LITTLE PRINCESS

1 .  aggressive - pursuing one’s aims and interests forcefully, sometimes unduly so 2 .  aloof - not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant 3 .  arrogant - having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities 4 .  belligerent - hostile and aggressive 5 .  big-headed - conceited or arrogant 6 .  bitchy - malicious or unpleasant 7 .  boastful - showing excessive pride and self-satisfaction in one’s achievements, possessions, or abilities 8 .  bone-idle - lazy 9 .  boring - not interesting; tedious 10 .  bossy - fond of giving people orders; domineering 11 .  callous - showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others 12 .  cantankerous - bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative 13 .  careless - not giving sufficient attention or thought to avoiding harm or errors 14 .  changeable - irregular; inconstant 15 .  clinging - overly dependent on someone emotionally 16 .  compulsive - resulting from or relating to an irresistible urge, especially one that is against one’s conscious wishes 17 .  conservative - a person who is averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes, typically in relation to politics 18 .  cowardly - lacking courage 19 .  crass - lacking sensitivity, refinement, or intelligence 20 .  cruel - willfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it 21 .  cunning - having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion 22 .  cynical - believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity 23 .  deceitful - guilty of or involving deceit; deceiving or misleading others 24 .  detached - separate or disconnected 25 .  dishonest - behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy or fraudulent way. 26 .  dogmatic - inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true 27 .  domineering - assert one’s will over another in an arrogant way 28 .  fastidious - very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail 29 .  finicky - fussy about one’s needs or requirements 30 .  foolish - lacking good sense or judgement; unwise 31 .  foolhardy - recklessly bold or rash 32 .  fussy - fastidious about one’s needs or requirements; hard to please 33 .  greedy - having or showing an intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth or power 34 .  grumpy - bad-tempered and irritable 35 .  gullible - easily persuaded to believe something; credulous 36 .  harsh - cruel or severe 37 .  impatient - having or showing a tendency to be quickly irritated or provoked 38 .  impolite - not having or showing good manners; rude 39 .  impulsive - acting or done without forethought 40 .  inconsiderate - thoughtlessly causing hurt or inconvenience to others 41 .  inconsistent - not compatible or in keeping with 42 .  indecisive - not having or showing the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively 43 .  indiscreet - having, showing, or proceeding from too great a readiness to reveal things that should remain secret or private 44 .  inflexible - unwilling to change or compromise 45 .  interfering - tending to interfere in other people’s affairs 46 .  intolerant - not tolerant of views, beliefs, or behavior that differ from one’s own 47 .  irresponsible - not showing a proper sense of responsibility 48 .  jealous - feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages 49 .  lazy - unwilling to work or use energy 50 .  machiavellian - cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics 51 .  materialistic - excessively concerned with material possessions; money-oriented 52 .  mean - one who makes no effort to understand or empathize with others 53 .  miserly - of or characteristic of a miser 54 .  moody - given to unpredictable changes of mood, especially sudden bouts of gloominess or sullenness 55 .  narrow-minded - not willing to listen to or tolerate other people’s views; prejudiced 56 .  nasty - behaving in an unpleasant or spiteful way 57 .  naughty - disobedient; badly behaved 58 .  nervous - easily agitated or alarmed; tending to be anxious, highly strung 59 .  obsessive - a person who is affected by an obsession 60 .  obstinate - stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so 61 .  overcritical - inclined to find fault too readily 62 .  overemotional - having feelings that are too easily excited and displayed 63 .  parsimonious - unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal 64 .  patronizing - apparently kind or helpful but betraying a feeling of superiority; condescending 65 .  perverse - showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences 66 .  pessimistic - tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen 67 .  pompous - affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important 68 .  possessive - demanding someone’s total attention and love 69 .  pusillanimous - showing a lack of courage or determination; timid 70 .  quarrelsome - given to or characterized by quarreling 71 .  quick-tempered - easily made angry 72 .  resentful - feeling or expressing bitterness or indignation at having been treated unfairly 73 .  rude - offensively impolite or ill-mannered 74 .  ruthless - having or showing no pity or compassion for others 75 .  sarcastic - marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt 76 .  secretive - inclined to conceal feelings and intentions or not to disclose information 77 .  selfish - lacking consideration for others; concerned chiefly with one’s own personal profit or pleasure 78 .  self-centered - preoccupied with oneself and one’s affairs 79 .  self-indulgent - characterized by doing or tending to do exactly what one wants, especially when this involves pleasure or idleness 80 .  silly - having or showing a lack of common sense or judgement; absurd and foolish 81 .  sly - having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature 82 .  sneaky - furtive; sly 83 .  stingy - unwilling to give or spend; ungenerous 84 .  stubborn - having or showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something .  especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so 85 .  stupid - having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense 86 .  superficial - not having or showing any depth of character or understanding 87 .  tacky - showing poor taste and quality 88 .  tactless - having or showing a lack of adroitness and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues 89 .  timid - showing a lack of courage or confidence; easily frightened 90 .  touchy - oversensitive and irritable 91 .  thoughtless - not showing consideration for the needs of other people 92 .  truculent - eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant 93 .  unkind - inconsiderate and harsh to others 94 .  unpredictable - behaving in a way that is not easily predicted 95 .  unreliable - not able to be relied upon 96 .  untidy - not inclined to keep one’s possessions or appearance neat and in order 97 .  untrustworthy - not able to be relied on as honest or truthful 98 .  vague - thinking or communicating in an unfocused or imprecise way 99 .  vain - having or showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities, or worth 100 . vengeful - seeking to harm someone in return for a perceived injury 101 .  vulgar - lacking sophistication or good taste; unrefined 102 .  weak-willed - lacking the ability to resist influence or to restrain one’s own impulses; irresolute

