An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/7
Fandom: Dark Rise Series - C. S. Pacat
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Will Kempen & Anharion
Characters: Will Kempen, Anharion (Dark Rise Series), The Sun King (Dark Rise Series), Elder Steward (Dark Rise Series)
Additional Tags: Time Travel, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, The Sun Kingdom, Abuse of Authority
Summary:
“There’s only one other person I know with hair the colour of your own.”
Will looked up at him. “And who’s that?”
“His name is Sarcean.”
-
When a mysterious woman transports Will to kingdom that hides horrors behind enchanting gold pillars, he doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to make it out alive. If Anharion is the only kind person in this place, maybe he’ll have a chance.
—————
This is for @visionsofloveandmagic , and I hope that you enjoy!
You disgust me. I watch the way your body trembles and see nothing but a shell of who you once were. What happened to the one who reached up to the clouds and explored the darkest valleys? What happened the the one who danced with fairies and sang with giants? Your voice is quiet now, and the croaking whisper makes me want to claw at your face until it is nothing but bloody strips. Maybe then they will look at you and remember. Maybe, just maybe, they will see the darling red flowing from your mouth and think of the times when your hands were not coated in something so vile. But then again, if that is all it takes then why did you not do it yourself? Surely you, with the broken crown upon your head does not need me to hold you up to the light? Howl at the bars of your self-made prison all you want, but you will always be remembered as the king of a place that does not exist.
Idk if you're still doing the one word write for 100 followers (congrats btw) but here's one: glassy!
Thanks Kit, here you go! :D
-
Four sniffled, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. They itched like hell, but he knew it would only be worse if he rubbed monster blood into them. Yuck.
Curse Wild’s Hyrule.
Don’t get him wrong, it was beautiful, but when flowers and plants are left to grow for a hundred years, it’s impossible to escape from the pollen they produce.
Wild sprinted past suddenly, hooting as he drew the attention of the last few monsters over to him. He wasn’t affected by hay fever. And by the looks of it, neither was anyone else!
Four sneezed, bringing more tears to his already glassy eyes. Damn allergies.
Wind tossed a bag of rupees into the centre of their makeshift circle, where they made a satisfying ‘clink!’.
He smiled smugly, leaning back as the others turned to him. “Sixty-one years, four months, and twenty-seven days.” He declared, and immediately received a chorus of scoffs and looks of scrutiny.
“Why bet so much on such an exact number?” Warriors asked the younger hero. “Unless you’re… cheating.”
Wind’s eyes became almost comically wide as he placed a hand over his heart. “Captain.” He said, voice choked with obvious fake emotion. “We’ve been through everything together, and now you’re accusing me of being a cheater?” Wind sniffed, and Four rolled his eyes.
“With that performance?” The smithy said. “Absolutely.”
The others grumbled their agreement as Legend shoved Wind’s bag of rupees back towards him. “Anyone else have any bets on the old man’s age? Reasonable ones?” He emphasised the last part with a look at Wind.
“Younger than sixty-one years, four months, and twenty-eight days.” A voice said from behind the group. They all jumped, turning to face Time with guilty looks. The old man just raised an eyebrow at them. “And older than twelve.” He surveyed the group, and then went to turn away before adding one more thing.
When Zelda invited the heroes of Hyrule from across time to the ball, she had expected a number of things. They would probably draw the attention of the other party goers, sure. Maybe they’d show up wearing different clothing, from their own time periods.
What she hadn’t expected for them to appear wearing the most stunning dresses. Where had they even gotten them from? She needed to get in contact with their tailor.
Everything in the room seemed to stop as the nine of them waltzed in. Glittering floor length gowns and floaty skirts captivated the other guests. Women’s mouths hung open and men stared with wide eyed. Zelda grinned.
“Welcome, heroes of Hyrule.” She said, breaking the spell. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
Wind flopped down in the grass, throwing his hands up to cover his eyes from the sun. “That was crazy.” He said, panting slightly. “Who knew monsters could even do that?”
Twilight lowered himself down next to the sailor. “It looked like they were trying to dance.” He complained. “I just stood there completely bumfuzzled!”
It took Wind a moment to process what Twilight had just said. “Bumfuzzled?” He questioned, holding back a laugh.
Legend groaned from somewhere off to his left. “It’s another one of his weird sayings.” The other hero said. “Don’t question it.”
Twilight gave Legend a look of mock offence. “Weird saying?” He squawked. “I’ll have you know that my ‘weird sayings’ are-“
Wind closed his eyes, tuning out the conversation. He snickered quietly to himself. “Bumfuzzled.”
