Beyond the Shadows

Struggling [DK!Ephraim | Knoll]

“You didn’t know?” Ephraim’s voice took on a curious quality, as if he was genuinely intrigued, not out of malice. “Oh… he lives yet. And he was still wearing that pretty crown of his mother’s, too — precious, isn’t it?”

He leaned back, looking away as if in thought. “Hm… lives yet might be too generous of me. I can’t say what these hands did, exactly. They are quite adept at killing, aren’t they? They might have found their way around that lovely pale neck, hmmm… wouldn’t that be sad?”

The laughter that followed could have been innocent enough to anyone who didn’t know the context.

“Ironic, I suppose, given how dearly your lovely little prince liked this body before it was mine. And meanwhile I’m sure you would never hurt him, right? If I’d let you, I’m sure, you’d have saved him, right? Too bad. And now, would you like me to pick which country to invade? I’ll take Rausten — irony, again, don’t you think — and then with their men, I’ll set this whole continent ablaze. I hope for your sake your pretty prince is dead again— he wouldn’t want to see what his dear, dear friend is going to do.”

#this is the terribaddest reply gomen #solarbrace #dk!eph

The fact that his prince was actually alive was both relieving and extremely alarming. Knoll could easily spot him if he ever saw him again... but if his prince was still wearing the Empress' crown, then anyone else would easily recognize him, which could have him executed in place for his past deeds.

And that was without even considering the fact that this monster had met him, and who knows what kind of horrors the fiend did to him using the King's body.

Knoll couldn't bring himself to speak. The demon was right, witnessing something like that would destroy his prince for a second time. Yet there was little Knoll could do to prevent it, other than trying to squirm free from the King's grasp.

The sad little Shaman, tell me how it feels to know everything is once again crumbling under you because of my hand. It's quite entertaining, really. Watching your prince struggle, that king you so despise break yet I just wonder, how much do you enjoy to see the man you hate suffer~?

... Shut your mouth.

Whether I enjoy that man's suffering or not is meaningless, you no longer have control over my liege, that is all what matters.

I cannot begin to imagine how you managed to escape from Rausten. But... I will put an end to you if it comes to it.

#ancientterror #disapproving knoll disapproves of dk

Struggling [DK!Ephraim | Knoll]

“Don’t lie.” Ephraim’s fingers moved to Knoll’s chin, cradling it and turning his head back to face him in a mockery of tenderness.

“Will it lighten your heart to know I’ve seen your prince again? In this body, in fact. And he was well and quite happy… before I met him, anyway. I couldn’t tell you how he is now, but I can say it was delightful to see him weep from the outside for a change. I never did get that chance before.”

The other hand swept around to Knoll’s back, pushing him forward as the body began to walk. “Why don’t you stay with me a while? I’m sure there’s quite a lot you’d like to know — and a lot you’d like to say to this body of mine, isn’t there? Oh, do speak freely; he can hear and see everything. Like your little prince could. And feel, too—”

As if thoughtful, the body paused, then slowly smiled again. “Oh… that’s right, did you think he was spared that? Sorry, not the case. I think he remembers exactly what it feels like, even now, to have a spear shoved through his pretty chest.”

Knoll's eyes widened as time seemed to stop for a second. His prince was far gone from this world, and both causes were walking right by his side. This had to be a lie, a trick to further torture him. "You're... you're lying."

Normally, Knoll would be rather upset if the King had any kind of physical contact with him, but now the contact only made him feel sick to the core, if only because he knew what hid within his mind. "Let go of me." He mumbled, momentarily regaining his defiance, only to lose mere seconds afterwards.

"Stop. That is... that is not true, he's gone." Knoll began, his voice taking on an accusatory tone. "... And it was you who took his life."

He wasn't sure if he was addressing that sentence to the thing wearing the King's skin or to the King himself. But it didn't matter, it was the truth regardless of that.