  still bound by a contract, alm is a subject to veronica’s whims and will. embla’s army is an invading force, and while that information should have cast a complete shadow over the fighter’s head, it instead gifts him with a blade the likes of which he has never seen. the red orb in its golden cross-handle draws in the boy’s attention easily, and it makes him wonder if it might be special. surely, it is the kind of weapon that would cost a hefty sum to commission.

his gaze moves over to the very girl who commands him, and he recalls her words of encouragement to him back when he had been defeated by those equally mysterious forces — clad in white and full of all different kinds of people.

“ hey, your name is veronica, right? you seem pretty confident in me, and pretty willing to give things away. do i get to know why? ”

( @emblan​ )

    ❛   WHY ?   ❜     you  echo  the  question  with  the  faintest  tilt  of  your  head .  is  it  not  obvious ?  it should be .  there  is  no  need  for  him  to  overthink  your  actions .  there  is  no  deeper  meaning ;  questions  will  not  aid  the  search  for  something  that  isn’t  even  there  to  begin  with .  you  will  lay  his  thoughts  to  rest .  though  it  feels  a  great  waste  of  breath  to  state  it ,  the  obvious  you  shall  speak .

     ❛   because  you  are  my  soldiers .  this  is  war .  would  you  rather  i  left  you  empty - handed ?   ❜     then  again ,  a  hero  like  him  just  might  be  able  to  manage .  there’s  no  point  in  testing  such  a  theory  though ,  why  hinder  what  great  power  you  possess  by  having  him  serve  you ?  no ,  you  wish  only  to  further  his  potential .         ❛   as  for  this  confidence  you  speak  of ,  that  is  because  of  who  you  are ,  alm .  a  hero  of  such  renown  makes  a  fine  addition  to  my  ranks .  it  makes  those  askrans  quite  frightened ,  you  know .  you  make  quite  a  name  for  yourself ...  it  is  a  shame  i  could  not  meet  you  then .   ❜     yes ,  a  great  shame  indeed ,  but  there  is  little  to  be  done .  his  name  alone  will  incite  a  great  deal  of  dread  as  it  is .  they  know  who  he  is ,  they  are  right  to  fear  him  ---  especially  since  you  can  provide  a  great  many  things  to  him  and  his  allies .  your  face  adorns  a  wicked  grin ,  one  unbecoming  of  a  girl  of  your  stature .  you  are  most  pleased  with  yourself ,  with  what  you  have  done ,  and  what  is  soon  to  come .

👀 + what is it that you regret the most, veronica?

   REGRET .     it’s  a  funny  word .  and  yet  she  doesn’t  laugh .  some  time  ago ,  it  was  difficult  to  even  live  if  she  carried  regret  with  her .  if  she  let  it  consume  her  mind ...  she  would’ve  lost  a  long  time  ago .  embla  is  not  a  place  for  regret .  the  throne  even  less .  a  crown  is  heavier  than  any  regret  could  ever  hope  to  be .  the  needs  of  the  people  overpowers ,  it  all  left  her  hardly  human ,  an  impenitrible  fortress  of  a  girl .  to  survive  was  to  do  without  such  things .  perhaps ,  at  times ,  it  even  felt  beneath  her .  

   she  would  rather  have  pride .  the  battlefield  leaves  little  time  to  dwell  on  wrong  doings .  in  her  heart ,  what  she  sought  to  achieve  was  something  good .  something  necessary .  what  she  knew  for  certain  was  that  askr  would  always  fight  against  her ,  that  they  wouldn’t  stop  so  long  as  she  kept  going .  and  she  had  to  keep  going .  for  her  people ,  for  embla ,  she  had  to .  the  further  their  war  escalated ,  the  more  evil  askr  became .  the  most  vile  of  all  was  that  summoner .

