I just want to submit some samples of my writing (original fiction) of my OCs, in second draft.
A little about them: They’re blood-related first cousins. Their relationship is monogamous, totally committed, and the Forever Love type. They are both straight. They are going to be a ‘good girl / evil guy’ pairing or ‘villain / heroine’ since that is my favourite dynamic. They have a one-year age gap (he is younger), but to them it is nothing and they act like it doesn’t make any difference at all.
I have two series. One covers the very early stages of their friendship. There is nothing sexual at all in those chapters. I have written four chapters so far. I have one more that I am going to write. The rest I am writing offline. The second link is for the NSFW scenes that I wrote to imagine their intimate dynamic. These scenes cover their intimate dynamic during different ages. E.g. they actually get together at ages 15 and 16. But one scene may be of them at ages 17/18 or 16/17, etc. See descriptions for each scene on AO3. For the NSFW series, I have written two scenes so far, and I may write 2-3 more scenes later.
Link 1: Chapters – Grimrose, Two Lives, Lone Warrior, and Thinning Ice:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/48587251
Link 2 (NSFW scenes): Chapters – Urges, Trip to the City:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/52088155
Please read and Like if you enjoy it. Thanks a lot !!
I know I am not as active here as other people are, and I used to hate Tumblr as a platform... I used to wonder why I keep coming back here. And I realized (especially these past few weeks) that it’s because of the People.
With Tumblr changing its rules, I don’t know what’s going to happen to this blog, since it contains adult content (writing counts?), or at least mature themes.
So for any followers that would like to know, I’ve moved all my materials/writing over to Wordpress: rainbowamory.home.blog
If you join the shipcest Discords, I’m on there as “rain”.
I hope people learned something from this page. I learned a lot from the people that followed me, and some of you have taught me to be more open-minded, more compassionate.
If I make any updates or posts, they would likely be on Wordpress from here on. Tumblr staff can take away blogs, but they can’t destroy people’s spirits or their values or the causes they care about.
I have a tendency to get stupidly sentimental when I feel like the “end” is near. lol So I just want to say THANK YOU so much for listening to what I had to say. I really hope we can keep in touch. Tumblr is nothing without the people and luckily I encountered mostly decent people in this corner. <3 I’m really grateful for that.
Drawings by me. I did not scan these properly so this is just how it looks when photo is taken with my phone.
It’s very basic but I like drawing them cause it makes me happy.
She usually has a serious/neutral expression on her face. One thing I like playing with in my head is this idea that the guy looks angelic on the surface but he’s the darker one... while people think she is a cold witch, but she is sweet and noble inside. Dark x Light, Opposites. It’s my thing. Even better when they’re related. ;) ;) And he’s possessive of her, so he’d often hold her close.
Syden wasn’t sure how long they went on talking about the past. It felt strange, and he didn’t have much to contribute, though everybody else made up for that with their own stories.
Kate recalled the time she and Cela wanted to play house with a small model house and a bunch of dolls and how Syden joined in even if he didn’t like playing house, simply because everybody wanted to be around Cela. Every visit would be anticipated with hype and every departure would be met with tears or unspoken longing for the next time they would see each other again.
She had been like a part of their family, even though she had her own. The adults always assumed that for an only child like Cela, it was a blessing to have six close cousins to be friends with.
When at last there came a short interlude in the conversation, a few people slipped away to go to the rest room. Somewhere along the way, Syden ran into Kate in one of the halls. He walked up to her as she came towards him.
“Did you see it?” he asked her nonchalantly.
“See what?” she asked, stopping beside the wall.
Syden pointed to his nose and mouthed the word “Leigh…”
Kate’s eyes grew wide. It had often been rumoured among the public – both fans and haters alike – that Leighanna had got some sort of surgery done on her nose, for vanity purposes.
“Shhh,” Kate said in a whisper. “It’s none of our business.”
A moment later, someone passed by them and he saw that it was Leighanna, heading back from the rest room. Syden gave Kate a mischievous smirk which she met with an earnest warning expression, and the two of them went back to join the others.
Things had quieted down bit in their absence, and now it seemed that much of the lively chatter had died down to quieter talk as the arrival time of the last guests of the day came nearer. Leighanna had more to say, mostly about herself, and poor Chef Oliver had somehow found himself in the position of polite listener. Syden thought he must have a lot of self-control to not let his eyes linger too long on the middle of her face.
As the talk continued, Syden lost track of time. He might’ve fallen sleep if it weren’t for the odd feeling of wakefulness coursing through his veins. He felt almost the same level of energy he had had at the start of the week, in spite of all the exertions of the days past. It had been building up inside him all throughout teatime. He felt like running and leaping and playing some sport – like he couldn’t stay still for much longer.
What’s wrong with me? he thought.
And then the doorbell rang.
*
They all gathered on the front porch to greet their visitors.
The first thing Syden saw was a white carriage stopped in front of their house. Soon, someone stepped out of it. He recognized his aunt right away. She still looked much the same as he remembered her, only a little older and perhaps a touch more careworn. She was wearing an odd white dress in which the top part was more like a military suit with sharp shoulders, covered in gold designs. Her lustrous blond hair fell loosely around her upright figure.
Elizabeth reached back and offered a hand to her daughter, who stepped out after her. As they made their way to the house together, Syden saw that in contrast to her mother, Cela was wearing an all-black outfit.
It was a shirt dress with long sleeves underneath the short sleeves, and a flared skirt. She had on tall black stockings underneath, which ended just above her knees, exposing the smooth white skin of her thighs. A black leather belt hugged her waist, with a metal heart dangling from it. Her top had some mysterious design on it – he couldn’t figure out what it was.
Her hair was as black as night, and it was straight and long, longer than her mother’s hair, ending at her waistline. Her skin was pale like his own, but the contrast was more obvious with her dark features.
Before they reached the porch steps, Kate sped down the stairs to meet them. She engulfed Cela in a hug, which surprised the girl and seemed to last forever. She stood still as a frozen tree, but after a moment hugged Kate back. They held each other for a while, and when they finally came apart again, Syden could see that Kate had tears streaming down her face. But she was happy.