#solarbrace #dk!eph

Full Moon [Knoll-Lyon]

princeofmisery

Thankfully the village was a lot closer, even at the pace they were going it would not take them long. He also had another idea, though it was also likely to invoke a negative reaction from Knoll. Knoll had accepted his last idea to a point before adapting it to make it…more legal. Perhaps he wouldn’t mind too much…

“I was thinking of selling Nagflar,” he said, “It’s unusable without…a certain type of power so it could never be a weapon for anyone. We could get some money for it and that way you do not have to sell your possessions.”

He didn’t want Knoll selling his belongings, especially when he had nothing to contribute too. Selling Nagflar was mutually beneficial, they had money, had got rid of something incredibly useless yet incriminating, and Lyon didn’t have to carry its weight around anymore. Whatever they were to sell, this new plan seemed better, it also involved less theft - a new habit of Lyon’s that he wasn’t particularly proud of.

Knoll wasn't sure bout what to think about his prince's suggestion. On one hand, if he disposed of the book he would most likely be safe from any possible demonic influence, not to mention that he'd free himself from the weight it meant. On the other hand... was it really wise to do something like that? The book was unusable without the Demon King's power... and he could be freed at any moment. If that happened not only would the book become a powerful weapon, but it would also emanate energy and lure in monsters towards whoever held it.

"My prince, would it not be better to dispose of that book through other means...?" Knoll suggested quietly. "Even if it is unusable... it could cause the merchants trouble, or even... end up in the wrong hands."

A muffled cry escaped Knoll's lips as the pain began to intensify suddenly. They had to hurry. "I don't mind... selling my belongings... I can afford buying another tome later on..." He mumbled weakly. "We must... hurry up..."

#princeofmisery

Wounds [Percival-Knoll]

Liege? Was this man some sort of knight or royal mage? That had to be it, Percival decided.

“Sir Knoll. I am Percival, Knight General of Etruria.”

Percival couldn’t quite place his accent, still. Bern? Ostia? Or perhaps he was another traveler, thrown into this place from somewhere else…

No, that was exactly it. This Knoll sounded, and looked, so like that supposed prince from before.

“Forgive me for being so abrupt, but… your liege, your country — from where do you hail?”

The name Etruria sounded rather foreign, and he was quite sure that he had never seen or heard it before-- it definitely wasn't on any map he had seen before. The only logical choice left would be a hidden village of sorts, but a Knight General sounded far beyond from what a tiny village could afford. He gave the knight a perplexed look. "I'm afraid I have never heard of such a place before. Where is it located?"

Knoll raised an eyebrow at the knight's sudden question. He didn't seem to be the kind of person who asked questions out of the blue-- there had to be a reason behind it.

The man's piercing gaze stayed on Knoll's face as he awaited for an answer, as if analyzing his features. "I hail from the Empire of Grado... or rather what's left of it." He sighed.

#knightgeneral

fervidxtactics

DM!Allium | Knoll

Allium’s attention sprang to the quiet voice who called to her. She tugged the hood around her more, a bit nervous to the stranger. “…I…I was merely lost in thought over some magic tomes.” She motioned to a green colored one. “For some reason I had thought I used that magic but…I know I can only use dark…”

#terribad omfg gomen #fervidxtactics

He didn't need to take a closer look at the book to tell that it was a tome for anima magic, its cover very different in colour than those of the dark tomes he knew so well, and unlike what he'd seen the members of the clergy wielding.

Knoll gave her a questioning look. Only druids could wield both anima and dark magic simultaneously, yet few of them could master both arts correctly. And this girl... she looked like a normal dark mage, nothing like a druid. "Are you certain about that? Did you actually try to cast the magic on that other tome?" He asked quietly. "You... you are not a druid, are you?"

Struggling [DK!Ephraim | Knoll]

Ephraim tried to speak further, but couldn’t force anything to move.

“And how do you intend to do that, hm?” The voice coming out of his mouth was velvet, sultry, as his fingers moved upward to stroke Knoll’s hair and face. “Kill this body? Yes, and I’m sure a Gradan mage slaying the king of Renais will go over wonderfully. What will you say to them when they ready another war? ‘Stop’? ‘You don’t understand’?”

