Summary: You've been friends with Cam Tauri since... you can't remember when. Unfortunately, as of three months ago, you were arranged to marry none other than his older brother.
A/N: Hello, random Tumblr return. I come bearing a very mid blurb that I thought of while listening to Ashe's new song Stop the Wedding! (highly recommend listening while reading!) Also, just reread the Empyrean books, so it's very much on my mind. And we need more Cam/Aaric fics because where's the love? Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and if you do, a little like or repost doesn't hurt!
Warnings: Lowkey nothing minus cursing I think, arranged marriage, Halden being annoying, parent issues?
Words: 2k
Stop the Wedding!
"Stop the wedding, stop the wedding / If your heart is dreading, hands are sweating / While the sun is setting, you'll be getting out / Stop the wedding, stop the wedding"
You shouldn’t be here. You don’t want to be here. It’s taking everything in you to not bolt out of here and run for the hills.
You glance at your trembling hands, and you have to blink back a new well of threatening tears. Why are you here?
“[Y/N]?” your Lady-in-Waiting, Mariona, calls your attention, and you swallow out of habit only to find your mouth has run completely dry. “Are you alright?” You can tell by her pinched eyebrows and slight frown that she knows something’s wrong. Maybe it’s because she’s known you your whole life, or maybe it’s because your face is more exposing than you thought.
And then, just as you open your mouth to lie, she holds a stern finger up. “And don’t say ‘nothing,’ because I know it isn’t ‘nothing.’” Well, there goes that plan.
You let out a heavy sigh, dropping your head backwards—before sitting right back up because one of the handmaidens is busy pinning your hair up—in defeat. “Mariona,” you whine, but she only lifts a brow. “You know what’s wrong.”
“[Y/N]!” she swats you with one of your pale white gloves you left on the vanity. “You told me you were over this. You told me you’d accepted your fate!”
You groan, fists clenching. “Yes, well, that was when it still hadn’t felt… real. But, now that I’m sitting here in this stupid white dress—”
“—you mean beautiful—”
“—and getting my hair done and veil perfected and bouquet wrapped… Mariona, I can’t do this!” And that’s the first time in three months you’ve admitted it out loud because, over the course of that time, you really did try. Try to accept your role as an eligible Lady of Arkala, try to accept that you would soon become wife of the Navarrian heir, try to accept the fact that this was how life went in a a society like your’s.
Your friend holds your gaze for a moment, clearly trying to find the proper response to your outburst, but you both know there’s nothing that can fix this. You’re getting married whether you want to or not, and worse you’re getting married to Halden Tauri.
It truly is ironic that the Tauri family somehow possessed both your top and worst options.
Mariona seems to read your mind, though, and the next question uttered from her lips is, “You’ve spoken to Cam recently, haven’t you?”
Well, call her a mind reader.
At your lack of an answer, she throws her hands up in frustration. “I told you to stay away! That, if you thought marrying his brother was already hard enough, then seeing him would only make it harder!” She groans, sitting back in a chair and dropping her face into her hands. “This is not good.”
You’re inclined to agree, but you keep your mouth shut to avoid getting a shoe thrown at your face.
A moment passes, and then another, until finally—
“What’d he say?”
Your eyebrows shoot to your hairline. That is not the follow-up you’d expected her to ask.
But, even so, you slowly find your words. “Well,” you start, biting your bottom lip, “he kind of found me sitting on the balcony—”
“The one that you guys have met on since you were children?” When you nod, she rolls her eyes. “So, he found you, but you wanted him to.” Well, she just read you to filth, but you ignore her words and continue.
“He found me and sat next to me, and we kind of just reminisced about growing up together—”
Somehow, she drops her head even deeper into her palms. “Oh, gods.”
“And then we talked about the next part of our lives, how everything’s changing, then I mentioned the wedding—mostly about how weird it’s gonna be as his sister-in-law—”
“—Yeah, no fucking kidding, Captain Obvious! Of course it’ll be weird if your former secret girlfriend married your asshole older brother—”
You continue to ignore her. “—and he just… went off. About how I shouldn’t do this, shouldn’t marry Halden. He talked about how we shouldn’t have to follow our parents rules.” You blink, and tears gloss your eyes. “He talked about our childhood dream to run off and join the circus. To get out of here. And then he…” you bite your lip right before the words fall out.
Mariona scoots forward in her seat, eyes wide. “He what? What did he say?”
“You have to swear yourself to secrecy, Mar,” you whisper, adjusting your own position so you hang off the edge, leaning forward and holding out a pinky. When she wraps her own around it, a solemn nod following, you let out a heavy breath. “He’s joining the rider’s quadrant.”
She gapes, a hand pressed to her chest. “He’s what?”
You shake your head, sitting back now, and your just realize how empty the room is. You bring a hand up to find your hair completely pinned, and your stomach churns. There’s not much time before they’ll summon you.
“Tomorrow’s Conscription Day. So, he’s going to run off and join. Once he’s through and bonded…” she shakes her head. “There’s not much his father can do.”
Mariona leans back, eyes closing as she collects her thoughts. “And that’s all he said?” The way she asks… she already knows the answer. She already knows there’s more. Cam and [Y/N] were never… simple. Or easy. Not when she’d been destined to marry his brother. And yet, they fell in love anyway.
You look at your hands once again. “He told me, ‘Don’t marry him.’” Your gaze flicks up. “He told me to come with him.”
Before Mariona even has a chance to reply, the door busts open, and you each jump up. Your hand clutches your necklace nervously and meet the gaze of the Infantry awaiting you. You don’t need him to tell you to come with him—you already know.
And slowly, you rise, the skirt of the white ballgown falling beneath you and covering your feet. You pull the gloves on, blink away your tears, and hold Mariona’s gaze as she pins the veil across your face.
“You look beautiful,” she whispers, tears now clouding her own eyes, and then she turns away.