Next, it was Delilah’s turn to get emotional. She waited until Elizabeth was on the porch landing before strolling over to her and embracing her lovingly.
When Cela reached the landing, each of his sisters gave her a hug, with Sia being the shiest. As she was the youngest in the family, Cela was almost a stranger to her.
Alex gave her a little wave from one corner.
When she came nearer to him, Syden stepped forward, compelled by some unseen force. It might have been the trained politeness finally kicking in.
“I’m Syden,” he said.
“Yes,” she said, her emotion unreadable.
“Welcome.”
“Thanks.”
Soon after they entered the house, two of his family’s porters brought in their baggage. The guests were shown to their rooms, while the rest of them waited in the hall.
Once Elizabeth and Cela had refreshed themselves a bit, Delilah revealed the plans for the day. Instead of having lunch at home, they were going to have a picnic in one of their favourite childhood settings.
When they went outside again, they found four carriages waiting for them. Kate, of course, made sure to sit with Cela and Elizabeth. It seemed that she was unable to leave her side for even a moment. The others got into other carriages. Chef Oliver and three maids came with them.
The journey to the river was pleasant enough, except for the fact that he had to share a carriage with Leighanna. But she was not in a talking mood at that moment, for which he was grateful. He spent the ride looking out one window with Sia, while Leighanna looked out the other.
The odd feeling was building up inside him again during the ride. The moment the carriage stopped, he helped Sia descend, and the two of them raced down to the riverside together.
When they reached the place, the sun was still bright. There were tall reeds and wildflowers along the banks. The river water was clear enough for them to see the multi-colored fish swimming in it. It was a shallow river, with the water reaching only as far as their knees at the deepest levels. This was why it had been one of their favourite places to play in as children.
Looking across the bank to the other side, he saw the close-knit trees of a forest. The ride had been a very short one, as the river was not that far from their house. They used to walk there, but today nobody seemed to want to dirty their clothes.
Sia stood on the bank, watching Syden step into the river. She seemed hesitant at first, probably thinking of her dress, but soon gave in to her youthful spirit and followed his lead. Syden found a stick and stepped gingerly onto a rock that peaked above the water. Sia left her shoes on the bank and stepped into the river barefoot.
They had this little game they liked to play, where he would stand on one end and try to scare the fish so they would swim in the opposite direction, where they would be intercepted by Sia who would try to catch them in her hands or in a little net. On this day, as she did not have a net, she was using her hands. At one point her dress got wet from touching the water, but she didn’t care.
After their little game, Syden and Sia navigated through the reeds looking for frogs. They camouflaged well so they were hard to spot, and some were as small as coins. They would bet on how many of each color they could find in an area. The person whose guess was closest to the actual number would win some money from the other. They would make their way down the riverbank from one end to the other to make sure they didn’t count the same frogs twice.
The score was 3:1 with Syden on the winning streak by the time Chef Oliver called them for lunch. As they approached the picnic area, they saw that the others had already made themselves comfortable on blankets spread out on the ground that rose above the riverbank.
“I don’t really want your money,” Syden told Sia as they made their way over the grounds to join the others.
Sia seemed visibly relieved. Syden gave her a smile which she returned happily, and the two of them found a spot on one of the blankets and sat close together, with their backs against a large tree trunk.
Some distance away, he saw Kate and Cela sitting together. Far across from him on the opposite side there was Leighanna, Elizabeth, and his parents. Charlotte and Alex sat in their own spot, talking quietly with each other. Everyone seemed comfortable and content.
“I didn’t catch any fish,” Sia said in answer to one of the maids. “But they tickled me.”
“Oliver, you really did a wonderful job preparing everything. It looks heavenly,” said Charlotte. Chef Oliver stood nearby, looking proud and satisfied as he surveyed his preparations.
Syden looked around at the food the maids had generously arranged on a cloth-covered picnic table. Strawberry-vanilla cupcakes, fresh fruits and vegetables, fancy sandwiches, a variety of dips, lamb chops, salads, citrus drinks for the kids and champagne for the adults… all beautifully displayed in stylish bowls, platters, and bottles. The maids drifted by in turns, selecting dishes from the table to offer to those sitting on the blankets.
Syden saw Cela picking the things she wanted delicately from one of the platters offered to her. Her expression was as unreadable as it was earlier in the day. But she seemed relaxed and was humble in her manner.
A maid came to him next, and he chose a chicken sandwich from the platter she offered and some fancy cheese and crackers. Henna brought him a strawberry-vanilla cupcake and a drink. He and Sia sat together as they ate.
“Do you think she remembers me?” she asked him, with a shy glance towards Cela. Syden followed her gaze nonchalantly.
“I think you’d be hard to forget,” he said with a faint smile.
“Why is that?” she asked, looking at him with big eyes.
“You’re the prettiest one in the family,” he said simply.
Sia blushed.
“I thought Leigh was.”
Syden looked across the grass-covered picnic ground over to where Leighanna was sitting with their parents and Elizabeth. Her dress looked even more dazzling in the sunlight, and she held a glass of pale champagne in one long-fingered hand.
“In her own world, yea.”
He was glad Sia couldn’t read minds, or she might’ve seen the truth that lay beneath those statements – a truth he kept expertly hidden even from himself.
After finishing their lunch, he and Sia played tag, running through the maze of trees on the opposite bank of the river. Neither of them could contain their energy. Syden wondered at the fact that Kate and Alex were capable of sitting so still. But then again, the two of them were never that active to begin with.
It was the combination of a mysterious force within and something in his surroundings. He felt invigorated – by the sun on the leaves and the breeze in his hair as he raced. The scents of nature were all around: woody, earthy, flowery.
Only by the time Oliver called to them had they finally gotten back to their regular state of being.
By the time they returned to the picnic site, the others were already getting ready to go. The glow of the sun had turned from gold to bronze. The light spilling out from between the forest trees and leaves and reflecting off the water made a charming dream-like portrait of the riverside.
