"Anyone who said bad things about Trump has blood on their hands."
So you agree? Saying bad things about people can actually have a harmful effect? It's much more than just hurt feelings?
Remember that when someone says "lgbt people are pedophiles" or "homeless people are lazy moochers" or "abortion is murder". It doesn't just "hurt feelings". It leads to shootings at lgbt events, random acts of violence against homeless people, or bombings at abortion clinics.
So this canonically goes between part 1 and part 2, but I'm just going to put it as a part 4 because that's the order in which I've posted them
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who made a lot of enemies in his day. He had invaded many kingdoms and pillaged too many villages to count. After he had married you, that died down. He still sent his generals out, but his territory already stretched far enough. He didn’t need anymore land, so long as he had his little family (which would soon double in size, but neither of you knew that). But as stated, many people were still very displeased with their new barbarian king. It was cruel and unfair how he had just swept in and dismantled their towns. His wrath was still being felt throughout the kingdoms and the consequences of his actions would be noticeable for generations to come
Barbarian King!Simon Riley knew this, obviously. You didn’t get to be as legendary a ruler as he did without knowing how to quell small rebellions here and there. He didn’t like to share with you the murmurings of discontent, however, knowing it would only make you worry. You were safe in his stronghold, and he was determined to make it stay that way
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who kissed you and Maxwell every morning before heading off to his meetings. Max was usually nursing by the time Simon threw on his furs, and he loved to see the milk-drunk expression of his son
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who, that morning, listened intently to his advisors. There were whispers of resentment towards him after his generals recently took charge of a township. In the past, Simon wouldn’t have thought anything about it, but he now had you and Maxwell to worry about. Thankfully, the township was on the edge of his territory, so he wasn’t too concerned about any dangers reaching you. He did ensure that the township was getting enough food and profit, however
Barbarian King!Simon Riley slept a bit uneasily that night. Something nagged at him and over his life, he had learned that when his gut was telling him something, it was usually right. But as he looked over at you sleeping peacefully next to him, he felt alright. He gathered you up in his arms and dragged you closer to him
Barbarian King!Simon Riley left that nagging feeling behind as the weeks stretched out and nothing of note happened. Of course, he should’ve known that it took weeks to travel across the expanse of his kingdom, especially if someone was trying to evade detection
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who finally agreed to move Max into the bedroom next to yours. You had been talking about it for some time, but Simon didn’t want his son too far away from him, especially since the boy was still just a baby. But you explained to him that it would be unhealthy if Max developed too much codependency with his parents and he would eventually need his own room anyway
Barbarian King!Simon Riley was used to sleeping lightly. After decades of campaigns where one could be woken up at any moment by an invasion, he had gotten used to being aware of his surroundings, even in slumber. He was sleeping especially light that night because it was one of the first nights that Maxwell was in his new room, and he didn’t want to miss a peep out of his son
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who jolted upright when the dogs began to growling lowly. You shifted and tried to place a hand on his chest to reassure your husband, but he was already awake and striding towards the door before he heard Maxwell beginning to cry. In the years to come, you were forever grateful that Simon was as vigilant as he was. Who knew what would’ve happened if he wasn’t?
Barbarian King!Simon Riley opened the door to Max’s room to see his son clutched in the arms of a masked stranger who was trying to smother the baby’s cries with a cloth. Instantly snapping wide awake, Simon’s yell alerted both you and the guards outside. The guards that had been posted at both Maxwell’s door and yours rushed into the room while you wrenched yourself out of bed to run into your son’s room
Barbarian King!Simon Riley whose arm shot out to prevent you from barreling towards the intruder and taking back your son. He knew your emotions were running high, as were his, but you both needed to be strategic about this. The intruder was holding the most precious thing in your lives and you couldn’t risk harming Max
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who’s voice was the most dangerous you had ever heard when he asked, “what’s your plan here? You’re outnumbered and you sure as shit aren’t getting away with my son.” You could see the intruder’s eyes whirl around to the four guards plus the notorious barbarian king, all of whom were ready to kill at a moment’s notice. “You terrorised my village,” the intruder finally said. “I’ve come to take my revenge.”
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who’s arm tensed as you spoke up. “So you’re taking my infant son? Who did nothing to you?” you spit out, not caring if speaking wasn’t in your best interest. Simon knew who you were when he married you, after all. You were a fiery spirit and that certainly wasn’t going to stop when it came to your son. “An eye for an eye,” the intruder said, but you could hear the waver in his voice
Barbarian King!Simon Riley surprised even himself when his voice came out calm. “You know you’ll end up dead if you harm even a hair on his head. Let’s not overcomplicate things. Release my son and I swear to you I’ll hear you out.” After a long moment, the intruder held out Max, who was still crying. You pushed past Simon to take your son back, holding him close to your chest. The moment Max felt his mother’s warmth again, he began to settle down. You rocked him back and forth for a second before glaring up at the intruder who had threatened to kill your son. “You bastard,” you spit out before swinging a punch right at the man’s face
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who had never been more proud of you
Barbarian King!Simon Riley pulled you back behind him before the intruder could do anything, but the man was on the floor, clutching his bleeding nose. It was what he deserved anyway. “Take him to the throne room,” he ordered. “And put him in cuffs.” The guards nodded and hauled the intruder away
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who took you and Max back to your room. You sat on the bed and Simon kneeled down before you, wiping away your tears. “I know, birdie, I know,” he muttered. “I’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to him, don’t worry, my love.” One of his hands cupped your face while the other one ghosted over Max’s tiny body, making sure his son was okay. Simon drew you close to him and kissed your forehead. “Try to get some sleep, why don’t you?”
Barbarian King!Simon Riley who reluctantly nodded after you scoffed and said, “you know that’ll be impossible, Simon. Can… can we come with you? Please? I don’t want to be alone right now.” Simon didn’t even bring up the fact that he’d order triple the amount of guards to watch over you and Maxwell for the next couple of months. He understood how shaken up you were right now and if he brought you comfort and security, who was he to deny you that?
Barbarian King!Simon Riley bundled you up in his furs before leading you down to the throne room where the intruder was chained up. You sat down on your throne, Maxwell still in your arms, but Simon stood, staring down at the masked man. The questioning went on for hours, for Simon needed to know if anyone else was coming to harm his family. By the time he was done and the intruder was sent to the dungeon to rot, Max was sleeping in your arms and dawn was breaking through the windows
Barbarian King!Simon Riley made sure you spent the rest of the day in bed and everyone could tell how goddamn protective he became over you and Maxwell in the following weeks. And if this meant Max had to spend the next couple of weeks still sleeping in your room? Well, Simon wasn’t about to complain
I think this is all I'll post for this series (unless people spam my inbox, which, let's be real, will probably happen) but thank you all so much for your love and support!! I've loved writing this and it won't be the last time I write for Simon 💕