Before you know it, you’re standing alone at the doors of the cathedral.
Most of the ceremony goes by in a… blur of sorts. As soon as the music starts playing, as soon as the doors swing open and your father grabs your arm to lead you down the aisle, it all becomes background noise.
You plaster a fake, trained smile across your lips—the one you’ve perfected throughout your entire childhood—and you listen to the lengthy speech the priest has planned for you. It’s a Royal Wedding, after all.
Guests stand, they sit, they stand, they sit. The orchestra plays gorgeous Navarrian tunes. They worship the gods and pray to them. And Halden smiles the entire time, bright eyed and looking at the crowd, and you remember… he’s always been a convincing performer.
But you don’t miss the look he gives you. Empty, careless. You may be his legal wife, but he knows much about mistresses.
And even though you’ve never liked him, your heart clenches just the same.
During another unnecessarily long prayer, you manage to finally cast a glance to the front row in the nave. There, you spot your parents watching you with bright eyes, Mariona with a sad smile, the King and Queen, and then—
Your breath catches as your eyes meet Cam’s.
Your connected gaze remains that way for what feels like several minutes, but is more close to around five seconds. And yet, those seconds—as eternal as they seem—are the best few seconds of this entire ceremony.
You manage to keep your gaze held on either Halden or the Priest until you reach the vows.
Your heart jumps to your throat, but to your relief, the Priest turns toward Halden first.
“Do you, Halden Tauri, heir of Navarre, take Lady [Y/N] [L/N] of Arkala as your lawful wife, to stand beside her in prosperity and hardship, in peace and in war, until the gods call you both home?”
Halden doesn’t even hesitate, a charming—fake—grin upturning the corners of his mouth.
“I do.”
Two words.
That’s all it takes.
Two words, and suddenly this is real.
The priest turns toward you, and the world itself seems to stop turning, his kind, wrinkled eyes meeting yours with a soft smile. “And do you, [Y/N] [L/N], take Prince Halden Tauri of Navarre as your lawful husband, to stand beside him in prosperity and hardship, in peace and in war, until the gods call you both home?”
Your mouth opens.
But nothing comes out.
You mean to say something—truly, you do. And yet, all that’s left is silence. Silence that somehow echoes across the open Cathedral, that turns seconds of waiting into eons for the hundreds of eyes that watch you.
Your eyes dart to your family in the front row. Your father, who’s holding your mother’s hand. Your mother, who leans forward just slightly in anticipation. Mariona, who looks like she might burst into tears.
You try again now, about to face forward and say the forbidden words, but this time a voice in your head stops you. A voice from a few nights ago, a memory that you know would haunt you for the rest of your days.
Don’t marry him, [Y/N].
Come with me.
Your fingers curl around the bouquet, and you let your eyes find Halden again. He’s smiling—of course he is—and it’s that same artificial, practiced smile, polished and perfect for the kingdom to see. The smile of a man who has never once had to wonder whether he would get everything he wanted.
And in that moment, you realize something.
You have spent three months trying to convince yourself that you could survive this. That you could be his wife. That you could wake up every morning and pretend this was the life you wanted.
But you don't want it. You never did. You never will.
“I…” your voice cracks, and Halden’s smile falters. Your eyes flicker to the Priest who stands patiently awaiting your response.
You look down to the flowers again, swallowing, and you take a small step back before meeting his gaze again. “I’m sorry.”
Instantly, a murmur rolls through the Cathedral.
“What?” Halden hisses at you, his face suddenly changed from charismatic to hardened. Angry. He isn’t used to… this. To being rejected—and worse, being rejected in public. Anger flickers through his eyes.
You shake your head, taking another step back as soon as his hand wraps around your wrist. “I can’t,” you whisper.
And even though you said it quietly, it seems that everyone heard it—even in the very back of the room.
“[Y/N],” your father bites out quietly, and you look to find him and your mother, horror written all over their faces.
Yet you don’t care. Because beside them, Mariona looks… proud. And a few seats down from her—
You finally find Cam’s eyes once again.
And they’re lit up with joy.
Instantly, you drop your bouquet, and it hits the marble floor with a pathetic thud. Then, you lift your skirt with your now freed hands, kick off your heels so you can move faster, and begin to make your way down the stairs.
“I’m so sorry,” you tell your parents as you pass by them, but the words echo through the room, and gasps echo from every corner.
Before you know it, you’re running.
As you make your way down the aisle—a bit more chaotically than how you entered through it—you can hear your name screamed. You think it’s your mother. You can hear the strings squeak in the orchestra before they fall to an awkward pause between songs. You can hear your heartbeat in your ears.
But you feel more free than you’ve ever felt in your entire life.
When you finally reach the double-doors, you manage to take one last glance over your shoulder, and the image that greets you is only rivalled by ancient artwork.
Halden stands next to the still-smiling Priest, looking incredulous and disturbed as ever. Your mother and father clutch each other in disbelief. Mariona is smiling with tears in her eyes. Every wedding guest is shouting and gasping and gossiping. And Cam… Cam is giving you a look worth a thousand words.
warnings: swearing, teasing, fluff (some of the most lighthearted shit i’ve ever written)
a/n: i started writing this as bonus content, then i had an epiphany and worked it into a chapter, and then i was dissatisfied and it is now bonus content once more. i consulted @theseinfernalangels about how the next two chapters should go, and this wasn’t one of the original options, so believe me babes, i’m as surprised as you are.
masterlist | ao3
—
It won't be long before the snow starts to stick in Aretia, and there's no General Sorrengail around to temper the weather, so the Assembly is scrambling to make sure all of the cadets have warm enough clothes for the winter. But here on the roof, before the sun has started to rise or the snow has started to fall, I'm more than comfortable with my blanket and Liam's sweater.