They all boarded the carriages. Kate and Cela shared a carriage again – not a surprise. Syden went with Sia, Alex, and Charlotte this time.
“That was very nice,” said Charlotte, who was sitting at the window seat. “I missed you all so much.” She clutched at her chest, as though struggling to express something she couldn’t say in words.
Sia, who was sitting beside her, looked up at her and said, “We missed you too.” Charlotte reached out and squeezed her girlish hand.
“But we’re all together now,” said Sia.
***
When they got back home, Cela and Elizabeth went off to their rooms to unpack their stuff and rest a little.
Delilah said not to bother them, as they had had a long journey and were probably travel sore.
The siblings passed the time until dinner in their own ways. Alex went off to his room. Leighanna also disappeared. He suspected that Kate had broken her mother’s rule and had gone to help Cela unpack her things so she could have more time with her in private.
Syden found himself sitting on the Living room couch with Charlotte and Sia. Before them stood a tree in a rectangle-shaped vessel large enough and wide enough to support it. It was taller than the average person but smaller than a full-grown forest tree. Somewhere in the middle of it, hanging from one of the branches, was a single glass apple.
For the first time that evening, Syden felt like watching something. He got up to replace the apple with a another one from a cabinet nearby which held an array of them. After allowing it to attach itself to the branch, Syden returned to the couch.
“I barely got to say anything to you,” said Charlotte. “You were running around so much.”
Syden looked at her familiar face. She reminded him a little of Kate sometimes.
“How is school?”
“Good,” he said.
“Are you still dating that girl?”
“She broke up with me.”
“Oh, no… what happened?” she asked sympathetically.
“She thought I was into witchcraft.”
Charlotte looked shocked.
“She saw some things in my room,” he explained.
“What did she see?”
“Trinkets,” he said. “Bones, a spell book, a voodoo doll, drawings of fairies… I don’t know. It scared her. She said it was against her God.”
“I’ve never heard of a girl being scared off by fairies.”
“They were the dark kind.”
“Oh,” said Charlotte. “Still, fairies are adorable. I heard they live in the other world.”
“Maybe you should ask Aunt Elizabeth about them.”
“That’s a great idea,” she said, brightening up. Then she looked serious again. “I’m really sorry, Syden. You’re a very handsome boy. The girls will come chasing you soon enough.”
“Thanks,” said Syden.
Charlotte talked a little with Sia next, then they all raised their wrists and let the silver cords take them.
*
Time passed by in an uninterrupted stream until the last story ended. By the time they finally got back to their surroundings, the orange glow of a sunset was visible behind the tall windows.
Chef Oliver hadn’t yet called them to dinner, but Syden knew the call would come soon. So he decided he would go refresh himself a bit.
Entering his room, he noticed the door that separated his room from the one that used to be hers long ago. That was where she was likely staying. He had figured this out when he saw the maids begin to clean the place a week or two ago.
Now she was probably in there… sleeping? He stared at it for a time, then turned around and walked out again.
He walked past several halls without paying much attention to where he was headed and ended up opening the door to a restroom that was already occupied.
He saw Leighanna leaning towards a mirror doing her makeup. She was in a different dress – though equally showy. She looked irritated when she saw him.
“Can’t you see someone is in here?” she asked. Then she turned back to the mirror and continued her business. Syden leaned against the open doorway, waiting for her to finish up.
“I liked your old nose more,” he said.
His sister didn’t look bothered. She turned her head to the side and started putting some new earrings on.
“Someday when you’re famous, you can try and do better,” she said. Once she was done adjusting her appearance, she picked up her purse, and he could smell the perfume on her skin as she swept past him.
-
When Chef Oliver’s call finally came, they all obediently filed into the main dining room. The long, carved table in the center was bare except for some plates and utensils, and a tall vase of elegant white flowers. The chandelier hanging above lit up the place in a pale yellow.
As each of his family members took their seats, Syden noticed that most of them had changed their clothes, but they were all still dressed for the occasion. Only he, Sia, and Cela were in the same clothes they wore earlier in the day.
Elizabeth settled down at the head of the table, with Damian and Delilah to her left and right. Syden sat with Sia and Alex. Cela was across from him on the other side with Kate and Charlotte. Leighanna was seated at the end of the table, a lone but regal figure.
As soon as they sat down, the maids came in with the food and wine. There were pies and hot soups and fruit platters and freshly baked bread. Chef Oliver, who came in last, brought with him the centerpieces of the dinner: a roast pork with the bones sticking out in the shape of a crown, and a roast goose. They were both lined with apples, grapes, berries, and leaves. It reminded Syden of the food the chef at the castle made. He wondered if Oliver had prepared the meal to suit the foreign tastes of the guests.
His father said a small blessing over the meal and thanked the chef, then they began to eat.
The dinner conversation started off just between their parents and Elizabeth.
“It’s a pleasure to help out in any way we can,” said Damian. “How long will Cela be staying with us?”
Elizabeth seemed a little suppressed. Her words were stilted, and it seemed to Syden that she didn’t intend to tell all in front of the kids.
“Some months at the least,” she said. “Maybe a year.”
“I’m sure the children will be happy to have her,” said Damian.
“Elizabeth, how is Arcus going to manage without you?” asked Delilah.
“I will be going back,” said Elizabeth. She didn’t seem too happy either way.
“I see,” said Delilah. “But I hope…you can stay for a while.”
“Perhaps, a week or two.”
Delilah smiled. “The King cannot rule without the Order,” she said.
“The mind of the King is… difficult to perceive these days,” said Elizabeth.
Delilah and Damian continued to tread lightly while making conversation. It seemed to Syden that they very much wanted to talk more in depth but were holding back for some unseen reason.
They will say more in private, he thought. He had a lot of questions. Why did Elizabeth decide to visit all of a sudden, while her husband stayed behind? Why did she bring Cela with her? Why was Cela staying with them for a year? Why wasn’t Elizabeth staying too?