     ❛   my  ignorance ,  i  suppose .   ❜     it  is  the  regret  that  festers  the  most  here  in  askr now .  it  has  shackled  itself  around  her  and  though  she’s  tried  to  shed  this  weight ,  she  will  experience  something  anew  in  these  walls  and  it  will  manifest  again .  even  facing  it  now  does  not  quell  it ,  she  may  never  be  free  of  the  guilt  she  carries .       ❛   i  was  mistaken  about  the  summoner .  i  thought  i  knew  what  they  were  like .  i  assumed  these  soilders  could  only  be  led  by  someone ...  cold .  that  they  only  sought  to  ruin  me  and  relished  in  bringing  embla  to  its  end .  i  expected ...   ❜ 

   a  mirror  of  herself ,  to  put  it  bluntly .  even  if  she  is  heralded  as  brave  here  in  this  world ,  veronica  possesses  no  courage  that  could  make  her  speak  so  plainly .  her  hands  seek  to  hold  herself ,  to  provide  comfort  as  she  comes  to  terms  with  an  unsavory  past .  a  pained  look  crosses  her  face  as  she  tries  to  shake  away  all  the  horrible  things  she  once  tried  to  inact  upon  them .

Tarantula

Like a tarantula, you might not be the biggest beast out there when you are angry, but you sure are one of the most feared. No one wants to mess with you when you are mad! You always keep your cool and wait until it is the right time to strike but when you do, look out! No one stands a chance against you when you are angry.

[ hector volunteers ]

SHOULD HE BE HONEST, HECTOR WOULD SAY he cannot understand it either but having grown up with the tales of the eight legends, he’s grown to simply accept it. it’s true he has roland’s blood in his veins and perhaps, that lineage is what makes him a worthy wielder to these weapons. they sense a similarity between their old wielders and the present one, perhaps, but hector does not think much of it. two of the weapons of legend have found him worthy of wielding it, and at very least, maltet is the least ominous of the two regardless of its cold touch. armads has cursed him, but what does it say of the curse and of himself if he had accepted it? it was not a curse, then, but a condition to wield its power, one he willingly took as a consequence. the ostian does not look at it, however, but at the book the girl so dearly holds.

it seems far more important now, barrigan’s legacy a legend that felt much more removed.

the nobleman sees the worry that paints the young girl’s expression and the words that follow are painful to listen; as young as she is, it seems she believes it natural that the whole world disapproves of her. he understands it is the consequence of the deeds of her alternate self, but he cannot imagine himself at such tender age, carrying such burdens—not when he lived a partially carefree youth as oswin & uther took care of the brunt of responsibilities. he had been a fortunate child indeed, regardless of the judgment of others, and he could not be more glad for it. he had known grief and had known disapproval, but never in the same extent veronica seems to know. hector knows it’s futile to compare, but at very least, it serves him for the purpose of relating.

“veronica… i don’t think a brother that gifts a sister something she cherishes so much would despise her.” his eyebrows knit together as he speaks, own expression showing concern. he cannot speak for sure, he knows. despite their distance, uther and himself had always been on understanding terms. “i have seen relatives that despise another,” young prince zephiel and his mad father desmond, the morph sonia and poor young nino— “and none of them seemed invested enough into that sort of pretense. now, i could be wrong, but… what does your heart tell you?” he touches his own chest plate to make a point, offers her a small, placating smile. if she seems so keen on turning the book into a good reminder, then perhaps she knows, deep down, her brother cares.

it’s what he sincerely hopes. this girl does not deserve another disappointment, another reason to feel hurt.

then, she makes an unexpected offer. hector blinks at it, surprise clear in his features for a second. he watches the book for a moment before moving his gaze back towards the emblan. he nods, then, and his smile grows just slightly at the display of trust. one hand reaches for her shoulder, patting it as lightly as he can manage (which may still be a little hard, given the weight of his armor, his natural strength). “aha, i’d be honored! but i don’t think that’s a fair price—i’d tell of my homeland and brother at any request of yours, my friend.”

   HE  DOESN’T  KNOW  YOUR  BROTHER  LIKE  YOU  KNOW  HIM ,     though  that  implies  you  know  him  more  than  most .  to  say  you  do  would  be  to  lie ,  he  remains  ever  the  enigma  even  to  you .  his  true  nature  is  a  closely - guarded  secret ,  at  times  leading  him  to  fail  in  his  duties  as  a  brother  (  at  least ,  duties  so  proclaimed  as  such  by  other  heroes  )  he  has  left  you  alone ,  helpless  in  times  of  danger .  his  rescue  comes ,  yes ,  but  only  just  in  the  nick  of  time .  when  you  are  granted  time  with  him ,  it  is  just  not  enough .  soon  he  is  off  again ,  for  so  long ,  too .  it  ails  you  so .