This early in the morning, with only the birds to say hello, the ringing in my ears falls to background noise and I feel like I can finally breathe. Since all of the fliers joined our ranks, we've had to double-up in the barracks, so Rhiannon and I are sharing a room now, and while I have no issues sharing with one of my best friends, I don't like having to share the same floor as ninety-eight other people. So, the roof has become my solace.
"How can you fucking stand being up here?"
Correction: used to be my solace.
I turn to Aaric as he sits down beside me, the tip of his nose bright red from the cold. "Lesser magic."
"Figures." He cups his hands over his mouth and blows into them, then rubs them together to try and warm them up. "I'll get there eventually."
I bump his shoulder and smile. "What brings you up here so early?"
"You." He reaches out to the side and grabs a large package, then sets it on my lap. "Happy birthday, Joey."
There's some weight to the gift, making me arch a brow at him. What the hell did he get me? I carefully unwrap the package, revealing five familiar leather-bound books.
I gape at him. "How...What...You brought these with you?"
Aaric shrugs, a soft smile gracing his face. "I didn't want you to leave them behind."
He took my old, filled sketchbooks from the castle and carried them across the Parapet—taking up valuable space in his pack—for me.
Tears fill my waterline and flow down my face. I set the books down beside me, then wrap my arms around his shoulders and tuck my face into the crook of his neck. "Thank you."
"I love you, Joey. Happy birthday."
—
I barely manage to get my door open with my five sketchbooks in hand, and when I finally do, it's only to see my Squad Leader scrambling around the room. "Have you seen my physics homework?"
She doesn't stop her search to see me answer, because we both know it will be no.
"I swear it was on my bed yesterday." She drops to her knees and pulls all of the winter gear she has out from under her bed, and when she doesn't find her homework, she moves to mine. "Why are half of my clothes under your bed?"
She does look to see my answer this time, so I smirk and sign, "Because they just put my bed right on top of all your stuff when they moved it in here."
"Of-fucking-course they did," she grumbles. "And you didn't think to mention it?"
"I figured you'd find it eventually. I was tired, I didn't want to move anything."
She rolls her eyes with a groan, then goes back under my bed. "And what's your opinion on moving things now?"
I huff out a laugh, then set my sketchbooks on the ground and strip out of Liam's sweater—I don't want to get it needlessly dirty.
The longer I can go without washing it, the longer it will smell like him.
I bend my knees and lift, and the room immediately fills with the sound of a victorious Rhiannon Matthias. "Found it!"
The loose papers fly out near my feet, so I start to lower the bed back down, but Rhi calls out, "Wait! Let me get the rest of it,” before I can squish her.
I straighten out my legs to get the frame even higher off the ground, then set it down with a sigh of relief when Rhi comes out from underneath it with a sock, a pair of shorts, two tank tops, and a small collection of hair ties.
She looks up at me from her spot on the floor, then points a finger at me. "Don't give me that look, Jo. It's usually more self-contained when I have a roommate, I promise. Raegan will vouch for me when she gets here." Which should be any day now, if the letter Rhi's family sent back is accurate.
"I just never imagined you to be so messy," I sign with a smile on my face as she hurries to collect all of her things off the floor. "You're always so put together."
"It's an illusion of control." She stuffs half of her pile back under her bed, and the other half goes into her wardrobe with a shove. "I haven't had to share a room since Raegan got married, I'm out of practice."
"I can tell." She throws a sock at me, which I catch and throw back at her. "Besides, I think it's refreshing." Rhi arches a brow, and I shrug. "Princess, remember? I've had tidiness ingrained in everything I do from the moment I learned how to walk."
"Gods, my mom would've loved for that to work with me." She dusts off her knees and straightens her uniform top, then finally looks at what I'm wearing. "Where have you been?"
"The roof." I turn around, open my armoire, and pull out a clean uniform to change into.
"And what are the books?"
I look at the books on the ground, then at my friend. "My old sketchbooks, from the castle; Aaric brought them for me."
Her brows furrow for a second before her eyes go wide. "He brought those across the Parapet for you?"
"I know, it's disgustingly sentimental."
"I'll say." She puts her homework into her school bag while I change, then she turns around so fast I worry she gave herself whiplash. "Wait, why did he wait until now to give them to you?"
I put the books on the bottom of my wardrobe, brushing off the dust before I close the door. "For my birthday."
She gasps. "It's your birthday?"
"Twenty-two," I confirm. One year to the day when I first kissed Liam.
My chest aches at the reminder.
"Holy shit, we have to celebrate."
Her excitement shocks me out of my slowly spiraling thoughts well enough that I huff out a laugh. "Sure, Rhi, whatever you say."
She walks down to breakfast with an extra spring in her step, her braids swishing across her shoulder blades, as she starts to scheme just low enough under her breath that I can't hear a thing she says.
There's a clear divide between riders and fliers when we get to the Great Hall—the right side of the room is a sea of brown leather uniforms, while the left side is a mass of black—and those sitting in the middle of either side do not look happy about having to share the space.
We join the rest of our squad, and I take one of the two empty seats left—right next to Ridoc.
It's good to be home.
Ridoc looks Rhi up and down before one of his eyebrows arches at her. "Did you and Tara have some fun this morning?"
"What is it about my face that makes you think you can ask questions about my relationship before ten in the morning? Please tell me, so I can change it immediately."
He takes a bite of his bacon and says, "It's not your face; it's your knees."
I glance down and realize Rhiannon didn't manage to get all of the dust off her pants before we walked down to breakfast together, almost choking on my tea as I hold back a laugh.
"That's because of me," I sign as soon as I put my mug down, making the whole table go quiet. I pause, for dramatic effect, then add, "She had to dig her physics homework out from underneath my bed." Everyone groans, and I just grin. "Made me lift the frame for it and everything. I even got a splinter."
"A splinter?" Violet mockingly gasped. "Rhi, how could you?"
"It's not my fault paper is more aerodynamically sound than other objects," she argues, throwing her hands up in defeat. "Or that my homework fell off my bed last night."
