Ahhh I am an hour and a bit past my posting date but I haven’t gone to sleep yet so I am STILL COUNTING IT!! Darn photoshop crashing on me while I’m trying to meet a deadline...
ANYWAY, for the @murder-husbands-big-bang this year I got paired with the incredible @thesilverqueenlady who wrote a stunning fic titled My Only Constant is You. In this fic, Hannibal is an immortal who can never die, and Will is a time traveler with no control over when and where he travels. Its an absolutely gorgeous story and I am THRILLED I got to do the art for it. Please do yourself a favour and go read it immediately!
I did three pieces of art for this fic. The first is the cover image for the story, depicting the iconic flower blooming in both Hannibal and Will’s minds. The second piece is from chapter two, and depicts Will’s first meeting with Hannibal. Finally, the last piece depicts Hannibal’s first meeting with Will, from the third chapter. I really hope you enjoy!
Warning(s): Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death
Summary: Will is the son of House Graham, the respected and proud wardens of the north. Or, at least, he was, until King Cordell Dolarhyde decided to execute his family as traitors and Lord Frederick Chilton kidnapped him and tried to sell him to a Dothraki khal to fund an army to take back “his” throne. Too bad Khal Hannibal has no intention of paying for Will when he can just … take him.
I mean, this isn't really an ask "ask" per se BUT HOLY HELL I SAW YOUR ART ON RED'S BLOG AND HOLY MOTHER OF GOD I LOVE YOU. Dinotopia was one of my FAVS as a child and I cannot express the sheer amount of love I have for you for creating this verse. and with such BEAUTIFUL ART I CAN'T. (Unfortunately, I am only a writer, not an artist, so my commentary is mostly AUUUGGGHHH WAAAAAANT but hopefully that gets the point across <3)
Summary: Harry doesn’t think much about it at first. Doesn’t think much of anything at all beyond the way the sun glints off Eggsy outside a police station, the stubborn, contained belligerence in his body, how Harry can’t help but smirk a bit as he tilts his head in consideration.
This will be fun.
Eggsy turning out to be the changeling son of the faerie queen herself is a bit more fun than Harry had bargained for.
Author’s notes: Hi TheSilverQueen! I chose this prompt:
"When they do the blood tests to join Kingsman, it's revealed Eggsy is actually a Fae changeling. Harry and/or Merlin are agents placed at agencies like Kingsman (where changelings' extraordinary abilities can make them end up) specifically to seek out changelings and protect them. AKA Eggsy is actually Fae royalty, and Harry and/or Merlin is the bodyguard that Prince/Lord Eggsy falls for."
But then my id grabbed hold of all your likes, since we share so many, and refused to let go, so this is that prompt if you throw in a bit of a/b/o, soulbonds/soulmarks, random pilfering of mythology and fae related tropes and ideas, and god knows what else. The actual kitchen sink probably. Thank you for indulging my (very, very stubborn) id, and I hope you enjoy this!
I got partnered up with the lovely @thesilverqueenlady and their fic Once Upon an Avalon! I absolutely LOVED her story so much and did my best to depict a scene!
For the drabble thingy, can you please do Hartwin and #29 (because it takes a better person than me to not do the "I thought you were dead" one)? I ADORE your writing, so thank you in advance :D
Thank you :)
Warning for some violence in this one, though it’s not too graphic.
Harryhid underneath the outdoor stairway, his head low as a pair of guards made acircuit above him. They weren’t being careful; Harry could have taken them out easily, but there was littlepoint when he had no idea what was happening inside the building he had justbeen- literally- thrown out of. He knewthey had Eggsy, and he wanted to go in guns blazing- but he wouldn’t do Eggsy any good if he got himself killed for real that way.
Oncethe guards were gone, Harry checked in.
“Ha- Galahad,”Merlin said, the stutter a sure sign that he had been genuinelyworried. “I couldn’t reachyou.”
“I wasthrown off a building.” Harry got lucky- again. Blownup, shot in the head, and now- his first time back in the field since recuperating- this.
