Strawbie

With the reverie starting, in almost a week, naturally preparations have immediately started. More guards and knights are being deployed to protect the kings and queens on their way. Truth be told, you were not caught up with the preparations, your time with Imu was much more valuable than some measle preparations that you didn’t really care for. Quite frankly it is nothing you concern yourself with.

You had your lover, the ruler of the world, Nerona Imu, sitting by your side. And hell if you weren’t helping him step on anything they deemed unworthy. Which… In truth, was a lot, but who were you to complain when your strength was on equal grounds with them.

While Imu was busy, you tended to spend some time around the elders, not that you were exactly fond of them, considering how old and boring they were, but you felt like your presence made the atmosphere a little more bearable (granted, the elders had different thoughts regarding you, but their thoughts were not worth a sliver in your head).

As for any marines or forces below the knights, you didn’t really care for them. They were too small of ‘soldiers’ to be thought about, at least Killingham put up great fights against you, and so did all the knights. You occasionally read a few files, to be able to cuss out Akainu for his horrid decisions.

Though, despite your attitude towards anyone that wasn’t above the head admiral. Your eyes were immediately intrigued when a group of people in white suits entered the elders’ room, you were in the middle of preparing tea for Nusjuro, this time preparing a blend Killingham created, the elder seemed happy to taste what his mentee created.

It takes a moment for you to recognize that they actually entered the room.

…

One moment you were pouring tea, the other you were giving a pigeon some sun flower seeds. Rob lucci has no idea how you were in front of him in the blink of an eye, and for the first time in his life, he is frozen in awe. Stussy is equally shocked, despite her being a creation of Vegapunk himself, installed with speed and powers beyond what humans are capable of, she could not find the source of this speed, so she opted to remain silent.

It was only the two of them out of the other CP0 agents, given that they were only here to receive orders.

Hattori, despite the tension in his owner and his partner, eats the seeds while cooing his thanks to you, rarely did Hattori ever like people…

“Aren’t you so cute?” You purr at the sight.

It took Stussy and Lucci a few seconds to relax, the elders do not seem alarmed by your presence… If anything Lucci can swear they almost seem.. Wary, of you, and for good reasons, he guesses.

Well, for no reason, Lucci wouldn’t start a fight… in the castle. So he puts Hattori in the palm of his hand and lowers him so you can feed him easier.

“What’s this cutie’s name?” You ask as you pull out more seeds for the elegantly dressed pigeon.

“Hattori.”

Lucci answers, in a softer tone than he admits, it is… so incredibly rare that someone is able to stand in front of him without being scared or at least, intimidated, somebody who knows how terrifying he is, and is still able to stand their ground.

“Ahh… I’m holding you two back aren’t I? Sorry about that! Lucci right? I heard about you!”

“That would be me.”

“So I’m correct! Right, go ahead and give them your orders, before I kidnap this baby.”You seemingly order the elders, before patting Hattori’s head with your finger before going back to stand next to Nusjuro, he gives you a soft smile and an affirmative nod regarding the tea and you beam, excited to tell Killingham that his blend was well liked.

The orders CP0 receives go in one ear and out the other, you have made a cup of tea for yourself as well, and currently your only thoughts were on how to compliment Killingham on a mix well made.

—

“Lucci?” Kaku whispers, so as to not embarrass his friend, Lucci has been in his mind for a few minutes now.

“Fine.” He grumbles and hides his eyes behind his hand.

“You’re never like that, did you finally see a cute girl? I knew you still had it in you!”

…

“There was a woman in the room.”

“... so a slave?” Kaku is now interested, Lucci is a man of few words, and he had to learn to understand him based on very little cues he leaves, whether with his eyes, hands, or the tiniest jerks in his body.

“No, a woman.”

Kaku stopped speaking, Lucci was trying to form what he wanted to say, and Kaku saw that.

“She… She’s strong, maybe on the elders’ level, most of them didn’t appear to be happy with her.”

“So, you’re thinking she’s like, the boss of our bosses?”

“She wasn’t scared of me or Stussy, and she even fed Hattori.” Lucci thought out loud before lowering his head so that the hat on his head covered his eyes.

“Do you want to… go look for her?”

“Yes.” there is a warmth in his voice that kaku has never heard before… It brings him a smile.

“Let’s ask about her after the meeting.”