"Excuses, excuses," Sawyer says with a shake of his head, then narrowly dodges the spoon Rhiannon throws at him.
Ridoc grins at the chaos before turning to me. "Let me see the damage." I hold out my hand, and he inspects my palm until his eyes finally catch on the tiny splinter. "I think I might be able to get it out, if I freeze it first." His eyes meet mine. "Do you want me to try?”
The gentle care of the question brings a soft smile to my face. "Sure."
"It'll probably hurt."
I sign, "I can take it," before putting my hand back in his.
"Okay." He takes his water cup from the table and pours a bit of it on my palm, right over the splinter. Most of it drips onto the bench we're sitting on, so when there's just a thin film of water left, he freezes the liquid in place. "Here goes nothing."
It takes a while for him to get the ice peeled off my skin, but when he does, there's a minuscule sliver of wood stuck inside it.
He looks at me with a wide grin, and I match it easily. "Nicely done. Thank you."
"Any time, Jet."
It's been over a week since his new nickname for me emerged, and every time I ask him about it, he just shrugs and says he's 'trying it out.'
At this point, it's easier to just go with it.
"Joan," Rhiannon starts, one eyebrow arched at me, "don't you have something you want to share with the table?"
She's never going to let this go, is she?
I roll my eyes, then sign, "It's my birthday."
There are at least a couple gasps, but it's Quinn that looks at me with wide eyes and says, "You're the reason we had cake at dinner last year."
Imogen quirks an eyebrow at her best friend. "How the hell did you remember that?"
"I never forget cake, Mo."
That pulls a laugh from my chest. "Yeah. The head cook for the quadrant is a…family friend."
Sawyer pouts, a drop of syrup clinging to the edge of his lip. "That means no cake this year."
I just pat him on the shoulder. "I know. If we live to see your next birthday, I'll make you a cake myself."
"Deal."
—
At this point, the second years in our squad have a designated table in the library we sit at for study groups—not even the fliers have tried to commandeer it, and they've tried to stick their noses in anything just to piss us off.
It doesn't hurt that the lead scribe working in the library is a friend. and terrifying as hell when she's angry.
I feel more than hear the bells for curfew, but none of my friends put their things away, even as Jesinia ushers out the other cadets, and it makes me pause. "What's going on?"
"Super secret club meeting," Ridoc answers with a grin. "We've finally been invited."
When the last cadet leaves the library, I watch the doors open one more time, and in walks Sloane, Aaric, Imogen, Quinn, and Bodhi. And, half a step behind his cousin, is Xaden, holding a chocolate cake. "I was told I had to bring this or I wouldn't be allowed in."
"You're just lucky I remembered plates," Bodhi says with a smirk.
"And you're both lucky I brought forks." Imogen slams the cutlery on the table, looking ready to stab anyone with the silverware if necessary.
Jesinia stands at one end of the table we're still seated at and signs, "If I find any chocolate anywhere in this room tomorrow, you're all scrubbing this library until it's spotless." Then she turns to Xaden. "That includes you."
Sawyer just looks at her like she hung the moon.
Xaden sets the cake down and starts serving slices, and when everyone has one, he sticks a single candle into my piece and lights it. "Make a wish, Jo."
I look around the table, at all of my friends, and can't help the burning behind my eyes as tears threaten to spill down my cheeks. "I love you guys." Then I close my eyes and blow out the candle, with only one wish in my mind:
Live.
—
a/n: the fact that students at basgiath, the literal death college, don’t celebrate living to see another year, is actually criminal. also, as a depressed person now on the healthier side of my mental state, actually wanting to live is such a privilege, and i wanted jo to have that for herself. reblogs and comments are always appreciated :)
I shall send you a million asks but one for tonight...
Tell me do you see the vision of Cat and Aaric in the next empyrean book😊😈
I know there is like ZERO evidence and I really didn't like Cat at first but she stated to grow on me so much👀 and imagine they're both royalties from opposing kingdoms who have been in war with each other for centuries they're both second in line to the throne they're both majestic and hot. Imagine the irony Cat is after a throne to be able to help her people and Aaric is actually running away from it but that makes it so delicious like😊
And there was a line in onyx storm where Ridoc was talking about Kira (Cat's gryphon) sleeping in Molvic's claw (Aaric's dragon) and I'm delusional I know but I swear it could be foreshadowing😊 I kinda ship it😊
Hiii and tysm twin🥹🥹
And oh yes I see the vision hehehehehe…😈
I honestly didn’t expect to like Cat either but she also really started growing on me in the third book. I don’t know what Rebecca Yarros puts into this series but somehow the third book did something absolutely impossible with Cat and Dain in my eyes…
I’m still having a hard time imagining how their relationship would even start especially cause Cat is probably still grieving Trager (which is a sensitive topic for me🥲). And considering we don’t even know where Aaric ended up at the end of onyx storm… plus I’m honestly not sure who is even going to survive😭😭 But I would LOVE to see their interactions and I also really like the royals from opposing kingdoms trope. I feel like her and Aaric would have such an interesting contrast. Also knowing Rebecca that line you mentioned absolutely could be a hint for future books!!
I think Aaric's signet would be acceptable if one of the themes of this series was defying fate and going against the status quo but it's not so we just have a walking spoiler in our hands
we need more limitations to the signets!! we also need a better structure that designs signets!!
with how over powered signets can be and giving EVERYONE the wildest signet of all time (despite the fact that wielding the elements like fire and water are supposed to be the most common. we just threw that information out the window), it is difficult to understand what the limitations of these powers are
from Violet all we get is physical exhaustion and a burning pain from when she's learning how to master it in IF, but beyond that signets are still ill defined.
which makes it all the worse when you have riders doing straight up wizard shit. Rhiannon pulling shit out of thin air from another location. Quinn making straight up projections of herself to confuse an enemy. like this is X-men level shit. Dain is a watered down version of Charles Xavier.
and then there's fucking Aaric's signet along with Melgren's because they both have a foresight/precognition problem. we do not know the limits of their signets. would Aaric be haled as some sort of oracle? what happens if he spouts off a future that goes against the wishes of Navarre? would they kill him for that just as they kill inntinsics?