He wasgoing to get a reputation.
“What do you know about what’s happening in there?” he asked.
“Toolittle. They took Eggsy’s glasses.” Unlikely that their enemies knew what theglasses really did, or Merlin would’ve heard something morebefore now. Probably they had taken Eggsy’s glasses off because they had other plans for his face.
Harryfelt white-hot rage sear through him. Hegritted his teeth. “How many people were inside at Eggsy’s last count?”
“I sawonly six,” Merlin said, “including their leader. But, Galahad, you should know-”
“What?”
“Hedidn’t count.”
Harryblinked. If Eggsy knew they would take his glasses, he might’ve concluded that there was no reason tokeep Merlin informed. He might alsohave- “You don’t think he was planning an escape?”
“I’m not sure he was planning anything.”
Merlin’s implication had little time to sink in before Harry heard gunfire from inside. He grinned fiercely. “Perhaps you’d better think again.” As long as Eggsy had the strength to do something, Harry could work withit. He abandonedcaution and got moving. “Tryto hail him.” Even without the glasses, some communication was usually possible.
“You knowI don’t like to distract agents during a firefight.”
“Inthis case you should risk it.”
“Why?”
“Totell him I’m not dead, for one thing.” Harry ducked a shot from the guard a flight or two above him and returned fire. “I’d rather he didn’t shoot me by accident.”
Merlindidn’t manage to make contact- but Eggsy didn’t shoot Harryeither. Harryopened a door that led to a two-level storeroom, full of convenient cover inthe form of barrels and crates, and discovered that Eggsy had positioned himself on the upper level. He had superior skillsand the high ground, so it was really just a matter of time. Harry crouched behind a barrel and watchedhis back, taking out anyone trying to flank him in any direction.
It wasover quickly, in the end, but it didn’t feel quick when Harry couldn’t tell whetherEggsy knew who his helper was until the fighting was over.
“Harry?”Eggsy shouted as soon as it was.
Harrytook a breath and called back, “Eggsy.”
“Ithought you were dead.” Eggsy’s voicewas shaky but strong; the words, though, brought Harry up short. Eggsy had said that to him once before.
When Harry came back from Kentucky, he was well enough to walk into HQ under his own power, and news of his survival had preceded him. Eggsyhad said it carelessly, then, with an almost giddy light in his eyes. As if thinking Harry died when he wasshot in the head was a personal failing on his part, one to be laughedat now. He wasstill grinning when he said I beenwanting to- and caught Harry’s face in both hands, kissing him. Harry had had to stay very still to keep fromfalling over. To know Eggsy hadfelt that way for him- the way Harry himself incidentally felt about Eggsy- and to imagine believing as Eggsy must have that he could never doanything about it shook him to the core. Eggsy mistook Harry’s stillness for rejection and his face fell, butHarry didn’t let him doubt for long. Hekissed Eggsy back, and then some things no longer needed saying. Some things, Harry thought, still didn’t.
Suddenly, Harry wasn’t so sure about that. But before he could speak, Eggsy said, “Uh. Harry. We better run.”
“Youset explosives, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
AndMerlin accused Harry of overkill. Hedashed out of that storeroom and lingered on the stairs only long enough for Eggsyto catch up with him.
They reached the ground and were still running when the buildingexploded. Harry voiced his thought about overkill; he had to shout it to be heard over the roar.
“Thosepeople were dangerous,” Eggsy shouted back. “I wasn’t leaving nothing to chance.”
“Youcertainly didn’t do that,” Harry said, glancing over his shoulder at the cinders that remained. But why, then, had Eggsy stayed to fight?
Harry didn’t ask, and Eggsy didn’t answer- or, at least, Harry didn’t expect him to. But then he repeated, “I thought you were dead.” He staggered a little, as if the strength had abruptly gone out of him.
Harry caught him by the jacket lapels, holding him up and looking him over at once. He had been punched, probablymore than once, and there were bullets- too many of them- still clinging wherethey had impacted his suit. He wasn’t seriously hurt, but he could have been.