These were the thoughts that went through his head as he listened to the cryptic discussion between the adults.
He looked at Cela as if looking for the answers in her. But she was oddly silent. Kate and Charlotte were doing most of the talking. Cela only spoke up to say a few words at a time. From what he could hear, they were asking her about the other world – if she was going to miss her friends, if she would be attending school with them. They were musing out loud about all the fun things they could do together over the summer. Charlotte asked if she had a boyfriend in the other world.
“No,” said Cela.
Charlotte looked surprised.
“How old are you again?”
“I turned fifteen last month,” she said.
“Oh, you’re only a month older than Syden,” said Charlotte. “There’s lots of time for finding love, I suppose. You’re so young.”
The dinner was both ordinary and different this night. Syden listened more than he talked, and when he did talk, it was only with Sia. She was still too shy to talk to Cela.
Delicacies came and went. Syden couldn’t help but notice that Cela seemed a little reserved. As much as she politely responded to the pleasantries, she still didn’t quite seem as if she belonged. It might’ve been the way she dressed, the way she talked, her overall way of being... it was clear to him that she had grown up in another world.
The last time I saw you, we were seven, he thought to himself.
He only came out of these inner thoughts when the dessert arrived.
As usual, there were a variety of options. Syden chose a decadent chocolate lava cake in a goblet with raspberries and blueberries on top.
Their guests seemed satisfied, and Chef Oliver was happy to be of service.
“I forgot how good your Chef’s food is,” Elizabeth said to Delilah near the end of the meal. “I would like to borrow him for my kitchen.”
Delilah giggled. “I don’t know how his love would feel about that. He would have to travel across the universe to get to your kitchen.”
Chef Oliver blushed.
“Thank you for the compliments, ladies,” he said humbly, as he helped the maids clear out the table.
❧
Night had fallen outside by the time they left the dining room. Syden could see the blackness looming outside past the parted curtains of the windows in the halls. But he knew the day wasn’t yet over.
Led by Damian, they all made their way to the garden. Syden felt a mild summer breeze caress his face as soon as he stepped past the front door threshold. Guided by nothing but a lamp held up by his father, the group wound their way through hedges and sweet-smelling bushes to the center of the outdoor haven.
Since it was dark outside, it was hard to see what color the flowers were, but Syden could sense them there, all around. Their soft petals sometimes brushed against his hands as he moved.
When they got to the center, Damian disappeared.
Syden could hear the water falling in the nearby fountain, and he could vaguely see the night-shrouded figures of the people around him, illuminated only by a touch of moonlight. Now that they were out of the hedges, he could see it – a full moon, round and silver-blue, rising above them all.
His father was gone for several minutes. Elizabeth and Delilah stood near the fountain, talking quietly. Syden looked around for a bench to sit on. Just as he was turning to go to it, he heard a loud explosion.
His head jerked upwards as he saw bright sparks bloom and spread out across the sky, followed by crackling sounds.
“Fireworks!” Sia shouted in glee.
He figured his father had stationed himself somewhere between the edge of the garden and the woods to make this show, unseen.
One after another the fireworks went off, shooting upwards and lighting up the blackness. The colors lit up everyone’s faces. The shapes of the sparks were also interesting. He thought he saw a rabbit, a crown, two lovers, a star.
His gaze wandered for a second over to his left, where Cela was standing with Kate.
She seemed quietly captivated. Every time her face lit up, he could see that she was enjoying the show too.
He looked back at the sky just in time to catch the image of an angel made of fiery white light.
Grimrose [Part 1] (original piece by rainbowamory)
Some info:
Content: This piece, while it does not contain incest in the parts I uploaded, will eventually lead to consensual incest between first cousins. You have been warned.
Characters and ages: Syden (15), Cela (15), Kate (17), Sia (11), Alex (13), Damian (adult), Delilah (adult), Charlotte (adult), Leigh/Leighanna (adult), Oliver (adult), Elizabeth (adult)
-This scene is not supposed to be the beginning. There would be other chapters or scenes before and after, going more into detail about the different things covered here.
-For the concept of “Grimrose”, I was inspired by a picture of a fiery flower I saw randomly online while looking up black roses. It was tagged as ‘fantasy’ and it inspired a bit of this piece.
-Ages: I still am not 100% settled on the ages. I may stick with Syden and Cela both being 15 when they meet, but in my original roleplay she was actually one year older than him (I may go back to that, not sure). Kate is about 2 years older than Syden. Syden is 2 years older than Alex. Alex is 2 years older than Sia. Syden is 4 years older than Sia. Their parents were still young when they had them, like early 20s? Leigh and Charlotte are adults, while the others are teens in this piece (except Sia).
Names: I use placeholder names like in my first piece I shared on tumblr because I want to publish someday and I want to keep certain details to myself for now, like what the final character names will be.
-This is Draft 2.
“Wakey wakeyyy!” came the excited feminine voice right above his head. As sweet as a bird’s song it might have been were it not for how deep in sleep he was.
Syden’s eyes flew open, and he stared ahead in shock, unable to remember where he was for a moment. He was about to say it’s too early for fighting practice and was trying to figure out in a short space of time why the master of arms sounded like his sister.
He didn’t have to wonder for long. The visitor came around the bed to stand in front of his gaze and he saw that it was indeed his younger sister, Sia, dressed up in a ruffled, summery yellow dress. Her thick blond hair fell in curls over her shoulders, and she looked far more awake that he felt at that moment.
“Hey,” he said, looking up at her. He tried to shake off the tiredness by sitting up in bed. Thankfully, it didn’t take long. He was used to getting up early routinely.
“You know what day it is,” she said, beaming.
“Yes. I do,” Syden replied. He stretched his arms and placed them over his legs, waiting for her to speak.
“Do I look pretty?” she said, doing a little twirl in front of his expressionless face.
That melted him a little. “Yes,” he said with a slight smile. In trying to get his bearings right, he hadn’t realized that it was almost breakfast time. Just as Sia prepared to speak again, Henna, the maid, bustled into the room on her way to do some dusting.