Melgren's only ONLY makes sense if you put severe guardrails around it. if he can see the future outcome of a battle, does that help with directing troops? does he know when it's a lost cause? how far in advance can he see the future? how does this help him become the greatest general this military has ever seen?
i can go on. i SHOULD go on about this because im still damn peeved that we know barely anything about these signets
for the Drabble: your last comment on Ridoc Gamlyn Boudoir Photography got me thinking—what would Aaric be like as a psychic or medium in a modern AU?
Violet stopped by the store for their selection of dried herbs. It was the best in town regardless of what else they sold or the events they hosted.
That was how she ended up winding her way to the counter through a small army of folding tables and local vendors selling everything from handmade brooms to walnut ink to carved runes.
As she got close to the back of the store, she nearly got knocked over by an angry man shoving his chair back and standing up, yelling about how "those cards" were bullshit.
"I only read the cards," the sandy-haired reader said with a shrug. "The three of cups is what it is. I hope I'm wrong."
The young woman whispered thanks, handed him a crumpled twenty dollar bill and hurried after her boyfriend. Violet got a look at the reader then and did a double take.
"Cam? What are you doing?"
He didn't say anything, just pointed to the sign taped to the folding table: Aaric Greycastle, tarot reading
"Okay but why here? I remember how good you were at that in high school. I bet the kind of people our parents know would pay a lot more than twenty bucks."
"Maybe, but they're assholes and I'd rather actually help people." Aaric shrugged. "I think folks who can only afford those twenty bucks probably need it more."
warnings: swearing, thoughts of death, implied murder, fire
a/n: i definitely meant to get this out on Saturday, but it wasn't finished by the time i left for my friends' wedding, so it's getting published today instead!
masterlist | ao3
—
I hate how much she's had to come up here. It explains why she doesn't complain about the smell, or the heat, and that doesn't make me feel any better about visiting the burn pit. I hate how familiar this place must be for her, now.
Will I have to get familiar with this place, too?
Jo sits at the edge of the turret, her feet dangling over the edge, and Sloane and I sit on either side of her.
Just the two steps closer to the valley—closer to the Blue Dragon—eases some of the ache in my chest. It's been persistent the last couple days, since I first saw the Blue, almost making it impossible to sleep. I have half a mind to ask for some pain tonic from the infirmary, but I know the only thing that will make this go away is making it through Threshing and bonding with the Blue.
Mine.
"What was your Threshing like?" Sloane asks Jo, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Brutal," she signs. "I almost died." Then she leans back and lifts her uniform top to show us the white relic on her hip. She points at the tip of the dagger tail, and I can faintly see a raised scar within the shimmering magic. "I was actively bleeding out when Astar finally claimed me. We were the last bonded pair to land in the valley, and both of us were covered in blood at that point."
"Did you know?" I ask before I can stop myself. "Did you have a feeling, after Presentation?"
Did you feel the same way I do?
"He wasn't at Presentation."
My eyes widen at her signs, and glancing at Sloane, she's just as surprised by that as I am.
"I don't think he wanted to give anyone else the idea that they could fight for his attention—he'd already chosen me." She smiles—a true, genuine smile. "Plus, it made for a very dramatic entrance, which I think was his only goal."
I huff out a laugh at that, but my eyebrows pull together as I look out at the valley again. What's going to happen tomorrow? How hard will I have to fight?
That's a useless question, because I already know the answer: I'll fight as hard, and as long, as I have to.
Am I going to die?
The ache in my chest seizes so tightly I think I actually am going to die, right now, in this moment. As soon as it appears, though, it retreats to the same uncomfortable pull just under my ribs.
No dying, got it.
Jo looks between the two of us, then signs, "All you have to do tomorrow is live." She meets my eyes, then Sloane's. "Bond, don't bond, doesn't matter: just make it to sundown."
Sloane swallows thickly, blinking back tears. "Liam made it sound so easy in his letters—"
"You don't have to be your brother, Sloane," Jo signs, cutting her off. "Being you is more than enough."
She subtly wipes away the tears starting to brim in her eyes, then she huffs and rests her head on my sister's shoulder. "That was cheesy."
Jo leans her head against hers and pats her leg with one hand, and holds mine with the other. I squeeze her hand, trying to memorize the feeling of this moment. If it's the last one I have with the two of them, I'm glad it's this one.
—
Lynx and I are standing at the back of our squad, waiting for Professor Kaori to let all of the first years into the valley for Threshing to begin. Usually we'd stand in the same order as formation, but we're the tallest in our squad, and it doesn't make sense to bother with formation now when there's a high likelihood we all won't make it back out of this valley.
The ache in my chest pulls taut, and I flinch.
"You good?" Lynx asks, glancing down at my hand as I rub my chest.
"Yeah," I whisper back, not willing to elaborate at the moment. "You?"
"Oh, sure." He cracks a grin. "I can't wait to walk into the belly of the one hundred and seventeen beasts waiting for us to fuck up so they can get rid of us for good."
I roll my eyes with a slight laugh. "That's a great attitude to have."
"In a few minutes, you'll be let into the valley, and Threshing will begin," Professor Kaori says, using lesser magic to project his voice so all of us can hear him. "If you have not bonded with a dragon by dusk, leadership will find you within the valley and escort you out. We'll be watching, but there will be no interference from any senior riders.
"I don't recommend walking in groups—dragons are less likely to approach and more likely to torch you if there are others around. Trust your gut; if your dragon has already chosen you, they'll lead you to them."
The ache under my ribs almost burns with how insistently it pulls me toward the entrance of the valley.