For the @badthingshappenbingo prompt 'cruel and unusual punishment'
Characters: Legend & Marin
Warnings: Blood, injury, major character death, poison
When Legend came around, he found himself lying in a bed. This was strange, because last he remembered the chain had been… attacked. They’d been ambushed by the black bloods. He sat up, looking around for his brothers and found-
A girl. A girl with long red hair and eyes that sparkled even without the light. A girl wearing the same blue dress she always did, along with a flower in her hair.
“Oh, what a relief!” Marin exclaimed as soon as she noticed him awake. She grabbed a cup from the table and brought it over to his bedside. “I thought you’d never wake up! You were tossing and turning…” Marin pushed her hair out of her face and looked at Legend, eyes locking with his own.
“What?” He replied blankly, too stunned to form a sentence of any kind.
“My name’s Marin.” She introduced. “You’re on Koholint Island.”
“…what?”
Marin pursed her lips, putting the cup in his hand. “Drink.” She said. “It’ll make you feel better.”
Legend’s brain took a good moment to process her words. How was he here? Why was he here? What had happened? When he didn’t drink from the cup, Marin reached out and moved it to his lips. “I said drink.” She insisted. Was he imagining it, or was something hiding behind her words?…
Marin made a frustrated noise. “Drink it!” She cried out. The sudden outburst startled Legend, who proceeded to spill whatever was in the cup. Marin’s lips formed a perfect ‘o’, before she scrunched up her face.
“No!” She smacked the cup out of his hands, sending it crashing to the floor. The delicate ceramic broke, shards sent flying to the corners of the room. “No! You were supposed to drink it!” She shrieked. Legend gasped, kicking the blankets away in an attempt to retreat from the girl. As she sobbed, crimson droplets leaked from Marin’s eyes. Blood.
Something was very, very wrong here.
Marin sniffled, and swiped at her eyes, only succeeding in smearing the blood across her face. Her fingers trailed down, streaking it across her lips and chin, before she pulled it away to look at fingers with disgust. Seeing the blood, Marin just wiped it on the front of her dress. Meanwhile, her other hand reached out to the shelf beside her and grabbed a long blade. She shrugged. “I didn’t want to do it this way.” She said, as if discussing the weather. “It’s a lot more mess to clean up.”
She slashed out at him with a cry. Still tangled in the sheets, Legend wasn’t able to move fast enough. There was the ripping sound of his fabric, then the feel of the blade as it met his flesh. It tore through his skin, setting his chest on fire. He coughed, and Marin just wiped the blood- his blood- on her already sullied dress. “Heroes.” She pouted. “You always know how to make a mess.”
-
When Legend came around, he found himself lying in a bed. This was strange, because last he remembered he had been… attacked. He’d been ambushed by monsters- wait. That wasn’t right? It was strange that he couldn’t remember.
Legend sat up, looking around for his brothers. Instead he found himself looking at a girl. A girl with long red hair and eyes that sparkled even without the light. A girl wearing the same blue dress she always did, along with a flower in her hair. A girl who cried blood- wait, what?
“Oh, what a relief!” Marin exclaimed as soon as she noticed him awake. She grabbed a cup from the table and brought it over to his bedside. “I thought you’d never wake up! You were tossing and turning…” Marin pushed her hair out of her face, her face which was definitely free of blood. “My name’s Marin.” She continued on. “You’re on Koholint Island.”
“What?” He replied blankly. His brain couldn’t seem to process any information, instead choosing to fixate on an image of broken ceramic.
Marin pursed her lips, putting the cup in his hand. “Drink.” She said. “It’ll make you feel better.”
Legend complied, raising the cup to his lips. An odd thought told him something bad would happen if he didn’t. As he drank, Marin leant back with a satisfied expression. Something felt off here, but he couldn’t quite place it.
Legend coughed, the drink burning his throat. “What is this?” He muttered, looking down at the empty cup. Marin didn’t reply. Legend coughed again, trying to get rid of the feeling. The taste of bile rose up, and his mouth felt numb. He could feel the spit falling past his lips, but his hands wouldn’t comply when he went to brush it away.
The cup fell from his limp fingers, falling to the floor. The delicate ceramic broke, shards sent flying to the corners of the room.
“Goodnight.” Marin hummed. “Sweet dreams.”
Legend knew as gravity pulled him down that he’d done something wrong again.
-
When Link came around, he found himself lying in a bed. This was strange, because last he remembered he had been… numb. Huh. Maybe he’d eaten the wrong thing again.
“Oh, what a relief!” A voice exclaimed. He sat up and found himself looking at a girl. A girl with long red hair and eyes that sparkled even without the light. A girl wearing the same blue dress she always did, along with a flower in her hair. Marin.
