#crownednight

[kingmakeths]

ser criston cole had turned his blade on his own – slaying his allies before they could kill her. as the last knight fell to the ground, his blade had turned on her. as he caught his breath, he was unable to look to her quite yet. in his eyes, she was a traitor. in his heart, he believed she had abandoned him. a decade of love, secrecy, an oath broken over and over … she had left him for an unworthy queen. when he finally met her eyes, his were cold. shielding the pain she had caused him, masking years of love. 

[ . . . ]  ❝ let us be done with this and salvage what we can … or the next time i see you, you will be my enemy. and should my king call for it … i will take your head myself. ❞

──── ft. @crownednight

[kingcenred]

@crownednight

No uninvited visitors had reached their island for almost a century, so it had been all the more surprising when Amaya seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Ever impatient, Cenred had wanted answers immediately: who was she? Where did she come from? How had she breached their defences?

It was only the calm, yet insistent words of his most trusted healer that kept him away for the first few days: she needed time to rest and recover. From what exactly, Cenred had not yet been informed. Sympathetic to the lost, strays, and refugees - which many of his people had once been - he had naturally provided her with rooms in his own palace. It was outside said room where he now stood, having promised his healer that he would be on his very best behaviour, as he knocked lightly on the door.

"It's Cenred. May I come in?"

[kingmaketh]

he doesn't even wait until they're within the sanctity of her bedroom before he's pinning her hands over her head and against the closed doors. here is a mistake. here would likely cost him his head. but he is the one sworn to her, the one who holds the night's watch of the princess within the part of the castle that most ignore. he knows himself to be bold and out of place, and yet he cannot help the way his fingers lace through hers as he pins and leans his body against her. even in the dim fire light illuminating the halls, he can see the stars in her eyes. a grin forms and criston leans in, stealing a kiss without warning – soft, tender. lingering a beat too long before pulling back to allow his nose to brush against her own. ❝ i could not wait a moment longer, ❞ he murmurs, his hold of her hands loosening so he may lower his own and playfully pinch her chin with a shake of her head. ❝ you intentionally wore that dress, didn't you? ❞ hadn't he made a comment the evening prior? the neckline accentuated parts of her – and she knew him to be weak. he could hardly look at her all evening.

@crownednight , forbidden romance au.

[kingmaketh]

he never got her name – despite knowing they share a gen ed or two, or the fact the other night they'd shared a rather intimate dance. (one would think they had known each other for years, rather than a random meet at a dorm party.) the dance had been short-lived, the party ending for him because of his on-again off-again texting him and giving him grief over having moved on. (he can only assume one of her friends saw him dancing with another.) winter break followed that party and over the course of a few weeks, he and his now ex managed to go hot and could three separate times, ultimately with criston admitting he was officially done and over it all. which probably was for the best considering he couldn't get the girl from the party off his mind.

new semester, fresh classes – and just his luck. he looks up from the seat he chose just in time to see her walking in. gaze follows where she goes and the moment she's taken a seat, he's standing and making his way to her side of the room, claiming he seat beside her. backpack and textbook are set down and he waits a beat before turning towards her in his seat. ❝ hey – we danced together, ❞ oof, he can already feel the flop. ❝ before break, i mean. i remember we … hey, i'm criston. ❞ a grin flashes, brows mildly furrowed as he attempts to salvage with a do-over. ❝ i'm out of me element here and thought i'd say hello. ❞ he's dated the same girl for two years and throughout that chaos, it would seem he's lost his charm.

@crownednight

[afterdecay]

death was always inevitable. even for one considered an immortal such as he. all it would take was a stake through the heart, direct sunlight, or the slow desiccation of one being deprived of blood. his case had been a rare one – magic had been his undoing. and perhaps that is the reason he's yet to passover from this other side limbo. not quite gone, not exactly alive. he simply exists in constant torment around the one he loves. sometimes, he wishes she could not see him in return. it would be easier if this had been a one-sided torment. he could watch her from this side and deal with the pain alone. but the moment he discovered that she could see him … see and not touch, this dark world grew dimmer.

he assumes he'd been killed because of their secret marriage. it's unnatural – a vampire and a witch. perhaps the spirits decided it an imbalance to the nature of things and had someone from the coven take care of the situation. perhaps he has it all wrong and there's an unknown party. he's mulled it over time and again and the answers have yet to be found. all he knows is that they were married, blissfully, so happily married for a few short months.

now he sits besides her on the couch, watching her flip through pages of a grimoire that's been flipped through dozens of times over. his hand raises and he attempts to place his palm against the back of her head … only to watch his non-corporeal hand swipe through as though he were simply air. defeat riddles his features and he sits up slightly, a sigh escaping him. ❝ i'm not coming back, love. i think it's time we accept this… ❞ he doesn't look at her. gaze falls to his lap, brows furrowing deeply as he continues. ❝ you deserve more than this … than to keep wasting your life trying to save mine. i'm already dead. live your life, amaya. live for me. ❞ live a better life than the one of loneliness and torment he'd known before finally having a hint of happiness found with her.

@crownednight

[kingmaketh]

░ @crownednight ➺ a plotted starter.

he's but a young knight with much to prove since being officially knighted by ser dondarrion. the tourney at king's seemed like the best place to prove his worth, to make a name for himself. but a series of unfortunate events have led ser criston to making a decision: back another whose honor remains in question, or watch from the sidelines as injustice prevails. a heavy decision to make and yet … his mind had been made before she'd joined his tent. (smaller in size than the bigger known families, but it was comfortable and served its purpose.) criston had beckoned her to join him and sit beside on his temporary bed, his hands folded as he hunches forward slightly and allows his forearms to rest against his knees. ❝ i'm going to fight alongside ser duncan. i – i understand if you'd wish to distance yourself. ❞ it had been a fear of his, losing her. they'd only just begun their journey and here he was making a selfish choice that could impact her. (but perhaps it is best. a lady deserves more than a lowborn knight such as he.) ❝ if this eans goodbye … then you should know, i've cherished every moment we've shared together. you'll not be easily forgotten. ❞ or forgotten at all.

[afterdecay]

░ @crownednight ➺ a plotted starter.

he feels shame now. his secret no longer remains a secret because a boy, no – a prince, he'd taken as his squire has asked about the day he should be knighted. duncan has claimed to be no more than a hedge knight, but truths have come to light.  ser arlan of pennytree had passed before properly knighting duncan – he'd promised to do so, but his passing had come out of the blue and neither had any warning. ❝ i suppose this means certain death, ❞ he murmurs, gaze low (despite being much taller in height) and yet he felt so small in the moment standing before the lady. ❝ i've pretended to be what i am not, hoping to make a difference and serve this realm. please – can you at least understand that? ❞

[afterdecay]

░ @crownednight ➺ a plotted starter.

he knows he'll be in trouble once dunk finds out, but the young boy couldn't help but to stow away with the other. (he found conversation with her fascinating. part of the family, yet unlike the ones he'd grown up with.) the discovery that he'd been hiding out turned into egg offering a weak shrug, eyes so round and nearly pleading. ❝ it just means he'll have to come find me, lady amaya. ❞ he stands as firm as one of his age and size could. tiny as can be, yet commanding in the gentlest way to be taken seriously.  ❝ ser duncan was meaning to come this way – now he has reason to make haste on his journey. in the meantime, i should like to see starfall with my own eyes, not just drawings. won't you allow me to stay? ❞