“What? Still not up yet?” she said, as she went about the room, dusting the tops of the wardrobes and cabinets. “Your auntie Elizabeth is arriving in a few hours.”
Sia and Syden stared at each other.
“I thought she was coming on the 1st of the month,” he said.
“It is the 1st of the month,” said Henna, pausing for a moment to look at him with her hands on her hips.
“Oh,” he said. Sia giggled.
Henna continued with her dusting and cleaning, talking while she worked.
“They are expected to arrive in the early evening. We all have a lot of preparation to do before then.”
Syden began getting out of bed, and Sia moved aside to give him space.
“And what about us? What do we have to do?” he asked.
“The usual. Look your best,” said Henna before striding over to the window and pulling back the curtains with a swish. The sunlight streamed into the room and pierced Syden’s eyes. Once he adjusted to it, he saw that outside the world was waking up too. Birds were flying about, and the blue climbing roses that grew around his window frame were at the peak of their bloom. All the treetops of the forest which dominated his bedroom view were bathed in bright sunlight. Not a bad sign for what would be the day that marked the end of spring and the start of summer.
“Let’s go,” said Sia, taking him by the hand. It seemed the view from the window had had an effect on her too. She was eager to start the day. He followed her lead as she made her way past the halls and down to the dining room where he found Kate and Alex already seated at the children’s table. The children’s table was smaller than the main family dining table, and it was where they had shared their meals together from a young age whenever their parents had other adult guests over or when their parents weren’t home.
The table was laden with all the treats the children had come to expect for an early morning breakfast in their household. The assortment included honey-glazed sausages, piles of hot toast, platters of tiny sandwiches, wholesome soups, cupcakes, cookies, an assortment of fresh fruits, and a variety of drinks both hot and cold.
The only one of them who thought it excessive was Kate, who made a point of setting aside any food that was left whole and untouched at the end of every meal to give to townspeople with lesser means—a charitable ritual begun by their mother long ago.
Today, Kate was sitting at the head of the table, buried in a book behind her bowl of scallop chowder soup. It looked like one of her books from school, possibly an old novel.
Alex was munching on a small sandwich intently, with his gaze focused on a glass apple he was holding in his hands, seeing things in it that no one else could see. When Sia sat down, she too had a glass apple in front of her, a smaller one, resting on a little silver dais that was made for it to sit on when not hanging from a tree. The stem of the dais was shaped like a tree-trunk with silver branches that gathered under its flat top, like entwined fingers holding up a tray.
Both Kate and Alex were still in their pyjamas.
“Anyone else coming?” he asked Kate, as she looked up from her book.
“Well, I believe Charlotte is coming. I don’t know about Leighanna.”
Syden skewered a sausage and dropped it onto a plate, reached for some toast, then took a seat on the side closest to Kate. Sia sat beside him.
Though nothing seemed out of the usual that day, Kate seemed to glow with a restrained excitement. She seemed unable to stay focused on her reading, stopping periodically in the middle of a page to gaze up dreamily while stirring her soup.
Syden ate his breakfast silently like everyone else. Usually there was some talk around the table, but he didn’t really have anything special to say that day. In every sense it seemed like just another morning at their house, except that they were shrouded in a delicate air of unspoken anticipation. At least, most of them were, he thought, as he glanced at Alex who was lost in his own world, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.
Sia seemed to be the only one who was feeling talkative. She was the first to break the silence.
“Can we do fireworks in the garden?” she asked.
Syden looked at her with amusement.
“It’s not New Year’s,” he said gently.
“But it’s a special day!” said Sia, unfazed. “We haven’t seen Auntie Elizabeth in years!”
This amused Syden. “You don’t even remember her,” he said. How old was Sia when their uncle and aunt last visited? About three years old, more or less.
“She’s right,” said Kate. “We should celebrate the reunion. And fireworks sounds lovely.”
Syden turned his attention back to the remaining food on his plate. The mood continued to be solemn. At one point even Sia quieted down, and no one said another word until Chef Oliver came into the room to greet them.
“Lovely morning today, isn’t it, children?” he said, standing in his white uniform at the threshold of the dining room. His dark, curly hair was tucked neatly under his cap. His beard and mustache, the only visible hair on his face, were also well-tamed and immaculate.
Chef Oliver looked around at them, scanning the room with his dark, twinkling eyes.
“It was so quiet in here, one would think we were preparing for a funeral,” he said. “I was beginning to get worried...”
“We’re perfectly fine,” Kate assured him. “It’s just the end of the week.”
“Ah, too much play and not enough rest,” he said, glancing at Sia and Syden with a teasing smile. He knew as well as anyone that it was their summer vacation. If there was any exhaustion to be felt, it would not be coming from work or study—unless perhaps one was Kate.
“Well then,” he said. “I know just the thing that will help you children feel more awake.”
“Fireworks?” asked Sia, perking up in her chair.
“Hmm, not quite. But it might create fireworks within,” he said. He told them he would be right back and slipped out of the room. After a few minutes, he returned with a tray on which were arrayed several desserts in cocktail glasses.
“I give you… Saffron Pudding with Honey and Fire-Essence.” He wore a proud grin on his face as the children looked at the platter in awe. The puddings were a golden yellow, with a glaze of honey on top, and sprinkled with what looked like flakes of orange embers.
“It is from the Grimrose that we get fire-essence,” he said.
Syden wondered if this was the opening to one of his “food stories.” Sure enough, a moment later, the Chef was sitting at the table with them, with his arms folded in front of him on the tabletop, looking a bit somber as the children began to devour the treat.
“I want to tell you the story of the Grimrose,” he began, a distant, wistful look settling on his face and in his eyes.
“You see, long ago, in a faraway land, people lived in fear of shadow beings that would attack in the night. In one village, two children were born who had abilities that made the shadows afraid of them. For a time, these children kept the darkness away. But there came a time when the darkness came in a larger form than they could beat. Mistrust grew among the villagers.
“Every time a shadow came into the village and got away with killing, people began to think that they were coming because of the witch children.
