at Hunter's question, pressing her lips together in a thin line. "I'm... not sure," she admitted. "Part of me does. I love the Isles too, and I miss it. I want to see what it becomes without Belos, and I want to help shape it. But..."

Why should the Boiling Isles get the best of her after a lifetime of tearing her down?

It was a selfish thought, but one she couldn't ignore. Swynlake was the reason why Willow had become this new, stronger person. Why she could return to the Boiling Isles without fear in the first place. For as homesick as she was, for as much as the thought of being kept from the Isles again like she had in the past year made her whole body tremble, she couldn't deny there was a big part of her that wanted to stay in Swynlake to enjoy the fruits of her labor without sacrificing them to the alter of the Isle's rebirth.

But with so many people she loved heading back to the Isles, wouldn't that sacrifice be worth it?

She groaned, shifting on the couch until her legs were thrown over Hunter's lap and she could bury her face in his shoulder. "I can't make up my mind! I know I could visit whichever one I don't choose, but still..."

@thegcldenguard

[thegcldenguard]

“I understand,” said Hunter, softly.

He twirled a strand of Willow’s hair between two fingers. 

It would be easy to stay in Swynlake. He could continue working at the Lucky Cat. Maybe apply for a job at InterPride. He could find an apartment with Willow. They could have plants by the windowsill — especially now that Hunter’s life energy didn’t sap theirs — and a birdfeeder. And then they could visit the Isles, whenever they wanted to. Darius and the others wouldn’t hold it against him, not after everything he’d been through. 

But at the same time —

The Isles needed help. Hunter wanted to help. It would be the harder path. 

But it would be the right one. 

“I think… I want to go back,” said Hunter. “Because I love the Isles. But also because — well, now I get to love them to spite Belos. It’s like a final victory. I get to love the Isles, despite everything he did to me and everything he did to them. And --"

Hunter swallowed. He looked down at Willow.

"And I want you with me." There was a moment of silence. He let out a surprised laugh. "That is my very selfish request, Willow Park. Come back with me."

@halfawitch-willow

[halfawitch-willow]

As Hunter spoke, Willow turned her face so she could look up at him from his shoulder. His words tugged at her, echoing some of her own feelings. Willow had more reasons than most to hate the Isles for what it did to her, just like Hunter, and here was her opportunity to go back and thrive despite their attempts to salt the ground.

She'd achieved a lot out of spite, what was one more victory?

Hunter's attention turned to her and Willow sat up a little straighter, ears perked curiously. It took a moment to process his request, but once she had, her whole face flushed red and her heart began to pound in her chest.

That Valentine's dream felt worlds away, even though it had really only been a year ago. To have it quoted back to her now -- after so long really never acknowledging it -- made her insides twist in the best way. She laughed with him as her tail happily flicked back and forth. She felt like that little girl in the castle again; scared but hopeful and happy and falling a little in love with the Golden Guard. Except this time all of the masks were gone.

This time it was just Hunter, and she would follow him anywhere.

"Hunter Deammone, you better mean that if you're pulling out the big guns on me," Willow chided playfully, wrapping her arms around his neck as she tugged him down to her level. She pressed a kiss to the smiling corner of his lips. In a softer voice, she asked "Do you really mean that?"

@thegcldenguard

[thegcldenguard]

I Just Want You to Know Who I Am || Daylily

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow was about to press Hunter about what he really wanted to eat when he caught her hand and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. Her words instantly died in her throat and she giggled softly, her ears fluttering as all of the plants in the room seemed to open even wider and brighter, feeding off of her joy.

She still wasn't used to these little moments of affection - they always surprised her in the best way. She'd never been cherished before, at least, not like this. It was like all of her favorite parts of those syrupy romance novels she'd read growing up, expect even better because this was real.

For as rough as everything with the Isles had been over the last year, every moment was worth it to have these quiet, intimate moments with Hunter now.

Willow leaned her head against Hunter's shoulder, looking at his profile with a hopelessly besotted expression. The mention of the Isles quickly sobered her back, though, at least a little.

"Yeah, guess we better get them in while we can," Willow said with a soft sigh. As it had for the past month, as graduation crept closer, the idea of whether to leave or stay hung on to her ankles teeth-first.

She was going to have to decide sooner rather than later.

@thegcldenguard

[thegcldenguard]

Hunter put the order in. The app said it would arrive in fifteen minutes. He related that to Willow, then put down his phone, leaning back on the couch. He shifted so that he could twine his fingers around hers and lean his head a little closer. 

For a few moments, he just sat silently, enjoying her warmth and the way his heart fluttered as their skin touched.

“It’ll be strange to go home,” he said. “I haven’t ever known the Isles without Belos.” He paused. “I’d like to. I don’t want him to take them from me. Because I do love Isles.” He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing the harsh mountain landscape of the knee and the cobbled streets of Bonesbourough. His eyes fluttered open. He turned to Willow, searching her face. 

“Are you — do you want to go back?”

Truth be told, Hunter was hesitant. He loved the Isles, but he also loved Swynlake. 

@halfawitch-willow

[halfawitch-willow]

Willow hummed at Hunter's question, pressing her lips together in a thin line. "I'm... not sure," she admitted. "Part of me does. I love the Isles too, and I miss it. I want to see what it becomes without Belos, and I want to help shape it. But..."

Why should the Boiling Isles get the best of her after a lifetime of tearing her down?

It was a selfish thought, but one she couldn't ignore. Swynlake was the reason why Willow had become this new, stronger person. Why she could return to the Boiling Isles without fear in the first place. For as homesick as she was, for as much as the thought of being kept from the Isles again like she had in the past year made her whole body tremble, she couldn't deny there was a big part of her that wanted to stay in Swynlake to enjoy the fruits of her labor without sacrificing them to the alter of the Isle's rebirth.

But with so many people she loved heading back to the Isles, wouldn't that sacrifice be worth it?

She groaned, shifting on the couch until her legs were thrown over Hunter's lap and she could bury her face in his shoulder. "I can't make up my mind! I know I could visit whichever one I don't choose, but still..."

@thegcldenguard