Suddenly, Harry remembered: I’m not sure he was planning anything.
Before Harry came back-while he was too comatose to give Merlin his position and Kingsman wastoo run ragged to look for his body- Eggsy had been in the field almostconstantly. Harry had seen a lot of footage from those days, and now all of it- from Valentine’s bunker onward- replayed in his mind to a counterpoint of I thought you were dead.
Harrykept his voice soft, though he still felt like shouting. “Were you trying to- were you-” he couldn’t finish.
Comprehension, then sorrow and what looked like embarrassment chased each other acrossEggsy’s face. “Wasn’t trying to getmyself killed.”
Harry nearly sighed with relief. He knew Eggsy didn’t want to lose him again any more than he would want to lose Eggsy- but if Eggsy could just give up like that, because of him... Harry couldn’t imagine it.
“I was just angry, and so alone. And...” Eggsy couldn’t seem to find the words he needed.
Perhaps he didn’t have to. In the days before Harry returned, Eggsy had operated as though he had no security security system- as if no one was coming for him, as if he lived or died on his own.
And Harry remembered how Eggsy was in the trials. Merlin had made headway, but the fact that he created a new codename for Eggsy probably hadn’t entirely dispensed withEggsy’s belief that he was now not the expendable candidate, but the expendableagent. Harry had done his utmost tocombat that in turn, as had Lancelot and Percival-now-Arthur, and he had thought- or at least hoped- that they were past it.
But perhaps tonight Eggsy had thought to avenge Harry- and thought that without him he was truly alone, that if Harry couldn’t be there for him no one could.
Harry lifted his hands to Eggsy’sface and kissed him hard. Eggsy had a split lip and it probably hurt, but he didn’t fight. No, he melted. “I love you,” Harrysaid, after. “I will always comeback for you if I can. I’ve managed itso far, haven’t I?”
Eggsy nodded.
“Andyou will never be alone.”
Harry stayed close, but he took off his glasses and pushed them onto Eggsy’s face so Merlin- who had kept silent thus far- couldtalk to him. Merlin had been worried,Harry could see now, that in losing Harry he might lose both of them, which was the last thing he deserved- and when he worried, he scolded. Harry knew he tried not to with Eggsy, because Eggsy didn’t hear thefondness in being yelled at that Harry did, but this time… this time he might.
Sure enough, a slow smile appeared on Eggsy’sface. His eyes shone. After a while he met Harry’s gaze and mouthed love you too.
Harry squeezed the back of Eggsy’s neck. As if there had been any doubt.
Theyhad probably not seen the last of this side of Eggsy, but Harry fully intended to be there the day they did- and many, many days after that. Eggsy was pretty well stuck with him.
He smiled, and they walked away from that building. Together.
3. Favorite line - Oh god this was so difficult, but most likely my favorite line of yours of all time was: "When it came to inciting dangerous choices, Helen of Troy had nothing on Hannibal Lecter." Because oh my god, that works on soooo many levels
Is it weird if I say I love that line too? Hannibal is such a shit stirrer, and you know he only gets away with half of it because of his beautiful face (with Will especially). And historical references are my jam, so I felt that worked rather well for him.
My current favorite is from a fic that’s still a WIP:
“Hannibal had always wanted codependency. In a land where Will didn’t speak the language, didn’t have any money of his own, and worried about being out by himself, he’d hit the Stockholm Syndrome inducing jackpot.”
For the WIP guessing game: Do you have "rubberband"? Just cuz :D
You always ask for the best words, and I never have them XD
So you get a random snippet from a Hartwin/Mercival ficlet I’m planning, where the two couples figure out that ‘hey, wouldn’t we be better as a foursome?’
They lay in the grass and looked up at the stars. Harry could hear Richard murmuring to Eggsy about the constellations, and Merlin kept grumbling to Harry about the damp seeping through the back of his shirt. It was perfect.
Send me a word, and if it’s in a WIP I’ll post a snippet.