His voice laughed lowly, keeping their interactions quiet and close. He felt his free hand grab Knoll’s slender wrist as he leaned in close.

“You can’t do anything without tearing this pathetic ‘peace’ apart, can you? Throwing away what he died for so easily. But you don’t care about that, do you? You’re just…”

He was barely an inch away from Knoll’s face now, forcing him close with strength he wasn’t sure was his own.

“…Just wishing I’d touched you like this in his body, right? So you could pretend, just for a minute, that it was really him.”

#solarbrace #dk!eph #gomen bad reply

Knoll shivered at the touch, and his first instinct was to fight back and squirm free. But the King's hand clasped around his wrist like a vice, making the effort utterly meaningless. Words were the only things he could defend himself with now, mustering all the defiance he could into them. "... I will not allow you to destroy the peace he wished and died for."

But his defiance vanished as soon as he heard the poisonous words coming from the King's mouth. He couldn't bring himself to deny them so defiantly as he had done previously-- it was the truth, the truth he was so ashamed of, and the demon knew it.

He tried not to dwell on them, he tried in vain not to imagine how it would feel if it were his prince's gentle grip on his wrist and face instead of the sickening force painfully holding him in place. Knoll closed his eyes shut and turned away, trying to avoid the King's hot breath tickling against his skin as he mumbled. "No..."

List of Drabble Prompts

Scream: My character has caused yours to scream out for some reason

Graveyard: My character will visit your characters grave

Spectre: My character will be visited by your character’s ghost or vice versa

Dream: My character will have a dream about your character

Nightmare: One of our characters will have a nightmare.

Busted: Your character will catch mine doing something they shouldn’t.

Break Me: I will write an angsty drabble about our characters.

Comfort Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character comforting yours- vise versa.

Drink Me: I will write a drabble about my character taking shots with yours.

Dominate Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character dominating yours. Or vise versa.

Embarrass Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character saying or doing something embarrassing to himself or to your character.

Haunt Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character watching over yours [as a ghost, watching from a distance, or otherwise, feel free to specify.]

Hunt with me: I’ll write a drabble about your character and mine on a hunt together.

Join Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character giving your character an offer

Kill Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character killing yours.

Nurse Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character healing yours.

Raise Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character resurrecting yours. Vise versa.

Surprise Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character surprising yours. Vise versa.

Save Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character saving yours or vise versa.

Shoot Me: I’ll write a drabble about my character shooting yours or vise versa.

Torture Me: I’ll write a drabble about your character torturing mine or vise versa.

Deny Me: my character will either deny your character’s advances or deny them a ’ happy ending’

Lick Me: my character will lick yours in any specified place or manner.

Suck Me: my character will suck on any body part of your character

Tease Me: my character will tease yours, whether in a friendly or a sexual manner

Bite Me: my character will bite yours on any part of their body

Blindfold Me: my character will blindfold yours in order to have their fun

Meet Me: My character is meeting yours either for the first time or just causally.

Slap me: my character will slap yours. In the sexual manner, or of anger. specify.

Call Me: My character will call your character for whatever reason.

Hug Me: My character will hug yours. Either by surprise or for a specific reason.

Give Me: my character will give yours a gift

Sleep: My character needs to stay at your character’s house for the night, or vise versa. Specify.

Drink: My character will call, text, or show up at your character’s house drunk. Specify which of the three.

Heal: My character will tend to your character’s wounds, or be at their side when they’re sick.

Protect: My character keeps yours safe from harm.

Kiss: My character kisses yours, or vise versa. Specify.

Dream: My character wakes up in the middle of the night because of a dream with your character in it.

Revenge: My character will get revenge on yours.

Jealousy: My character gets jealous over yours.

Hallucinations: My character will have hallucinations about your character.

Candle: Our characters spending time together by candle light.

Gift: My character gives your character something special. Or vise versa. Specify.

Spell: I’ll write my character putting a spell on yours. Or being under a spell/curse.

Song: My charcter singing a song to yours, or vice versa.

Gloves: How my character deals with news from yours, Specify

Snow: Our characters in the cold together.

Rain: I’ll write a fluffy drabble of our characters kissing in the rain.