“Suddenly, the abilities that had once been revered began to frightened others. So, when the children were still very young, they were both abandoned on a mountain range.
“They didn’t have any place to live, so they wandered the land looking for food and shelter, in exchange for protecting other villages from creatures.
“Though they met some nice folk on their journeys, they never wanted to overstay their welcome in any village, for fear that they would be prosecuted by someone that mistrusted them. So they kept moving, learning how to live off the land and keep safe from wild animals.
“They went into villages only to do their work but lived mostly in caves.
“They lived like this for years. Then came a time when they discovered something neither of them ever knew before… It crept up on them in slow steps, entered their hearts and settled there. They fell in love.
“It was then that they really felt they began to live. Suddenly all the colours of the world were a little bit more vibrant, and they could see their own future in a way they had never thought about before.
“They made plans to move somewhere where they could freely be around others and live more like other humans. As much as they loved being in nature, they couldn’t help but be drawn more and more to the warm fires, food and human company of the villages they visited.
“With their newfound love, they grew more confident and began to make plans. They saved enough of their earnings to try and buy a little house in a village. All they wanted was to be human.
“They chose the house they wanted, just a two-room place not much bigger than their cave. They paid the money and began to pack their belongings to move out of their cave and back into civilization.
“But on the night before they moved, unexpectedly, they found their dwelling surrounded by a sea of torches. The word had spread about their powers and the people from their own village had been hunting for them. You see, they believed it bad luck to allow a witch to get away. When the children were abandoned in the mountain range long ago, they were expected to die there.
“The villagers had convinced others that the shadows will stop attacking humans if the witches were killed.
“The children kept wondering, How? How did this happen? Then they saw at the front of the mob the man who had sold them the house, and they knew… he must’ve recognized the markings, the spidery tatoos of a black snake and a butterfly – the marks of a male and female witch. They had been branded long ago, to help in locating them in the event that they survived the wilderness.
“The two of them were usually careful to keep those brands hidden, but on the day they bought their house, the builder had invited them over for a meal and a bath, and his servant might have seen something while helping them wash.”
The children at the table watched the Chef in a suspended silence. He could sense their tension as they ate less speedily, focusing more on listening to the story. Even Syden put aside his slight feelings of impatience and was listening intently.
“Now here were the villagers, with torchlight flickering on their faces, looking the way they looked when on a hunting trip and just about to corner their prey. Determined, unfeeling, advancing towards them like an army.
“They had nowhere to run. The powers they had weren’t made to harm humans. There was nothing they could do…
“They were captured by the villagers and brought to a clearing where they were tied to a stake, back-to-back. They tried pleading but were beaten for every word that escaped them until they grew silent.
“Others from nearby villages were called to witness the event. Among the witnesses were some of those whom the children had helped in some way. But on this day, their faces were the faces of strangers.
“Before the night was over, the flames were crackling. The boy and girl held each other’s hands as the smoke went up around them. They were bruised in a number of ways, and they had scars from their hard life in the wild. But those wounds were nothing compared to the wounds received in their hearts on that night.
“The next day all that was left of them were ashes blowing in the breeze. A child came to visit the spot once everyone was gone and found there, in the ashes, what looked at first like blackened paper. When he stepped forward to take a closer look, he found two large black roses, with a fiery glow lighting up the dark petals from within.
“Later, it became known as the Grimrose, and that was the first of its kind.
“They say the land mourned the young witches and made the flowers grow out of their ashes.”
Sia had tears in her eyes by the end of the little story. Kate looked thoughtful and sad. Alex was leaning back in his chair, with his hand on the stem of his dessert glass, fidgeting with it absentmindedly.
Syden was thinking about the other place and the other time he had heard this story. Chef Oliver had forgotten about the myth that followed the Grimrose… about the fire inside being a sign of the undying nature of the soul. The witches died, but their souls lived on, he almost said out loud. But something about the tale always left him feeling unsettled. If they had magic, why didn’t they fight back? Why didn’t they kill all the villagers and run free? He simply didn’t believe that there was nothing they could do.
Kate said the story was beautiful. Alex asked, “Where did you get a rose to make the dessert?”
Chef Oliver seemed happy to see some interest in his work. “The cores are brought in by traders from the other world,” he said. “They have some fine spices, plants, meats… and of course, Grimrose cores. Whole flowers are rare, but I happen to have one that I ordered for my own keeping.”
He said he’d be right back and left the room for some minutes.
When he returned, he had with him an earthen black flowerpot which he was holding very delicately as if it was one of the most precious things he owned. Inside the pot was a beautiful black rose, with large, open petals. He placed it in the center of the table so the children could gather around and peer into its depths.
Just as described in the legend, the petals were illuminated at the roots by a fiery glow that emanated from the core of the rose and which burned along the inner gaps, making it look as though the flower was on fire. It had a short stem and seemed to grow directly out of the pot, so large that it obscured what was below it.
“It is hot to touch?” asked Sia.
“Yes, but more on the inside than the outside.” said the Chef. Sia leaned in for a closer look, then flinched back suddenly when some sparks emitted from the center of the flower. She seemed more fascinated than scared.
He explained that the flower grew in ashes from the other world. It was seedless and would not grow in ordinary soil. How it multiplied was a mystery. He took out a metal case from inside his pocket and opened it to reveal a transparent, hard, bubble-like object containing a flame within. It had little holes on the surface, through which sparks occasionally shot out. The ball glowed red and orange as he turned it in his hand. Chef Oliver told them that this was what the cores looked like.
“When we shake it, we get the sparks. They are hot when they are first extracted,” he said. “When they cool, they look like shiny metallic orange flakes.”
“Fire-essence,” said Sia.
The Chef nodded.
Syden continued gazing at the flower sitting at the center of the table. It was beautiful… yet, out of place.
Sia wanted to know what they were having for lunch, but the Chef insisted that it was a surprise. The rest of them were finishing off their desserts when a maid came into the room to announce that their clothes were ready.
