An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
here is my gift for the @fe-holiday-exchange!!! im so glad that my giftee was my friend Sam @dragontamer75!!!! it made this so much easier because it means i know exactly what makes her tick, lol, so i selected a tatizeke au that i know we both enjoy and that i’ve actually wanted to write for a while. there’s more details and stuff in the author’s note of the fic, but HAPPY HOLIDAYS SAM!!! I TRIED TO MAKE THIS EXTRA GOOD FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS PROVIDE ME WITH SUCH GREAT CONTENT
@dragontamer75 sent a parcel and writes: your henry appeared in my notes (wearing armor??) so i thought id scan it in and color it :p
this blog is really cool!
omg I gotta say I never thought I’d see my Henry decked out in armor. It looks like a fantasy AU or smth… He looks great, thank u for both the drawing and the compliment!!
Consider this: After witch Tatiana gets "cured" using the power of ~love~ she goes pretty much back to normal except she can still teleport and sometimes she accidentally scares people bc she just APPEARS PLACES. Zeke thinks he's had at LEAST 4 mini heart attacks and it's only been a week
adkfals; they rescue her before the war is over so it’s a useful skill for her to have, because they wind up recruiting her (some ppl are a little hesitant on this tho, because witched Tatiana gave them the ass kicking of their lives), BUT IT DOES SCARE ZEKE BECAUSE TATIANA DOESN’T REALIZE SHE DOES IT BECAUSE SHE JUST SPENT LIKE THREE MONTHS AS A SOULLESS WITCH AND SHE JUST SHOWS UP AND IT’S LIKE THE “hey honey do we have any- stop screaming it’s just me- do we have any cheetos?” MEME
consider this: after initial awkwardness alm realizes that zeke actually KNEW emperor rudolph and alm has SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS DAD
Alm, sobbing: I KNOW HE BASICALLY RUINED MY LIFE BUT PLEASE... MY DAD.... TELL ME ABOUT HIM
Zeke: i did not sign up for This hhhhhhhhhhhhh
but really
Zeke has always been a source of guidance in the months Alm has known him, a role model of sorts. Tall, loyal, brave, inhumanly strong, intelligent; everything Alm wishes he could be himself, but just isn’t. Zeke is always there to listen to the things that he feels he can’t tell Clive or Mathilda or even Lukas, always with a quick and efficient solution that comes with experience.
Alm didn’t know that Zeke would ever be a source of such intimate information, however.
“Emperor Rudolf,” he says suddenly.
Zeke peers up at him from his seat against the wall, his eyes heavy and tired. The halls of the tunnel are illuminated by torches, flickering and casting long shadows on the walls, and Alm thinks that maybe this isn’t a good time to have this conversation.
But he wants to know. He needs to know.
“Your father,” Zeke says. He casts a glance across the hall, and Alm knows that he’s probably checking on Tatiana while she heals someone. His eyes turn back to him after a second. “What about him?”
Alm doesn’t really know what to say, actually. He doesn’t have a conversation rehearsed in his head, and they have to get moving soon, if they want to reach Duma’s Temple in a reasonable time, so there isn’t a lot of time to talk. He fumbles around his head for something to say, something to ask.
“What was he like?” he asks plainly.
Zeke lifts a brow and lowers his head. His lance is balanced against his shoulder, and even though he appears idle, Alm knows that he can be up and fighting in five seconds should the need arise. “The people of Rigel loved your father. A good, fair ruler, they thought him. A strong warrior.”
“Well, I knew that.” Alm rests his hands on his hips and looks around, studying the sparse members of his army he has dragged down into the pits of this dungeon with him. They all look tired, and he figures spending a few more minutes talking, a few more minutes resting, could do them some good.
It’s as if Zeke reads his mind as he says, “But you want more intimate details. Personal ones. About him as a human, correct?” He hums. “Emperor Rudolf made me a general almost on sight. I was being brutalized by some soldiers when I was dragged onto the castle grounds, and he was impressed with the way I fought them off. I thought him kind, since he immediately had my wounds tended to, a hot meal brought to me, clothes made.”
“You said before he raised you like a father would his own son.” Alm feels maybe the barest hint of jealousy.
“He did. He would write to me often, even after I left the castle, and would summon me often. He’d always take time out of his schedule to walk with me. He always insisted on giving me money to buy Tatiana gifts with.” Zeke’s smile is fond, and he shuts his eyes. “He trusted me, a stranger from some foreign land, with the lives of his people. He showered me with kindnesses when I had done nothing deserving of them.”
Zeke’s tone is warm and fond, almost as lively as it is when he speaks of Tatiana. It makes Alm feel a little happy, delighted that he’s related to such a man, and then he remembers something else that sours his mood.
“Berkut, though... I hear Rudolf wasn’t kind to him.”
Zeke’s mood visibly drops, and he looks up at Alm. “I cannot defend that. Emperor Rudolf was Lord Berkut’s guardian, and while his love for him was apparent–to me, at least–he treated him poorly. Spoke harshly to him. Placed weighty expectations on his shoulders. Allowed no room for failure.” Guilty, he averts his eyes. “I’d rather all the affection I was shown had gone to Lord Berkut. Perhaps things would have been different, that way.”
Alm breathes a sigh and glances down to the floor. His hand curls around the hilt of his sword, and he swears he still feels the give of his father’s flesh under the blade.