"Good luck."
Lynx pulls me into a quick hug. I hesitate, just for a second, then return the hug tenfold. "See you on the flight field."
I find Sloane when Lynx lets go, and pull her into a hug as well. I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've ever hugged, and given the way she tenses under me at first, she's not comfortable with the gesture, either. She relaxes after a second, though, and squeezes my ribs even harder when I whisper, "Stay alive," into her hair.
The bells ring for the hour, and we all enter the valley as Threshing officially begins.
—
Every direction the ache pulls me in leads to another cadet searching for the Blue, like the dragon is forcing me to prove my worthiness by taking out the competition.
They're not competition because we're not competing—the Blue is mine.
The shadows start to stretch as the sun sets, but I don't let the frustration creeping at the base of my neck take hold. I still feel the pull, and it's stronger than ever, so I follow it through the valley, doubling back over the same blood-stained dirt, until I step into a clearing.
The Blue Dragon, in all its glory, gleaming in the setting sun, is waiting for me. "Took you long enough, Princeling."
His voice is resonant in my head, sounding clear as a bell as I take in his words. And then my face drops. "You know who I am."
"Of course I do; I chose you, didn't I? Did you think it was a secret you could keep from someone who has seen your heart?"
Well, when he puts it like that… "No." I take a step forward, and another, and another, until I'm close enough to touch him, and when I do, the ache in my chest finally eases. "You already know my name. What should I call you?"
He stands up to his full height, the tips of his horns catching the sunset just right. "Molvic. I'll give you my full name on the flight field—best to only spell it once." He extends his leg toward me, just enough to know it's intentional without giving me any help to get to his seat. "Well?"
I run up his leg and haul myself into his seat, like I've done it a hundred times before, and for once in my life don't try to hide the smile pulling at my lips.
This is where I'm meant to be.
—
General Sorrengail is standing right beside the rollkeeper as I give them Molvic's full name, so I make sure to keep my eyes down the whole time I spell his name—and even until I'm halfway back down the flight field. I pass Sloane as she heads to the rollkeeper, and pull her into a hug.
"We did it!" she cheers in my ear. Her smile is as bright as the sunset on the horizon when she pulls back. "Thoirt." She points at the strawberry-Red Daggertail beside Molvic. "Yours is the Blue, isn't it?"
"Molvic," I confirm with a grin of my own.
She gives me one more hug, then runs up to Visia, who bonded the Brown Daggertail beside Molvic.
"Your sister," Molvic murmurs. I follow his line of sight until I see Jo crossing the flight field. She stops by Sloane first, giving her a hug and a quick congratulations, then she's walking right to me.
I meet her halfway, wrapping my arms around her and lifting her into the air in a hug. "I love you, you know that?" Of course she knows that, and I know she loves me, too, but I have to say it, to remind her.
Her arms just wrap even tighter around my shoulders.
"You should move," Molvic warns, "or you'll be the shortest-lived rider in history."
I put Jo down and pull her closer to Molvic, just in time for another dragon to land where we were standing not seconds earlier.
"Good choice," Jo signs to my dragon, then she gasps. Her eyes go from my dragon to me in rapid succession, a look of awe on her face. Then the bells ring out the hour, and her lips lift in a wide smile. "I have to go. I'm so proud of you."
I pull her into another hug. "I love you, Joey," the childhood nickname easily falling into place. Then I let her go with a wave. "Go be responsible, or whatever."
"Love you, too."
The next hour is spent waiting for the rest of our squadmates to return to the flight field. Lynx and Avalynn both bonded around noon, so Sloane, Visia, and I join them to watch the skies for everyone else.
"Don't get me wrong, I loved bonding so quickly, but having to wait on the field for the last seven hours has been terrible," Lynx says to me with a slight grin. "Anxiety for everyone else beats anxiety for myself, though, so I've tried to keep my complaining to a minimum."
"And failed," Avalynn says from his other side. "He only stopped when his dragon threatened to drop him back in the valley."
I raise my eyebrows at him, and he just shrugs. "What? It's a good threat."
Baylor is the last to join us, and he lifts Avalynn in a hug as he laughs. "We bonded!" Then he's pulling all of us into a group hug. "We did it!"
His laugh is so infectious, I can't help but join in.
When the bells ring out for eight o'clock, General Sorrengail stands up at the dais with the rollkeeper, and we all move back to our dragons as she starts to speak. "Another Threshing complete." Lesser magic amplifies her voice across the flight field, and sparks of anticipation shoot up my spine.
I'll be able to do that soon.
"Congratulations to the new riders in our midst. The challenges don't stop here, but you'll face them with your newfound family here in the quadrant." She looks at all of us, and even though I know I'm too far away for her to see me clearly, I avert my gaze all the same. "Riders, take the next step into your bright futures."
"She means that literally," Molvic says. "Step forward."
I do as he says, mimicking the other first years.
"Now, we celebrate!"
Fire erupts around me, licking across my back as it wraps around my chest and shoulder, burning to the point of pain. But as soon as the pain almost makes me fall to a knee, it disappears, leaving a tingling sensation over the left side of my chest. I unbutton the top of my uniform and pull at the collar to see a glittering sapphire blue dragon head sitting near the center of my chest.
Right over my heart.
"Your relic," Molvic confirms, with more than a little pride in his voice. "You'll need a mirror to see its entirety."
"Then I won't bother taking my shirt off now," I mutter, looking up at him with a slight smile. "You sure about this?"
"Positive. You've never doubted yourself before, Camlaen Tauri; don't start now." He chuffs, the air blowing my hair off my forehead, and I fully grin.
All of the other first years on the field are banding together to celebrate, and I have half a mind to join them, but even more than that, I want to stay here, with Molvic.
Mine.
"There are some things you need to know, Princeling," Molvic says to me. "Go with your friends, but I'll call you to come back when the field clears."