“I will see you all at lunch,” said Chef Oliver. With a respectful bow of his head, he delicately gathered the potted plant in his large hands and headed out the door. The maid glanced curiously at the shadowy bloom as he swept past her through the doorway.
*
As the children headed up the stairs to the second floor, they passed maids who were busy dusting surfaces and carrying objects back and forth, such as fresh flowers for the tall vases spread around the house. Some of the vases reached one’s waist in height and were covered with embossed or painted images of angels and nature imagery – the kind of things his mother, Delilah, liked. All the furniture their parents chose to have in their house always had soul while reflecting wealth – according to past guests, their house was ‘an elegant mix of classic and modern design.’
When he entered his room, Syden found his clothes ready for him on his bed, freshly cleaned and neatly folded. There was a lot of white in the pile. He picked up one of the items – a long-sleeve white shirt – and breathed in the scent of it before letting it fall back onto the pile and going to his wardrobe.
He opened the large wooden doors and peered inside. Reaching in, he grabbed the darkest blackest clothes he could find (a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans), along with some black, ankle-high shoes with white laces. The jeans had skeletal hands painted on the pockets, and the shirt had some graphics on the center along with a word or two in long letters. Wedding or funeral, this was his style, and he wasn’t going to change it for anyone or any occasion.
He dressed up and took a quick glance in the full-length mirror next to the wardrobe. Then he went outside onto his balcony and stood leaning against the railing for a while, until he eventually felt compelled to go look for the others.
He found Sia in her room, sitting in her bed with her little glass apple in her hands. Her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping.
“Hey,” he said at the door. She looked up from her trance and her face lit up.
“You ready?” He asked her, though he already knew she had been dressed and ready earlier than any of them.
Sia smiled and got out of bed with a little bounce. The two of them made their way through the house to their older sister’s room.
But Kate’s door was closed when they got there.
Syden knocked on the door. “What’s taking so long?” he asked, as Sia lingered patiently beside him.
“I’m almost done,” came the answer from within after a few seconds’ pause. Syden and Sia counted the minutes until Kate finally opened the door and let them in.
She looked at Syden with mild surprise, but soon after seemed to simply accept what she saw. His wardrobe choices were not new to her. And she seemed too happy this day to even make a passing comment.
Syden stared back at Kate’s outfit with an equally unsurprised expression. She wore a long, flowing, beige-coloured gown that went down to her ankles, complete with a pearl necklace and a pair of matching slippers. It was modest but elegant. As with most of her clothes, it made her look more mature than her age.
The sunlight pouring into her room from between the parted curtains made her light-brown hair shine like silk. There was peace in her warm, blue eyes.
“You look so pretty,” said Sia.
They waited a little longer until Kate was done with her hair and makeup, then the three of them headed to Alex’s room and knocked. When he opened the door, Syden was not at all surprised to see that his brother had dutifully worn the formal outfit that had been prepared for him. Dark brown pants, white dress shirt, a tie, and a light-brown vest.
A little smirk flickered across his face as he watched Alex stroll over to them.
“Edna’s little pet,” he mused aloud, ignoring the stern look he saw Kate give him out of the corner of his eye. As the head maid who ran the household, Edna was the one who set the tone for the day-to-day as well as special occasions. She liked to treat their home like a little doll house, and they were the dolls.
Whether they were aware of it or not, she influenced a lot of things about their presentation and manners. After all, she practically raised them, before Kate was old enough to take over.
“What took you so long?” Syden asked his brother as they made their way to the ground floor. “Were you polishing your shoes?”
Alex just stared at him with a blank look on his face, but Syden noticed the slightest blush of embarrassment. He knew Kate would scold him if he went on with this commentary, but he was satisfied, so he stopped himself there.
The four of them made their way down the grand stairs and into the main hall. From there they were ushered into the main waiting hall where they met with their parents who were already dressed and waiting for them.
They were a sight to behold.
Their mother was wearing an azure gown that reached her ankles, just above a pair of solid blue, matching high heels. With pale blond hair and creamy white skin, she was an ethereal beauty, made for the limelight. Her hair was partially done up, with a few loose, wavy strands grazing her shoulders. Her makeup was spare and natural-looking, with subtle gold tones that blended with her skin.
Their father, standing beside her, looked like a prince next to a princess. Brown hair combed in a dashing style, black evening coat with a white ruffle shirt beneath.
There was something both old and new about them.
They stood tall together to greet their children. Syden looked at them and thought, this is what the fans see every day. But to the children, they were Mom and Dad first and foremost. They were the only ones who got to see the domestic versions of their parents, off the dreamscape.
They all settled down in the Living room couches and chairs, as maids came in and placed tea and biscuits on the central table.
“We’re just waiting for Leighanna and Charlotte to arrive,” said Damian, who was sitting next to his wife on the white lounge chair. Everything in that room was whiter than usual: the lamps, the vases, the chairs, and the chandelier that hung above all of them. The only color was in the pastel pinks and yellows of the flowers in the vases and the gold details that adorned some of the furniture and the rug.
The children all looked at him.
“Leigh’s coming?” asked Syden, from one of the armchairs in one corner of the room. He didn’t feel strong emotions either way. He simply found it mildly surprising that their older sister actually found time in her hectic high-profile schedule to attend a humble family event.
To his left, on another lounge chair, he could see that Kate was thinking the same. She had that look on her face where she seemed at a loss for words. But he couldn’t tell whether she was happy about it or not.
Sia was the only one who seemed excited.
“I want to ask her what role she’s playing next!” she said, blissfully unaware of the slight increase in tension in the room.
Damian looked at his daughter and smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he said.
***
After some time, they heard the doorbell ring. They waited for the maids to usher in their new visitor.
When Leighanna entered the room, everyone stood up to greet her. Her parents hugged her, Delilah kissed her on both cheeks, Kate and Sia also gave her a hug. Syden said hey, and Alex stood far off and merely watched.
She wore an open-chest, sheer gown covered in silver sequins with a split at the thigh. She looked like she was attending a first showing for one of her dreamscape stories – almost too much of a shining star for their home, regardless of the elegance of the surroundings.