“I thought you’d never wake up! You were tossing and turning…” Marin said, bringing over a cup. Link paused, gripping the sheets. There was nagging feeling in the back of his mind that was telling him to run. Some hair that had been previously tucked behind his ear fell out, the pink strands temporarily obscuring his view of Marin’s face. Wait, pink?
Marin was looking at him expectantly, and he realised she had still been talking to him. When he didn’t come up with a response fast enough, she pushed the cup into his hands.
“Drink.” She said. “It’ll make you feel better.”
No. He thought. The flash of emotion that flew across Marin’s face made him realise he said it out loud.
“No?” She asked, biting her lip as if trying not to cry. “What do you mean no?”
Link set the cup down on the bedside table. “I’m not really thirsty.” He replied carefully.
Marin let out a half-crying noise, sprinting forward. Her hands wrapped around Link’s throat, thumbs pushing in. “You’re no fun!” She sobbed. Red ran down her cheeks like little rivers. Blood. Hylia, she was crying blood. “Why can’t you just drink it?!”
Link scrambled at her wrists, finally wrenching them away. He was still on the bed, and when he sat up a sharp pain ripped through his stomach. He hadn’t remembered Marin having a knife.
She panted, pulling it out with a sickening sound. “Next time.” She promised. “It’s so much better when you don’t remember.”
-
When Link came around, he found himself lying in a bed. This was strange, because last he remembered he’d been… on the ocean. He sat up, looking around and found himself looking at a girl who hung beside the bed. His sleep-addled brain recognised her from somewhere.
“Oh, what a relief!” The girl exclaimed as soon as she noticed him awake. She grabbed a cup from the bedside, but half it close instead of offering it (why did he expect her to offer it? That was self-entitled of him). “I thought you’d never wake up! You were tossing and turning…” She pushed her hair out of her face and looked at Link, eyes locking with his own.
“Zelda?” He asked, too confused to say anything else. No, that wasn’t right. Who was she?
“What? Zelda?” The girl laughed. “No, my name’s Marin. You must still be feeling a little woozy.” Marin smiled, and Link felt a shiver run down his spine. A feeling of wrong, wrong, wrong.
For the @badthingshappenbingo prompt 'race against the clock'
Characters: Warriors & Legend
Warnings: Blood, injury, major character death
Warriors walked cautiously. Not too slow that he would get caught, but not too fast either. Whenever his boots clacked on the cold floor, he winced. Ears straining, every so often he’d hear the sound that he was looking for. The purposeful tapping of someone’s nails against tile, then quiet again as they moved away from him. By the goddesses, he hoped he wasn’t following a trap.
Left, he silently translated, taking one of three possible turns. This place was like a maze. Warriors continued walking along, waiting for the next instructions. Instead he came to the next intersection without hearing a single thing. Frowning, he stopped and tapped on the wall, questioning his anonymous guide.
W. H. E. R. E.
Nothing. Had something happened to them? Had he gone the wrong way? His thoughts were interrupted by anguished scream, that reminded him of some kind of animal being gutted. It was the kind of bloody, brutal noise people only made when they were dying. And he knew who it came from.
Forgetting being quiet and following the morse code path, Warriors ran to where the scream had come from. Go straight here, keep going, wait no! Turn around and turn there, it’s definitely closer now…
Before he had been surrounded by blank walls, but now identical doors popped up down every corridor. There. One door was open, a trail of crimson drops leading a path away from it. Warriors slowed his pace, creeping slowly to the room. No sounds came from it anymore. Looking around the corner of the door frame, he saw two brown boots. Further up there was a familiar tunic, with blood blending in so perfectly to the red he could almost pretend it wasn’t there. Warriors pushed the door open so he could see the person fully. One arm was twisted unnaturally, and violet eyes stared blankly up at him.
Legend’s pink bangs hung back from his face, revealing his full expression. With lips slightly parted and face clean of any horror, Warriors could have closed his eyes and pretended he was just sleeping. The mark across his pale throat ruined the illusion though. The truth was he’d been too late. And based on the trail Legend’s killer had left behind, they were still being hunted.
Will pressed his lips together, staying silent as his mother shut the door. The restriction around his wrist forced him to sleep with one arm stretched up at the bed head, but he had gotten used to it by now. Laying in the dark room, he shifted so he could stare through the crack in the curtain that let a sliver of moonlight in. His mother promised that it was normal. Promised that it was to protect him.
“The monsters can’t get to you this way.” She would tell him. “They’re all locked up.”
When he’s older, Will might look back and realise the only monster she was locking up was him.
2. when he’s around all you do is tremble. when he’s around you want to get on your knees. look how much power he has over you. it’s dangerous.