Kill: I’ll write a angst drabble of my character violently killing yours.

Love: I’ll write a drabble of my character admitting they love yours.

Lust: I’ll write a drabble of our characters making love together.

Date: I’ll write a drabble of my character taking yours out on a date.

Defend: I’ll write a drabble of my character protecting yours.

Fight: I’ll write a drabble of my character fighting with/against yours.

Trick: Your character and mine being sneaky together

Treat: Your character and mine being sweet to one another

Costume: Your character or mine, dressing up for the other

Stars: Our characters under the stars together

Snow: Our characters in the cold together

Scarf: Your character or Mine borrowing/stealing clothes from the other

Hot Cocoa: Our characters enjoying a hot moment together.

Candles: Our characters enjoying a moment by candlelight

Gift: Your character or mine, surprising the other with a present

Bows: Your character or mine, dressing/undressing the other

Peppermint: Your character or mine, sharing a sweet secret with the other.

#meme

eltshan

i drew knoll with onion for my friend emerald ;w;

#ghghgh #glorious

Struggling [DK!Ephraim | Knoll]

Ephraim looked up, a growing sense of dread washing over him. He stared for a moment and shook his head, trying to speak. When he finally managed, it wasn’t the warning he wanted to convey. It was something quite different.

“Oh. It’s just you.” He wanted to wince. “Looking morose as always, I see— still mooning after your dead prince?”

Ephraim’s stomach lurched at the cruelty of the words. He tried to choke them back, but his body was standing easily, as if in full strength. He stared, intense, down at Knoll. He had to know something, didn’t he? Hadn’t he seen Lyon firsthand at the beginning? His left hand twitched and spasmed with the effort he made of retaking control, but that was all he could manage. His body remained outside his grasp.

“What a pathetic little specimen you are. But I remember you. I owe you much, don’t I?”

Ephraim was suddenly afraid. The thing inside him was making no effort to conceal itself. And they were in the middle of a crowded market, full of innocent people just trying to rebuild their ruined lives. The terror spurred him on, and he managed to croak out a single sentence of his own—

“Help me.”

A sense of dread creeped onto him as soon as the King spoke. Almost the same words, laced with the same poison and that unmistakable mocking edge to them. His following, cruel sentences only strengthened Knoll's fears, and instinctively, he stood and stepped back.

"Shut your mouth." He said in unfamiliar defiance, fighting the urge to retch as he stared at the thing standing before him.

However the demon got to King Ephraim in the first place was beyond Knoll. But that was unimportant, he had to put a stop to him soon or else more destruction would ensue, and more innocent lives would be lost. He would not allow it. For the memory of his fallen prince, he could not.

"Fear not, I will help you." Knoll mumbled after hearing the King's plea. Unfortunately, the only form of help he knew he could offer was... releasing both souls by killing the vessel. Not that King Ephraim didn't deserve it, after what he did to Prince Lyon.

However, he first needed to figure out a way to lure the man away from the town, to avoid any casualties. But once he did... there was nothing restricting him. He'd go all out against the demon.

#dk!eph #solarbrace

Struggling [DK!Ephraim | Knoll]

Ephraim came to awareness in the middle of a bustling marketplace and, almost immediately, collapsed.

He had no idea where he was. The accents he was hearing were Gradan, he thought, but the air was cold, northern, bitter. He realized he was trembling from the cold, and his stomach had swung from numbness to agony from hunger. His legs hurt. His eyes burned, as if he hadn’t blinked.

A few people stared, but shuffled by. After a moment, he realized he’d stripped away his more regal clothes and was dressed as a common traveler.

Where… when…

Why am I here?

No one who didn’t know him would recognize him, here. He fought to get to his feet, to no avail. A quiet, grateful part of him wondered if he might just perish right then and be spared the rest.

He wouldn’t beg for death. Not openly. But internally… he was screaming for it. A dead man too long away from his grave.