Kalifa noticed the two of them talking while she was explaining what they are supposed to do, and truth be told, she knew they were up to no good without even hearing a word. However it is only Kaku that noticed how out of it Lucci was. Yes, his eyes were on the maps and orders, but his head seemed to be elsewhere, Stussy seemed to take a glance at Lucci, trying to assess if anything is wrong, but to no avail, she returns her attention to Kalifa.

Lucci is as impatient as ever. He walked out before Kalifa finishes her talk, she knows he already has the plan memorized, so she only sighs and continues to explain to the other members. Jabra seemed to throw some insults at Lucci, Blueno shook his head, and Fukuro laughed.

At the start, Lucci and Kaku were walking mindlessly, the palace is as good of a maze as an actual one is, so even if they could detect you using haki (which they didn’t) they wouldn’t find their way to you.

“So, what’s so special about the woman?” Kaku asked,it is so incredibly rare to see him invested in something that isn’t murder related or world government related.

“...I don’t know.”

“You do realize we’re looking for her right? There has to be something!”

“No there isn’t.”

Kaku huffed and continued walking with Lucci. It is only after a little while that Lucci speaks again.

“It felt like… I could put my guard down.”

“With her?”

“Yes.”

“Well that’s rare…”

“I know. I don’t like it.”

“Sure you don’t.” Kaku scoffed. Lucci was unable to decipher what he meant with that, so he ignored it.

—

“They’re a bunch of good kids.” You murmured against your lover’s chest, the atmosphere is perfect. With you both laying in the middle of the flower room, you on Imu’s chest while they take in the sun coming from the gorgeous skylights, the light reflected in every colour on their face and body, warming them up on top of the warmth you provide.

“Who, my sweetest?”

“Those agents in white suits.. Uh…”

“Cp0.”

“Yes! He even had a tiny pigeon that I fed!”

Imu listened to you talk about the experience you had with the CP0, your voice a soothing melody they could listen to for years.

Though at some point you snapped out of your talking and got up, “I need you to taste Killingham’s tea!” You say before going to the kitchen area (that Imu made upon your request, even though they didn’t want to at first).

You made the tea while thinking of them. Rob Lucci… huh? You remembered the name. It was written that he had killed the army of a country all alone at 14, under orders from the government. A child raised to be a soldier. You were sure the woman too, and maybe the other members.

“I should talk to them sometime..” You convince yourself, just to see how stuff was going in Marijoa, maybe even give them a better time around here, considering they were only allowed to be with one another if not working.

By the time you’re done, Imu is sitting at the table, that is perfect and made for only the two of you. You giggle and sit down, presenting the tea with utmost elegance, something they appreciate quietly.

Imu takes the tea cup to blow on it before tasting it, “It is pleasant, my darling, tell your kid he did wonderfully.”

You beamed and nodded, giving them a kiss on the cheek before leaving. Imu enjoyed the tea for a little more before they went back to their duties…

Imu sighs a little… You have somehow adopted all the knights… including the ones with parents.

One cannot be the partner of the ruler of the world without haki, naturally. You are able to pick up on Lucci and another man immediately. They seemed to be wandering, considering how confusing this place was. You giggled in your hand, you had a few rooms scattered around the place, of course, why wouldn’t you? It was your house after all. You figured if they weren’t busy you could invite them for a talk.

(and if you were feeling pretty tired… it served as a good rest point.)

You got a call from one of your knights. They were complaining about something completely unimportant, and which their actual parents would probably yell at them if they knew. You listened, and reassured the knight you would be on your way to help them. And you immediately forgot about CP0 as you made your way to the knight’s residence to sort out this mundane issue.

Following that, you stayed next to your lover for a few days, their body betraying him due to the contracts they’re having with the knights and the elders, giving them powers while simultaneously weakening them from time to time, they refused to show their tiredness though. You thought it was adorable, you rarely get the chance to spoil them after all. All they allowed themselves was extra time in bed, which you were gladly happy to join them in, because why not? They enjoyed resting their head on you, and you enjoyed spending time with them…

”How perfect you are, my darling.” Is all you could think off when with Imu.

You resumed walking around the Holy Land when you were sure that your lover was fine (as fine as they could be) on their own. This time, you finally came into contact with Cp0 directly, they were heading towards the gardens while you were going back inside.