James was beautiful. Ethereal. And terrifying. Will would go to the ends of the earth and back to save him. He would fight until his limbs no longer moved, until the vines of time grew over his chest and filled his lungs, creeping their way through his parted lips. Will would die for this boy, this reborn, this relic. He would raise a sword and look down at his blood stained hands and stare, and he wouldn’t loose his mind at the crimson stains. No, he would welcome it if thats what it took.
3. he’s too good at forgiving and you’re too good at violence.
Speaking of crimson stains, look at the way pale arms shine in the light when they’re painted in red. Red like the dying sun, red like rubies, red like everything inside of him. Will could be drowning in red and James wouldn’t hesitate to pull him out. Even if that meant he got covered in red too. Isn’t that a scary thought?
4. you know what they say about monsters. you know what happens to the boys who love them. are you going to do that to him?
Monster. The nightmares never really go away, do they? Once a monster, always a monster, even if you’re trying to save them, they’ll only ever see your faults. Devil, demon, savage, villain, bastard, tyrant. It all means the same thing, doesn’t it. You can’t love a monster. Monsters can’t love you back. You can’t love a monster, Monsters can’t love you back. You caN’T LOVE A MONSTER. MONSTERS CAN’T LOVE YOU BACK. YOU CAN’T LOVE A MONST-
5. your hands don’t know how to be gentle. think about the last beautiful thing that shattered in your palms. the fresh rosebuds crumbling between your fingers like a bruise. you wolf-boy, you war machine. you wouldn’t know how to hold something magic and not destroy it.
Ha. Will could’t believe anyone ever thought he was their saviour. Look at him. A stupid, stupid boy who once thought he could ever do something right. Pale, and weak, with eyes like emptiness. A boy with a hunger for violence and revenge.
Now look at Violet, or Cyprian, or Katherine. Perfect, honourable. Beautiful, kind. Strong, fearless. Will could crush them in a heartbeat. They’ll all see. Where are these thoughts even coming from? Aren’t they his friends?
6. if you hurt him it might kill you
James isn’t the kind of person to cry. Will refused to make him cry. Someone as beautiful as that shouldn’t have to bear such pain. Especially not from him.
7. if you hurt him you might kill yourself.
8. you are very bad at rehabilitation. this is one addiction you’d fail to give up. he’s going to ruin you for all other kisses and all other boys and you’ll spend the rest of your life trying to forget his name.
There truly was no one else like James st Clair. He was like Will’s other half, his saviour, his lifeline. Will wouldn’t be able to survive without him. He needed James, unlike anything else he’d ever needed before. Will needed James more than food or water or air or life, and without him he would fall down, down, down until there was nowhere else left to fall,
and then he would just keep falling.
9. you still aren’t sure he isn’t a dream.
10. if you kiss him, you might wake up.
If this was a dream, Will hoped he'll die without waking up.
(reasons to kiss him:
1. because he’s beautiful.
2. because he asked.
3. because he preceded please with, i’m not afraid of you.)
for the @badthingshappenbingo prompt I should have been better
Characters: Wild & Sky
Wild paced, his breath becoming shallower with each step. His hands wouldn’t still as they pulled at his tunic (when did it get so tight?), ran through his hair (he kept tugging at the strands and tugging-), and drummed on his thighs (there was no sequence or sense to the beat). A burning lump formed in his throat, but Wild held it down. He wouldn’t cry. There was no reason for him to. It was just a nightmare, after all. Just a stupid memory that didn’t even make sense. Wild drew in a shuddering breath of the cold night air, letting it fill his lungs. It was fine.
“Wild?” Sky murmured his name, still sounding half asleep. “Is everything okay?”
The champion couldn’t find the words to reply. If he opened his mouth, then he might break, and goddesses wouldn’t that be embarrassing? Instead Wild just continued pacing, pressing his lips tightly together and twisting his fingers to stop himself collapsing there and then.
Calloused hands reached out, waiting until his pacing stopped before gently wrapping Wild in a hug. “What’s the matter?” Sky asked softly.
Wild sniffled as he hurried his face in the crook of the chosen hero’s shoulder. Sky just rubbed his back, shushing him in a steadying way. “It’s okay.” Sky told him. “Take your time.”
Wild whined, ears angled low. “I lost them.” He rasped. “I don’t know what we could have been like a hundred years ago. Maybe-“ He hiccuped, voice catching with emotion. “-maybe if I’d been better-“
“Hey, hey.” Sky said. “None of that. It wasn’t your fault, okay? There are things that we have no control over.” He squeezed Wild tighter, pressing his face into the younger hero’s hair. “Sometimes horrible things happen, but we find our way around them. I’m sorry that you had to go through any of this Wild. I really am. But maybe things changed because of it?”