My brows furrow, but I table my thoughts for now. "Okay."
It takes over thirty minutes for Molvic to call me back to the flight field, and another ten for me to get back from the dorms to where he's standing alone. "What do you need to tell me?"
He leans down low until his face is nearly level with mine. "What do you know about White Dragons?"
My eyebrows lift at the question. "They're one of two dragons born from the same egg—one pigmented, one not…" My voice trails off as I look at my dragon more closely, my eyes going wide. "You're his twin." The White Dragon that bonded with my sister last year…his twin is standing right in front of me, talking in my head.
"Yes, Ghrian; Astar and I are twins. Which means the danger his rider had channeling from him is the same danger you will have when you channel from me."
It's as if the world stops spinning. I stare at him, my stomach on the floor, as dread fills my lungs. "What?" I could die. Jo didn't die, and I know that's because she's the strongest person I've ever met, and I also know she would never let me face this without her help, but I could die—
"Breathe, Princeling."
I suck in a breath at his order, the spots in my vision clearing. "Thanks."
"You will survive this. There will be no dying, remember?"
I nod, taking another deep breath to get the panic out of my system. "No dying," I agree. "Thank you."
"We're in this together, Ghrian. You're not alone."
The words wrap around my shoulders like a blanket in the winter, and I feel myself calm down even further.
Jo already did this.
It's that fact that let's me breathe easily again.
Jo already did this—so I can, too.
—
a/n: astar wanted to see what jo would do with the threat of failure looming over her head. molvic wanted to see what aaric was willing to do to ensure his success. and that's that on pushing siblings to their limits to make sure they come out better than they went in. also, i put aaric's relic on his left chest/shoulder/ribs. i imagine molvic's head over his heart, his neck and shoulders curving around his shoulder and pec, and then his wings spanning over his ribs on his front and back, with his tail curling around his hips. pls don't ask me to draw it cuz i can't draw for shit. reblogs and comments are always appreciated :)
a/n: this didn’t exist four hours ago, but one of the commenters on ao3 got me thinking, so here we are :)
masterlist | ao3
—
I don't even look at Dain as I stand from my spot at the top of the vertical ramp, but that doesn't stop me from seeing the way his eyes widen as he tells the other Wingleader my time for the records. I try not to let myself feel any pride at impressing him; I don't need his approval, and I definitely don't need him.
Sloane grabs my forearm with a wide smile on her lips, pulling me back to the present. "We did it!"
"We did it," I say back, a little breathless from the exertion, but with a small grin. "We did it."
I clap Lynx on the shoulder as our squad walks to our spot in formation, offering a quiet, "Well done," that he returns.
"You have the fastest time right now," he whispers, as if anyone could hear us over the general din. "Baylor thinks you beat the Gauntlet record."
"Last year's record was the closest to beating it since Riorson," Baylor tells us as we get into line behind him. "I'm pretty sure you blew all of them out of the water, though."
Just a couple minutes later, when everyone has finished, Professor Emetterio is confirming Baylor's theories. "For the rider with the fastest Gauntlet time, not just of this year, but of this college's history: Aaric Graycastle!"
I can't help the smile that pulls at the corners of my lips as I accept the patch he gives me. I've worked hard to be the best—I think I deserve to revel in my victories every once in a while.
Back in formation, a familiar hand on my arm has me turning around to look at my sister. Her eyes are tight, even as she smiles at me, and I wish I could pull her away and ask her what's wrong. Instead, she just signs, "Congratulations," and pulls me into a tight hug.
"Love you, Jo," I murmur, so low I'm not even sure she hears me, but I need to say it.
Just in case it's the last thing I ever say to her.
The squads get rearranged by order of fastest times, and Third Squad is the fifth group in the lineup, five groups ahead of our squad. I count the somewhat familiar faces, and frown when I only get to two.
Oh.
That's why Jo looked like that—one of her first years didn't make it.
I try to pay attention to the conversations happening around me, but my focus is split between my friends and my sister standing at the edge of the first years with our Section Leader, Bodhi Durran. Avalynn is telling Visia how she almost fell off the buoy balls, when a loud roar makes nearly everyone jump. My eyes track the birds that fly out of the trees in the valley, and land on the person that stumbles out the entrance, coughing into their elbow.
Just one person.
Jo and Bodhi run up to them, and my stomach drops. That's two.
The three of them split off, Jo and her cadet walking off the field entirely, while Bodhi walks up to our squad. I try to catch his eye, to ask what happened, and he just shakes his head, momentarily stopping beside me and Sloane at the back of the formation. "The other cadet, Anlass, attacked Dosirla. He got burned by dragonfire when an Orange stepped out, so Joan is taking him…" His eyes unfocus as he trails off, then they snap up to mine. "I have to go." He takes off at a run, briefly saying something to Dain, then goes down the stairs—
Sloane elbows me in the ribs with a smirk. "Stop staring."
I look at Bodhi's back one more time before I turn to Sloane, who's looking between me and the Section Leader—
Wait. Not the Section Leader. Her gaze falls just a little to the left, where Dain is walking toward us.
I just smirk back at her. "I will when you will."
Her cheeks burn a bright red, then she's shaking her head and elbowing me in the ribs again, her mouth dropped into a scowl. "Fuck off, Graycastle."
Slowly but surely, all of the squads ahead of us get through the valley, until it's our turn. Bodhi still hasn't come back, so Dain takes his role. "Let's go, Second Squad, into formation." The few of us that stepped out of line quickly form back in it. "I know Matthias already told you this, so you know it's a straight walk down and back through the meadow. Stay at least seven feet apart—if you're clustered together, and one of the dragon's finds disfavor with one of you, they're likely to burn the whole group to weed one out," he warns, looking over each of us for a beat. "And don't approach them; it'll be the last thing you ever do."
Simple enough.