   your  fingertips  are  hesitant  to  meet  the  chill  of  your  breastplate .  to  mimic  hector  as  he  touches  his ,  it  is  a  feeling  that  has  often  eluded  you .  to  draw  attention  to  your  heart  asks  a  great  deal  of  you .  for  a  time ,  you  did  not  believe  you  possessed  something  so ...  vulnerable .  there  existed  those  who  tried  to  tell  you  that  you  were  heartless .  who  were  you  to  deny  them ?  the  faint  drumming  in  your  chest  was  not  a  force  that  guided  you ,  all  instruction  came  from  a  voice  that  whispered  far  louder  than  your  heart  dared  to  beat .  however ,  you  promised  to  forgo  listening  to  whatever  that  voice  had  to  say .  you  renounced  it ,  so  what  is  left  to  sway  you ?  would  your  heart  truly  allow  you  to  listen ?  would  it  forgive  the  way  you  ignored  it  so ?  you  cannot  say  for  sure .  the  heart  does  not  speak .  it  is  not  as  easy  to  decipher ...  but  you  long  to  know  how ,  you  long  to  try .

     ❛   hm ...   ❜

   you  cannot  tell  hector  what  it  says  to  you ,  in  time  you  hope  you  can .  for  now ,  you  are  to  be  puzzled  by  the  rhythm  that  reverberates  within  you .  a  gloved  hand  sinks  down ,  and  the  sound  is  lost  on  you  once  more  ---  but  you  are  no  longer  deaf  to  it .  as  if  forever  bound  to  hold  it  close ,  your  hand  resumes  it’s  place  atop  your  book .  your  gaze  is  soon  to  follow ,  taking  in  the  sight  of  the  cover  as  hector’s  voice  so  proclaims  he  is  honored  by  your  offer .  and  yet ,  that  very  honor  begets  the  feeling  that  what  you  asked  is  not  enough .

❝ I know we’re not bound by blood, but…I care just the same. ❞ - xander

     ❛   WHY ?   you  always  say  you  do ...  but  you  never  tell  me  why ...   ❜     he  vexes  you  so ,  how  little  you  understand  him .  you  would  beg  any  god  that’d  lend  an  ear  for  you  to  explain  what  it  is  that  compels  him ...  if  you  did  not  fear  the  answer .   there  is  something  frightening  about  the  way  he  may  perceive  you ,  how  he  may  be  the  only  one  to  see  you  as  you  are .  you  are  not  quite  sure  you  are  ready  to  face  that .  no  matter  what  your  people  say ,  you  are  not  veronica ,  imperial  princess  of  the  embla  empire  ---  nor  are  you  its  emperor .  no  matter  what  askr  says ,  you  are  not  so  sinister  a  villain  that  seeks  to  manipulate  the  heroes  at  your disposal .  you  are  just  a  little  girl ,  and  a  lonely  one  at  that .  you  are  burdened  by  the  very  blood  in  your  veins .  if  xander  knows  that ...  well ,  it  terrifies  you  to  think  that  he  might .  

   he  cares  for  you ,  and  that  guilt  rests  heavy  on  your  conscious .  xander  is  no  ordinary  man .  he  is  an  older  brother ,  yet  when  his  family  was  defeated  under  your  command ,  he  abandoned  them  to  offer  you  further  aid .  even  now ,  despite  them  aligning  with  askr ,  he  remains .  surely  it  must  haunt  him ,  surely  he  must  dread  each  encounter .  why  is  he  still  here ?  you’d  order  him  to  leave ...  if  only  you  could .  you  do  not  control  him  any  more .  he’s  regained  his  free  will ,  and  he  stays  despite  it .  that  is  what  leaves  you  so  perplexed  by  his  presence .  you  do  not  deserve  so  stalwart  a  companion ...  not  when  there  are  others  who  deserve  him  so  much  more  than  you .

     ❛   you  have  siblings ,  you  have  those  you  are  bound  by  blood  to ...  do  you  not  feel  as  though  you’ve  betrayed  them ?   ❜     your  words  are  harsh ,  but  they  are  the  very  thoughts  you  think  spoken  aloud  at  long  last .  you  are  desperate  for  an  answer ,  it  weighs  on  every  word  you  speak .  

     ❛   so  long  as  they  aid  askr ...  we  won’t  stop  fighting  them ...   ❜     he  knows  this ,  you’re  certain of  that .  yet  when  you  state  it  aloud  like  this ,  even  you  feel  an  ache  in  your  chest .  does  he  not  feel  the  same ?

there’s  a  voice  in  my  head  that  says:  there  are  no  good  people  in  this  world.        i  want  to  be  the  one  to  prove  it  wrong  ---  let  me  prove  it  wrong.