Wild pulled away from Sky so he could look at him. “What does that mean?” He asked, rubbing at teary eyes.
Sky paused as he thought about how to explain it. Obviously what happened to Wild was different to his own experiences, but Zelda always tried to find a way to look on the positive side when he was down. “I guess you have to think about the good things, and then it makes the bad stuff not so, well, bad. I mean, think about all the memories you’ve made now. And all the ones that you’ll get to make. Those are up to you, right?”
Wild considered his words. “I guess so. It’s about living in the present, not the past?”
Sky nodded. “If that’s what you want it to be.”
The younger hero pulled Sky into another hug. “Thank you.”
For the @badthingshappenbingo prompt thwarted escape!
Characters: Legend
Warnings: knife
Legends was running.
Every so often, his aching feet would catch and cause him to stumble over nothing, before he could quickly gain his balance again. Run. He repeated to himself, over and over like a prayer. Keep going, don’t stop. Legend wrenched a door open, mentally thanking whatever goddesses that were listening that it was unlocked.
Sliding to the floor of the dark room, back against the wall, Legend pressed his hand to his mouth in an attempt to try and quieten his heavy breaths. He’d been running for so long, but the maze of hallways seemed to go on forever.
Steady footsteps echoed in the silence, getting closer and closer to him with each passing beat. The sound of something thin and metallic grated against his ears as it was, from what he could tell, dragged slowly across the wall. It sounded like a knife.
Step. Step. Step. Scchhhhhrrrrrr-ink!
Silence.
Legend made himself as small as he could, lungs too tight to breathe. The rabbit-like instincts in the back of his mind screamed at him to run, but he didn’t. The hunter is always bigger, faster, stronger than the prey. Running would just get him eaten.
There was the sound of a door handle turning open and the latch clicking, before the door was slowly pushed open. Legend hugged his knees as close to his chest as he could, keeping the toes of his boots narrowly out of the light.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are-“ A voice crooned.
Hide and seek had been Legends favourite game, once.
“Come on hero.” He could imagine the childish pout on its lips. “I just want to play!”
Just leave. He silently begged. Please leave.
“Aha!” It exclaimed, poking its head around the door. The hunter raised its knife. “ Found you.”
Hey! I haven’t posted any of my writing in a while, so I decided to share this wip. (:
“Once, there was a boy called Link.”
If you ask around, people might say he was a forest spirit of some kind. A child who seemed to communicate with the animals? With ghosts? Who would speak out to the air with a laugh, then feel the breeze through his hair like a kiss?
Others might say he was a fallen God, one who had been sleeping for a long, long time. Sent to the land to remind the people of their purpose. To save them.
“My mama, and her mama before her, told me that he was a hero.”
A saviour. A protector. A king with humble roots.
“Link defeated a great evil that plagued the land of Hyrule.”
A child fated to save the world, accompanied by a magic sword. A courageous soul who always won. Over and over, like a cycle.
“And after, disappeared, just like he always would. Waiting to return the next time we needed help.”
Maybe the hero was some kind of immortal being. Ready to serve Hyrule when the people called on him. History told us that Link was always there when the land was in trouble after all. It was possible it was the same person.
“If something happened, would Link come back?”
The mother paused from where she was spinning the tale of the hero by firelight, and looked to her youngest, who sat by her feet. “Of course he would.” She said. “He always does.”
Hey guys. Rain here. I’m typing this on my phone and it’s probably not gonna make much sense but here we go.
Recently I’ve been thinking a lot about gender, and what it means to me. More specifically, the pronouns that I use.
On my blog it currently says she/they pronouns, but the thing is I don’t really know if it fits. What does being a ‘girl’ feel like? How about a guy? How do I know that I’m non-binary? What if I used other pronouns?
It’s all a lot, and a bit confusing if I’m going to be honest.
When I was younger, I had a ‘gender crisis’ basically. My entire search history was filled with questions about being trans. Back then, I really liked he/him pronouns.
Later on, I decided that I didn’t really feel any connection to that, and started using she/they.
But now, I’ve been thinking that it doesn’t really fit, if you know what I mean. I don’t feel any connection to those pronouns. Or any, if I’m being honest.
I don’t know how I feel about being a girl. I don’t know how I feel about being a boy. I don’t know how I feel about using specific pronouns, or mirror pronouns, or neo pronouns.
I don’t know if there’s anything currently that feels like me.
For now, I’m going to update my blog to say ‘any pronouns’. I’ll see how I feel about it later, and if you have any advice feel free to share.