#terribad sorry #solarbrace #dk!eph

Few days had passed since he'd left the capital, and at long last he'd arrived to his intended destination. He was on an errand for sister Natasha, who mentioned she needed a special variety of herb used to treat a certain, common disease in children, and it only grew near the northern borders of the Empire. Leaving the children unattended for some days would have been much of a risk, even if there were other clerics to take care of them, so Knoll offered to gather the herbs in her place.

On his way back from the forest, he'd decided to pass through the nearby town. It had been quite a while since Knoll saw such a lively marketplace-- it seemed this region hadn't been so devastated from the earthquake. Not enough to prevent a quick recovery, at least, although some damages could still be seen here and there.

But something else caught his attention, or rather someone. A fallen traveller in the middle of the street, apparently invisible to the passers-by as nobody offered them aid. Hastily, Knoll made towards the traveller and crouched down to help them.

Surprise stuck him as he was greeted by an unmistakable shade of teal under the traveller's hood. "... King Ephraim? What happened to you?" He whispered quietly.

Wounds [Percival-Knoll]

Within a few moments, Percival sputtered and coughed, spittting the last of the blood into the grass next to him. He turned his head back upward, squinting against the harsh sunlight, to see silver-violet hair and a concerned face.

That supposedly exiled prince? It looked like him… what was his name again? “Your Highness,” he managed. “I…”

No, that wasn’t the same man, he realized as his vision came into focus. This was someone else. And though his fingers were still wet with blood, his body no longer ached and his breaths came without pain. He sat up, studying the man — a mage? — with a measure of caution.

“—Apologies. I mistook you for someone else, sir. Was it you who healed me? If so…” he bowed his head low, ”…I am in your debt.”

#wow awful reply #i'm sorry #knightgeneral

'Your Highness'? How could this man mistake him for royalty? His robes weren't exactly ornate, not like the ones royalty wore, nor did he share features with any royal house in Magvel. The man's following words only confirmed that he had been mistaken for someone else, and the only royal Knoll resembled was--

No, that was impossible. His prince was long gone. This man was most definitely hallucinating, he should know that his liege had died years back.

Knoll sighed, partly relieved that the man was coming to himself. "There is no need indebt yourself to me, sir." He mumbled. "My liege would have never abandoned someone in need."

"My name is Knoll, may I have your name?"

Shiver

Knoll could not bring himself to put a halt to his work despite his heavy eyelids or the chilling cold enveloping his body-- he needed to find a way for their research to progress faster, his country needed it, his prince needed it.

He finished reading the last paragraph on the chapter, and interesting as it was, nothing useful came from it. With a heavy sigh he rested his head on his hands, trying in vain to force his body to cease shivering, and for his eyelids to fight the sleepiness.

Knoll was so focused on his actual task, he didn't even feel the presence of an unexpected guest making his way towards Knoll. Not until said guest draped a large, heavy blanket over his shaking shoulders. He jumped in surprise at the sudden contact and turned around rather quickly, only to see his prince smiling down at him. "Prince Lyon?" Knoll murmured. "What are you doing here this late at night?"

"I could ask the same of you." The prince replied as he took a seat beside Knoll. "I could not sleep... so I decided to come here and study instead of wasting time forcing myself into slumber."

"That cannot be," Knoll objected. "You must rest properly, surely you have duties..." But his words were cut off as he saw his prince wrap his arms round himself. Only then Knoll realized that the 'blanket' on his shoulders was actually the prince's heavy cape. He hastily made to remove it and return it to its owner, but his liege refused it "Don't worry Knoll, I'm all right," He mumbled. "I'm going to stay here overnight, so I better get used to the cold..."

Chances were there was nothing Knoll could say or do to sway his prince into heading back to his chambers or accepting the cape, so the only option left was sharing. Moving closer, he draped one end of the cape over his liege's shoulders, making sure that it would not fall off.

The prince froze immediately when contact was made, and Knoll feared he might have wronged him. "I do not mean to intrude in your personal space, your highness, but it would be better for the both of us to share the cape and remain like this to avoid getting cold."

It took a few seconds for his liege to steady his breaths and relax. "I understand, Knoll, thank you." He managed with a small smile as he took the book Knoll had been reading previously and moved it closer, so the both of them could read.