Once everyone had sat back down, the maids refilled the tea and brought in fresh snacks. Syden took a moment to observe his oldest sister, while eating a raspberry-jam-filled biscuit. Her hair was blond like her mother’s, but with a little more color in it, and some streaks. Her beauty was often attributed to their mother, but Syden thought they looked very different in reality.
Delilah’s beauty was like an angel’s – there was something divine about it – while Leighanna’s looks were somehow more fabricated. Flashy clothes, glittery high heels, all that makeup. He had his theories (they all did) about what procedures she might’ve had to enhance her natural attributes. But these things were not spoken about in her presence as that would be considered insensitive…
They found out that her latest story featured her as a young woman from a small town with dreams of becoming a model.
“It’s about how far someone is willing to go to follow their dreams. If all goes well with the casting, Caleb Heavens is going to be playing my love interest,” she was saying above a steaming cup of tea.
“That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” Damian praised. “Who will be directing this one?”
Syden tuned out to the rest of the talk as it did not interest him much. Scenes and scripts, Dreamlores, fans and haters, and more glittery dresses. And names… so many names of so many people whom he had never met: actors, directors, friends of friends. Scandals, awards, achievements and disappointments.
“Caleb Heavens…” Delilah mused. “He’s very talented.”
“I hear he’s a favourite with the girls…” said Damian, smirking teasingly. “If I remember correctly, he got nominated for an award for his role in Love Overseas.”
Leighanna’s face lit up. “I know he’ll win it,” she said, smoothing out her dress over her long, crossed legs. The lights of the chandelier glinted off the sequins every time she moved.
Sia hung onto every word of it, eager for the details, even though she didn’t know as much as their parents did about that other plane of existence. But Syden wanted to be somewhere else.
Again, he looked over at Kate, and saw that she had a nervous expression on her face. Perhaps she was thinking the same thing: Their little sister was still young and impressionable. What sort of influence was Leighanna’s sharing of her carefree lifestyle likely to have on her?
As he was pondering these thoughts, the doorbell rang again. A maid with pretty red curls went to answer the door. When she returned, she had with her another well-dressed young woman – their sister Charlotte.
They had been expecting her as well, though no one knew when she was going to arrive. It was a pleasant surprise. They all greeted her just as they had greeted their eldest sister. But Syden noticed that his siblings were a little more at ease around Charlotte than they had been around Leigh. She even went over to give Alex a hug when she saw him standing at one end of the room.
“You have grown so much!” she said to him, looking at him top to bottom. “Everyone looks so beautiful!”
Charlotte was dressed in a long-sleeve burgundy dress that looked plain next to Leighanna’s sparkles. She wore loop earrings and high heels and her auburn hair fell in thick waves around her shoulders.
Once she was seated, Damian and Delilah began asking about her life. How was she doing? How was her work going? Was she enjoying the balmy weather of her new home away from home?
Charlotte seemed happy to share, though she was not as “tell-all” as her older sister was. When Caleb Heavens was brought up, she seemed a bit sad. Everyone in the family knew Charlotte had wanted to be an actress.
This is going to be a very strange day, thought Syden.
It had been a couple of years since the family had been together like this. He would say they were complete, if it wasn’t for the knowledge of the empty crib gathering dust in some dark place in the vastness of the mansion. It lingered at the edge of his memory, though no one ever talked about it.
Everyone seemed so happy. Leighanna was the first to comment on his outfit.
“Did you misplace your evening clothes?” she asked, with a raised eyebrow.
Syden stared at her unblinkingly.
“Did you misplace your bra?” he said.
Leighanna gave him a wry smile, let the comment go over her head and turned her attention to Kate.
The adults chatted some more about their lives – Leighanna more than anyone else. Syden had no interest in listening to her talk about her 17 celebrity crushes. He thought his parents were incredibly patient to listen to all this as attentively as they were doing.
In the end, it was Kate who changed the subject and brought everyone out of the Dreamscape for a moment.
“It’s great that everyone is here today,” she said. “I’m sure Auntie Elizabeth will be very happy to see us all together.”
This got them started talking about the past, about the days when their aunt used to visit them often – back when they were young children. The maids, too, seemed to recall the times fondly. The ones that were around back then remembered Elizabeth’s daughter Cela as being “very pretty” like a doll and “incredibly polite.”
Henna in particular had a lot of memories. “It was always the three of you,” she said, standing at the edge of the circle and looking lost in reminiscence. “Syden, Kate, and Cela. Always playing some game together or exploring the wilderness… So full of energy.”
“We were all heartbroken when they left…” said Delilah, taking a sip of her tea silently.
“Well, today we get to see them again, mother,” said Kate. This brightened Delilah’s mood, though she still looked a bit sad beneath the smile.
rainbowamory replied to your post: SIGNY & SIGMUND / VOLSUNG SAGA
I want to know more about this too. Will check it out sometime. Going to bookmark ^_^ I remember this was mentioned on shipcestous page and it sounded so interesting!
ahhh thank you so much! I have so many feels for these twins now and I really love them a lot but ofc I literally can’t find anything about them on tumblr
rainbowamory replied to your post: SIGNY & SIGMUND / VOLSUNG SAGA
Also, nice moodboard! I really love the central picture :)
thank you!! it’s kind of embarrassing how long it took to make it but I really wanted one for the Volsung twins
Hey guys, if you see this you should know that Tumblr is deleting some accounts due to its content.. My account has not been deleted yet but it may be in the near future. I did not have anything illegal on my blog. It was a discussion blog and advocacy site for consensual unconventional relationships. Until I know what is happening with that account, I have named this one with my old username.
IF my original account disappears, here is My contact info:
My Wordpress: rainbowamory.home.blog
Consang fiction forum (I’m the Admin): http://consang-fiction.forumotion.com/
If your blog contains shipcest content, check out these steps to download your material from your tumblr if your blog is still up (you have to refresh the page after some minutes of it saying “processing”. Then the “download” button will be there):