“Lucci!” You waved to him and approached the group. Kaku saw the glint in Lucci’s eyes and figured you were the woman they were looking for, so he smiled and waved to you.

“Oh? Is that all of you today?” You asked, Lucci was already lowering Hattori on his finger for you to hold.

“Yes, we’re sent to guard the celestials during the reverie.” It was Stussy who answered you.

“Right… Reverie and all that,” You mumbled, more focusing on Hattori right now. “Well, I wouldn’t want to make you all late, so I’ll be on my way.” You continued with a hint of sadness and moved past them to the flower room.

—

It didn’t take long for Kaku’s curiosity to grow more, so deciding to skip sleeping, he wandered around, hoping to catch sight of you.

A harsh smack pulled him from his daze.

“Kalifa! What- what brings you here!?”

“I knew you were going to do something stupid so I followed so it doesn’t become stupider.” Kalifa adjusted her glasses as she spoke, in return he rolled his eyes, though did not make any moves to push her away.

“Do you know who she is?”

“Beats me, Lucci told me about her, once. That’s all.”

“....And you care because?”

“It’s Lucci, Kalifa! He never lets his guard down or like- you know he doesn’t look at women that way.”

“Mhm, very well.”

“He seemed.. Pleased.”

“That, I can agree with.”

The more they walked, the more butterflies surrounded them, it was surreal, completely out of the ordinary, something even they could not comprehend.

As beautiful it was, it was creepy, the butterflies clung to them, unharmful, almost lulling them into a specific direction.

Eventually they reached a large set of double doors, they could hear a soft humming behind the doors, it was alluring, gentle, almost to the point it was hypnotizing. A knock on the door only resulted in the humming stopping, to which both Kalifa and Kaku shared a glance that basically said ’we need to leave, and NOW.’.

Though, before they could get a step away, the doors opened, and it was you, smiling brightly at their sight.

“Did the butterflies lead you both in? I thought you would get lost!”

They were intentional…? Kaku and Kalifa shared another glance. You ushered them inside.

The room was mesmerizing, beyond what they could even imagine. Greenery covered the floor and spots of flowers were planted delicately, the same butterflies that lead them were roaming around the room as well. A purple butterfly happened to fall on Kalifa’s right shoulder.

“It matches your eyes, would you look at that!” You giggled as they followed you inside, a bigger table sat in the middle of the room, to Kalifa,it felt slightly out of place for an elegant place.

They sat down and you poured some tea, there were already some luscious looking snacks on the table, which you vaguely motioned towards, and they took one out of politeness.

“Could you guys remind me why you’re in Marijoa again? I thought the marines were supposed to be on the surface world and all that, dealing with pirates.”

You made conversation with them, and they seemed to feel a bit more at ease as the time went on, the butterflies made for great atmosphere, and you were a lovely host to them.

“Which reminds me, I thought your group walked together?”

“Well.. It’s the middle of the night, most of the team is asleep.” Kaku replied.”My devil fruit makes it so that I don’t need much sleep as well… It’s lonely at night.” He giggled as he explained.

“Mhm, well I’m awake most of the time, you are free to allow me to keep you company.”

Kaku’s face admittedly reddened as he nodded. Normally, he’d sit alone, with the silence that is the void around him, with no one really paying him mind, that was kind of you. Kalifa seemed to drop her guard down as well, the atmosphere helping her relax. The tea was pleasant as well, she was honestly amazed.

“The tea is wonderful…” It was only at that moment that she realized they collectively did not know your name. You laughed at the realization and told her what to call you.

“If you guys are not busy tomorrow… May I expect to see you again?” You asked them before talking a sip of tea.

Kaku and Kalifa looked to each other, Kalifa looked like she was about to decline, on the excuse of they needed to focus on the job, so Kaku immediately answered.

“Of course! I’ll bring all of them here even!”

“I am most happy to hear that. I will be awaiting your arrival then.” You softly smiled, they went out shortly after thanking you for the food and the pleasant conversation. It was not long before Imu spawned behind you, and you immediately jumped in their arms.

“They’re so sweet!!!” You nuzzled into their neck as you exclaimed, Imu immediately held you properly so you don’t fall, even though they knew you had the strength to hold on… Well how could they resist holding their beloved.

“Mhm, Mu assumes they are.” They say, meeting your eyes.