Dain walks us down a path before the canyon wall where the dragons are perched, and drops us off with Aura, the quadrant's Senior Wingleader. "Good luck," he says, his eyes lingering on me a second longer than they do anyone else.
I don't look at him.
Aura takes all of us in with a shrewd eye. "Line up single file."
Sloane and I are already in the back of our formation, but I make sure she ends up in front of me, while I take up the rear. "Is this some chivalrous bullshit you're trying to pull?" she accuses, a slight shake in her voice.
"I can see over your head; you can't see over mine," is all I say back. It's not the reason I make sure she's in front of me, but it's one she easily accepts.
"Chivalrous bullshit," she mutters lowly, but her eyes are grateful as she fully accepts her spot in the lineup.
Once we're in a single line, Aura nods her head. "Talk to each other while you're on the path—it'll help the dragons get a sense of who you are and how well you play with others. There's a correlation between bonded cadets and level of chatter."
Sloane looks back at me, and rolls her eyes. "Can't believe I'll have to talk to you the whole time," she teases.
My lips turn up in a smirk as I look back at her. "All of the dragons will know you have good taste, then."
"Feel free to look at the dragons, especially if they're showing off their tails, but if you value your life, don't make eye contact with them," Aura continues over her shoulder, taking us as far as she'll go. "If you come across any scorch marks, just make sure nothing is currently on fire before you continue on." She pauses long enough for that bit of advice to sink in, then adds, "See you after your stroll."
With a sweep of her hand, the Senior Wingleader steps to the side, revealing the dirt path that leads through the center of the valley, and up ahead, sitting so perfectly still they might be gargoyles, are the one hundred and seventeen dragons who have decided to bond this year.
I've only seen a couple of dragons this close before—the ones on Conscription Day, when our squad almost got burned to a crisp; and when Jo's dragon, Astar, brought her to Gauntlet training—but it still takes my breath away seeing the dragons like this.
I don't like the idea of having to prove my worth to a creature that doesn't even know me, but the longer we spend in the valley, the more comfortable I get with the idea of proving my worth to a dragon.
It's better than having to prove my worth to the King.
I let my eyes wander over the different colored creatures, unafraid to look, though it seems Sloane is. "You okay?" I ask her.
"Yeah," she calls back, but her voice shakes, and I realize all her posturing from earlier wasn't to get a rise out of me.
She's nervous.
"I like cinnamon in my hot chocolate."
She stops completely and turns around to give me an incredulous look. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
I just shrug. "We're supposed to make conversation, right? It's basically a first date, but with a hundred and seventeen potential matches." I nod at the dragons on either side of us. "They might as well get to know me."
She still looks at me like I've grown a second head, but she turns around and joins in, her eyes slowly rising from the ground to at least the claws of the dragons we pass. "I like chocolate in my hot chocolate, like a regular person."
"Don't let Jo hear you say that; she likes peppermint in hers."
"What is with you Graycastles and ruining the sanctity of a beverage?"
I roll my eyes. "Would it make you feel better if I told you my favorite food is a cinnamon roll?"
"Not enough." She glances at me over her shoulder with a soft, grateful smile. "But that's my favorite, too, so I guess you can have a pass."
"My favorite food is grilled salmon," Lynx calls out from his spot two people ahead of Sloane. "In case anyone was wondering."
"We weren't," Visia, at the front of the line, shouts back.
With her confidence back, Sloane looks back at me with a teasing grin, and whispers, "Are we going to talk about Bodhi, now?"
Something low in my gut tightens at even the mention of his name, but I keep my face impassive as I whisper back, "Only if we get to talk about Dain."
Her face and neck flush bright red even as her mouth drops to a frown. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Your blush would suggest otherwise."
She scowls at me. "He's the reason my brother is dead."
We're only halfway down the path, but I stop, letting the rest of our squad move on while we stay behind. "I know."
Her eyes flash as she looks me up and down. "You know?"
"I know."
It take a second for her to register the words, but when she does, her entire body sags with relief. "Thank the gods," she murmurs. Then she straightens. "I can't have a crush on the person that caused my brother's death."
"Riorson killed my brother," I whisper back to her, "and I can't stop looking at his cousin. Believe me, I get it."
That pulls a small smirk to her lips. "Of the cousins to pick, you chose the better one; Bodhi's great."
"That's the problem," I mumble. I gesture ahead of us. "Come on, we're lagging behind."
We catch up to the rest of our squad, but as we near the end of the path, everyone starts to slow down. "What's the hold up?" Lynx asks.
"That." Visia points at the end of the path, and we all follow her finger.
A huge Blue Dragon stands at the end, its head high as it looks down not just at us, but at the rest of the dragons in the valley.
Almost like he's holding court.
Something about the thought sits heavy in my chest. Maybe the sick-to-my-stomach feeling I get every time I think about the King, or maybe the knowledge that, one day, I could have to hold my own court.
That thought has my eyes burning as anger licks up my spine, making me lift my head and do the one thing I was told not to: look a dragon in the eyes.
It's already looking at me, its golden gaze piercing straight through my chest and anchoring me to the spot.
Visia says something to us all, but I don't hear it—I can't take my eyes off the Blue in front of me.
Mine.
It takes Sloane shouting my name—"Aaric!"—to get me to finally look away, and even then, I feel its eyes on me. I take up the rear again in our lineup, looking over my shoulder every other step to find the Blue until it's gone from my sight.
As soon as I step out of the valley, my chest aches with a deep need to turn around and go back. I rub at my sternum, trying to ease the pain, but it only grows the farther I walk away. I try to join in on the conversation, to distract myself, but I know it won't go away until Threshing; until I come back to claim what is mine.
—
a/n: aaric beat mira, who beat lilith, and that’s a truth I’ll hold dear. thought this was going to be a little blurb of aaric meeting molvic, but it turned out to be a bonding chapter for aaric and sloane, and i think that’s beautiful. reblogs and comments are always appreciated :)