#princeofmisery #drabble #i'm sorry this is too long??#and prolly bad too gggh #i'm gomen

meme-archive

Send me a drabble prompt

zephyrguard

Goodbye: My muse watching yours die Farewell: My muse or yours leaving the other (Please specify which) Blood: My muse killing yours Shiver: Our muses trying to stay warm Hush: My muse trying to calm and quiet yours War: Our muses arguing Nocturnal: Our muses up late at night Confession: My muse confesses something to yours Reckless: My muse does something dangerous for yours Warmth: Our muses doing something fluffy and cute together Intimate: Our muses doing some hot and steamy together Phobia: Our muses discussing what scares them Tricky: Our muses doing something sneaky Deceive: My muse lying to yours

#meme

Wounds [Percival-Knoll]

He could taste the blood. That was the worst sign, Percival thought. It was rising up from his throat and spattering onto his hand, which he held tight over his mouth to silence his inevitable groan of pain. His other clutched uselessly at his abdomen as he struggled to get off the ground, hot and sticking, sickly, to the cloth of his shirt.

His armor had protected his lungs, at least, but it hadn’t been enough. All it meant was that he was going to die slower, more painfully.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Percival had always imagined he’d die in battle for his liege— not thanks to wounds from a bitter ex-soldier of Bern, still hateful toward everything Etrurian after the war. This was an ignoble end. At least his assailant hadn’t stayed around to see it.

For a moment, he was able to rise to his feet and stagger a few weak steps toward the nearby village. He could see smoke rising over chimneys — he was so cold. But they were out of his reach. He collapsed again, four steps in, his face sinking into the cool grass as he sputtered another mouthful of blood.

His will was not enough. Slowly, his eyes closed, his liege’s name fresh on his bloodied lips. All he could manage was to keep breathing.

Knoll kept his pace steady and normal despite the growing feeling of uneasiness in his chest. This road... it was nothing at all like the stone-cobbled one between Serafew and Renvall, the familiar one which he was supposed to be crossing this instant. He had lost his way, and how that had happened was beyond Knoll.

Well, there was no point on dwelling on the how and when, he thought to himself, it would be best to ask for directions or find a map so he could return to his duties as soon as possible. Thankfully, there was a town not too far away, and if luck was on his side, he'd find a way back soon enough and reach Serafew by the next morning.

It didn't take long before he almost reached the town, but his steps came to an abrupt halt. There in the roadside lay a bloodied, unmoving man-- a victim of a monster attack most likely.

He ran towards the corpse, it still looked fresh, and if he examined the wounds he would likely tell the kind of monster responsible for the attack and hunt it down before it harmed anyone else. Knoll was surprised to find out that the supposed corpse was still breathing, albeit raggedly. He unlatched the newly-mastered Mend staff from his back, unsure as to whether or not the man would survive at all. But he had to try, his liege would have never abandoned someone in need.

Knoll focused on the large wound on the man's abdomen and whispered his incantation, a bluish white light enveloping him for an instant. The wound had healed almost entirely, but the man remained unmoving.

#knightgeneral

Full Moon [Knoll-Lyon]

princeofmisery

The temple seemed very far away despite the brightness of its torches. They had reached a well-trodden stretch of path but at this time of night they seemed to be the only travellers. Their progress was slow and painful, Lyon becoming convinced he may have hit his head in the fall and Knoll didn’t seem to be faring much better. They probably weren’t going to make it. Time for another suggestion.

“I have another plan,” he said, “You’re not going to like it very much but… We wouldn’t have to go near anywhere that may recognise me, and I can heal you sooner.”

Now to admit something that no prince really ought to.

“I’ve been…wandering lost for quite some time and…without any money I’ve had to…erm, get what I need in other ways. The closest village is nearer to us than the temple so why don’t we find the vendor and…find what we need and then somehow make amends another time?” He said the last part very quickly, dressing up his intentions in the nicest way possible. He had never broken into a shop before, just picked up dropped items or things that had fallen off market stalls but…they were running out of options.