Imu could only pray to the heavens. That–

“Ok! Let’s go to bed!”

You jumped off to grab a book from the bookshelves and dragged Imu with you to the room, where you ended up finishing your book, while they rested with their head on your lap…

☆☆☆☆☆

It was Kalifa that brought up that all of you were invited to your house that day. Lucci perked up slightly, almost actually happy, but his face was stone cold, as usual with him… Jabra gave a snide remark,

“Heh!? Why do we have to visit some old lady? That’s a waste of our time when we could be training.”

…

Truly, if looks could kill, Jabra swore he would be buried by now.

“S-sorry.”

Even Fukurou and Kumadori were with the idea, it would be a good break for them. And so, as promised, they made their way over to the Room Of Flowers.

Stussy and Kaku told the rest of the group about what to expect so they don’t get surprised. Lucci instinctively tried to grab one of the butterflies, but was told off by Stussy.

“She likes them, they’re like her pets.”

“Okay…” Lucci proceeded to only look at them, he was surprised they seemed to be multiplying as they reached the same set of doors Kaku and Kalifa reached before. This time, upon them entering, you were laying on the floor, surrounded by your butterflies and flowers, you seemed to be giggling at something they could not decipher. You noticed them and stood up, brushing your knees, the butterflies only continued to cling to you…

The sight was heartwarming, to say the least. Even to Rob Lucci.

“Aah! All of you are here!” You said with excitement and led them to a bigger table to sit down on, a blue haired woman brought out a few snacks, looking at Cp0 with a sharp eye.

“Gunko, they’re not bad.” “They’re marines.” “They’re on our side. Now, can you bring some of the food I made?”

She huffed and went away, but came back to give you a kiss on the cheek before making her way back to the kitchen area again to come back with the food you asked for, they were not lavish meals like the ones normally eaten at Marijoa, but more… simpler. You had read up on their files, making food that fit their favourite foods, because why not? They looked adorable when they’re happy! Lucci was the first to taste some pieces of dried meat and some crackers, of course alongside a side of fine aged wine.. His favourite as well. He appeared delighted, to the point he was almost ashamed of himself for enjoying the food.

“I know it’s your favourite, please, eat as much as you want, I can also always make more!” You laughed at his shyness, the rest of Cp0 ate as well. Kaku enjoyed the Fruit salad that you put a hefty amount of bananas in, Kalifa enjoyed the spicy rost lamb… She swore to herself she’d get the recipe later.

Conversation continued as you all ate, Stussy was enjoying the apple pie a lot, even though she was wired not to enjoy much food considering she was only a duplicate, but it was too good to pass out on!

You munched on a bunch of mini cakes that you shared with all of them as you flexed the fact that you made them… Somewhere in the middle, Lucci started dozing off, probably the result of the food in his stomach.

So very carefully, you adjusted him (he was letting you) until he was laying his head on your shoulder… You gave him a chaste kiss on his head as you continued to talk to Kalifa and Stussy about the flowers in the room.

“My partner adores them, I keep them neat for them actually, I like flowers,so they keep them neat for me!!”

Stussy blinked and said, “We have not seen your partner, would they be busy?”

“Of course they are! If they appear to be free then I’ll introduce you all! In the meantime, how is everything in Marijoa, can I help with your stay?”

Jabra narrowed his eyes and started to spea-

“You do not lie very well.” You shut him down.

’damn it!’

“Everything is pristine, it is much better than our rooms at base” Kalifa answered and Kaku agreed with her.

Lucci purred slightly, you could only assume that was a yes.

The rest of the group tried so hard not to giggle at lucci, knowing they'd be mince meat if they did…

…

Kaku raised his head to ask you a question, “Are you a good storyteller?” He asked, a little bit too enthusiastically.

“My partner says I am, I can only trust their word, may I ask why?”

“We… We used to love hearing stories, especially when we were younger, that carried a little into our adult life considering our work load and… gruesome line of work, we haven’t had a night like that in months… maybe years.”

You hummed in thought… “I don’t think my books are that interesting… And I don’t know if my skills are up–”

“We trust you!” Jabra piped up, looking away immediately as if he wasn’t supposed to say that…

The others looked slightly shy as well…

“Well I guess I don’t have a choice then…” You giggled.

The only room that took you and the agents was a large bedroom with an even bigger bed, typically reserved for when you and Imu wanted to lounge around and not exactly sleep, it took a little time for everyone to settle in, considering your shoulders seemed like a hot spot and they were practically fighting each other over it. You were sure you saw money and bets thrown around while you picked the book, and by the time you were back they were sitting very politely waiting for you.

Lucci, again the one laying on your shoulder (you thought it was because he was very intimidating, or maybe the rest cared more about him than you initially thought). On your other is stussy, she seemed very comfortable, as if it was a new feeling for her.

And so, you began reading, your voice softens as the words came together to put together a short story, you figured you shouldn’t go for one of the more depressing novels you were reading, White Nights and Metamorphosis would not exactly be ideal for the situation.

You got carried away reading, considering it was your favourite hobby while alone after all, and by the time you were done… They were all fast asleep.

Part of you thought to send them to their respective rooms, but the other told you that what if one of them (especially Lucci) woke up, considering they rarely get rest and… they seemed quite comfortable in your presence. You picked up another book using your shadows and began reading it.

It was not long before your lover peeked their head through the door, watching the scene unfold. They entered as quieyly and shut the door behind them.

“Darling, Mu thinks we agreed on no more kids.”

“We only have 4!”

“And tho decides to jump to… 9… and a pet…”

“Not even 10!”

Imu face palms softly…

“Darling–” Hattori flies into your lap from Lucci’s shoulder.

“You were gonna wake them up!”

“I was not!?” Mu sighs in defeat… “Mu guessed though won’t be coming tonight, so here.” They lean over to press a kiss on your head, before pulling back and.. Looking at the new set of children they got…

They leave afterwards… and sleep finally catches up to you.

They wake up at around the same time, with very few seconds in between each agent, you, used to sleeping for however much you needed, was still in deep sleep. And they could see that, Hattori sitting warmly in your hands, and you yourself sleeping very still so as to not annoy them…

They shared a few glances at each other, grateful ones, sad ones, because they had to leave soon… Though they did drag waking up as long as they could. Until Kalifa kissed your cheek in thanks before leaving with the rest of the agents quietly, leaving you to rest, they were so very grateful for you… despite deep on the inside feeling they betrayed their duties as soldiers for the government…

They didn’t get very far away before meeting Imu though, despite the size difference, they didn’t feel very threatening, they also seemed to be looking up and down a flower before they walked to the room of flowers to leave through its main door.

“Do not annoy mu’s wife.” They said casually, seemingly accepting of them. “And come visit her, when thou may.” Imu knew they were already so close to your heart.

They nodded and left with smiles on their faces, with Hattori grinning and cooing as well.

Imu finally went to the bedroom to take their rightful place next to you, pulling you down into the bed and playing with a few strands of your hair.

“Mhm… They left..?”

“Just now…”

“I was asleep…”

“Thou needs it.”

“Mhm… I’m still tired…”

“Continue resting.”

“I will…”

They pressed a kiss to your head… tightening their arm around you… watching you sleep so softly…

Imu thought to the agents… your children now, he probably should have protested more.. but that smile on your face,

Was worth even killing for.

You shouldn't have been as happy as you were when you got married to Shepherd Sommers.

Even your now husband was shocked by the enthusiasm in the kiss you both shared in front of hundreds of saints and saintesses.

You rarely talked to him, so he didn't know your train of thought… at all.

That was the first time he felt like he wasn't in control with a rule he made on his own.

By principle, he did not like confident women. Whoever was (un)fortunate enough to marry him must abide by his long list of rules and philosophies, and during the first meetup between your parents and the Shepherd family, you could already feel the overwhelming sense of authority from the man you were being sold to.

And so, you shut up, stayed still, made yourself small… and didn't speak even when spoken to, you looked to your parents who seemed to be getting more and more irritated with you, barking at you to speak, and even when you did you kept your head low, earning a satisfied hum from the old knight.

Your family was thanking the Shepherd family for their time as they stood up after it ended, you didn't spare Sommers a glance as you followed them outside.

“Old man, I'll take that one…” Sommers said in a low voice, directed to Peter. Already imagining what he'd do to break you in further. Peter sighed, his son never had the reputation of keeping his women healthy… or Alive.

Yourwedding dress was designed to fit his standards, your hair was done how he preferred it, never having asked your opinion. You bore no makeup, because he knew your face would be tear streaked at the end of the day.

Your parents didn't even bother to attend, you walked down the aisle alone, eyes of people whom you assumed were his family and others stared at you with disgust, but you pulled through and walked the distance, ignoring the pain in your hands from carrying the bouquet of thorny flower stems that Sommers made for you specifically. It wasn't given to you, it was thrown to you by the servants as they laughed, openly debating how long you'd last.

You didn't plan on living long… Just enough to fulfill his desires and die in his hands, is all you asked…. Just one good movie kiss, should you ever get one from the beast you were marrying, and you'd be alright.

Sommers did not wait for the officiant to finish his long speech before kissing you, earning gasps from the attendees at his vulgarity. But he was indifferent to it, and was pleased yet confused when you kissed back, but who was he to complain, you weren't strong enough to amount to anything against him.

You didn't remember when the wedding ended, but he pulled you by the hand soon enough somewhere. You followed quietly, having to jump a few steps to match his walking pace, the dress was long, preventing you from running freely, you know he asked for it that way so he could watch you struggle, your heels as well were higher than preferred, you were forced to walk in them a few days before the wedding to make sure you were going to walk the aisle.

You didn't want to risk angering him further (you weren't even sure if he was angry at first or not) so you pulled your dress up with one hand and followed him silently. He stopped abruptly in front of one of the many doors and turned towards you, seeing you shuffle in those high heels brought a wicked smile to his face.

Uncharacteristically, he gently removed the multitude of pins from your hair, running his rough fingers through it to make sure he got all of them before letting go and dropping your hair on your shoulders, you shook the hair out of your face and looked at him with a confused look.

“What an adorable face…” he held your chin, but there wasn't an ounce of admiration in them… just… you didn't know–

That didn't scare you. It was okay.

As long as he was satisfied.

It was okay.

You winced, the pain from the day catching up in your feet all too suddenly.

“Cute.” Sommers licked his lips after your squeak of pain.

Ah, you forgot he was a sadist. How unfortunate for you.

Although, it was okay. You weren't that strong, you'll die soon.

It was okay.

He pulled his hand back to look you over before speaking softly, “You may take the heels off, kindness of my heart!” The man laughed hysterically, as if him allowing you to have some rest was an act of love, well it was, to him.

You timidly smiled and bent down to take the heels off, picking them up afterwards, and looking into his eyes as a puppy would, waiting for orders.

Because, it was okay.

His lips twitched, something akin to anger, you felt the pain before you could register it, he had slapped the heels from your hands, in turn hurting you with his rough hands.

“I have slaves for such things, love.”

You nodded upon hearing the term of endearment, almost forgetting the pain from his soft tone, at that, a slave did indeed pick up your discarded heels. Sommers’ hand ushered you forward, and you walked, this time you were led to a bedroom, you thought it was his, if the purple and gold details meant anything. Your first instinct was to get into the lavish bed… but you weren't exactly ready to test Sommers’ patience yet, you didn’t know id you’d be alive for long to test it.

He only gestured towards the bed and you went to sit down placing the thorny bouquet next to you, your hands finally getting the rest thye needed from holding it the whole ceremony.

It was scary, admittedly. You watched as sommers picked at his hair and took apart the style it was settled in for the whole day, his suit was nothing special, the same one he wore to the many weddings he had before hand. Because why should he get a new one tailored, when none of the women have proved worthy enough anyways.

You swung your legs as you sat on the edge of the bed, probably the last act of self you woiudl do inthe weeks ot come during your life with sommers, because of course. You have heard what is said about him, you have heard the rumors, the past wives, the history, the sadism.

Yet, this is what you deserved.

Might as well please him in this short time.

You were nothing before, and you would be nothing after, so if you could die at least making one person slightly happier, that was more than enough.

You already eased a load off of your parents by marrying him, and you would die soon on his hands, removing a load off of his shoulders as well.

The dress was starting to get itchy, it was sweaty, way too tight on you to try and make you seem smaller, and it did not align with any of your tastes.

But it was okay.

Sommers seemed pleased with it at least. So through everything, you smiled softly. Sommers only took the tie and jacket off before getting into bed with you.

You turned to dare to ask if you could take off the dress… Before his thorns completely ripped it off for you, you were not bare as you were made to wear a very thin dress like cloth under it so it doesn’t harm your skin (the irony).

The thorns dug through your back whether intentional or not, your didn’t know, and you couldn’t even reach it to try and press on it, which made the man laugh a little. Your suffering being his comedy, he was sure he would get a good laugh for a few days. His thorns were relentless, they pulled you back into the bed, mushed with your back against his chest, the cotton od his shirt provided a weak comfort on your wounds. And the kiss he gave your head even more, even more to make you calm down slightly.

It was cold, and even Sommers noticed… again, it was the thorns that pulled the blankets on you…

The warmth mixed with you still bleeding, was rather soothing…

The night was restless, even if you felt oddly comfortable, even sleep seemed disgusted with you. Sommers’ thorns had a mind of their own, and you often woke up to them wrapped so tightly around your waist or chest, suffocating you more than your husband’s already tight arm around you.

As carefree as ever, Sommers eventually woke up with the rays of sun hitting his face, while you faced away from the window, so that luxury didn’t come to you.

…”Morning…” You tried to sound cheerful, asbest as you could anyways.

“Mhm…yeh…” Sommers replied, rubbing his eyes from sleep. “The cut’s still open.” Sommers noted as he looked at your back.

“I.. I can’t reach it..”

“Then go to the infirmary and have them patch it for you.” Sommers lifted his arm and you tried to stand up… so slowly… so… so.. Slowly. Because already, everything in you hurt, and every move risked you feeling worse physically. “Do not be late.”

“Of course…”

You barely managed to make it out before the slaves were already giving you both pitying looks and disgusted ones. Even the servants have lost their mind, just like their master.

Living with Sommers… Hurt.

So badly.

His thorns were everywhere, and by time you eventually felt numb to them, you keep finding new wounds everyday, that you started to stop patching them up, because he would simply force more on your body, you have started to accept them, red was a good colour on you, or at least he said.

It was okay.

His kisses were rough, mostly just to get what he wanted, you assumed just a feel of another human, and you learned to enjoy them… somehow, at least he wanted you.

Yes, at least he wanted you.

In rare occasions, he put you in his lap as he worked on papers you did not understand, they were your favourite memories. You bled from various places on your body, he did not seem to mind it, he even often scratched your head!!! Sometimes he’d let you cuddle into him in bed too… That was so sweet of him, to the point you stopped noticing when your eyebags grew bigger,

When your energy has been depleted,

When the wounds have become too deep for you to take care off,

When your body has been a scare to the workers in the house because of how battered it was,

When your face has been practically melting on one side from how frequently Sommers slaps you for every wrong footing you take.

The worse parts were his rooms. The ones made for torture, or at least you guessed. You were terrified, even if all you were in there doing is getting blood drawn (for whatever sick reasons sommers wanted). You squirmed a lot, which made Sommers ever the more happier.

“It won’t hurt that badly…” He’d reason.

You wanted to trust him, you really did, but somehow you couldn’t this one time, and you were very right not to, because those sessions hurt the most, to the point Sommers would often stop because you were squirming so much that it disappointed him, but part of him was proud that you were trying. You really did try and stay still for him, and it was so cute!

“Alright… You did well today… That’s enough, see it wasn’t so bad!” He’d say almost every time… and you melted into his rough arms every time.

‘You’

‘You’ were not you any longer. You were but a holy shell of the soul you once were. You stopped reacting to whatever Sommers threw at you, and even on those damned tables you stopped squirming, let Sommers cut into your flesh, let him suck your blood dry until your legs buckled. He was getting angrier by the day, you didn’t know whether it was because you stopped reacting, or because life as a knight was hard.

You stopped speaking ages ago, every word resulting in something you didn’t want to feel, his words were cruel when they responded, and you were a sensitive soul.

The thorns were around you… So much more… so…so much more. You felt like they were close to tearing your limbs off at this point, but again, there was nothing in you to react anymore.

Nothing.

And that,

Was the moment Sommers knew he broke you in. Despite him adoring the reactions, the finale of his hand works was always… satisfying.

And finally, as the thorns dug into the flesh of your shoulders…

Sommers kissed you, a kiss you had been dreaming off ever since you were a kid.

That was the softest kiss you have ever gotten.

You would not live to feel another anymore.

You would not live to feel anything anymore.

You have done your job at being a ragdoll.