#au!april

We certainly have a fandom rich in Alternate Universes (AUs). Here are some AU questions/prompts to play with this April. If you are an AU writer, this might be a good time to add to existing AUs or write new ones. If you’re an artist, anything is possible :D

Favourite AU

An AU you’ve seen in another fandom you would love to see in this one.

Describe your favourite character in a new AU.

Canon can be described as ‘vanilla’, what would you describe for the following:

Coffee

Chocolate

Strawberry

Tutti-Frutti

Rum & raisin

Sour or bitter

The ultimate crossover?

What never changes, no matter the AU?

Some AU prompts:

Change where they live

Something crucial in their past never happens

Swords and axes

The future

War

Someone thought dead returns unexpectedly

Canon is a layer of reality that can be accessed by the real world somehow

Mirror

Sky, earth, sun, ocean, moon and shadow.

Play through April and expand your universes :D

-o-o-o-

Nutty

@nikkzships sdgsdrhdfgjghjk!!! AHHHHHH!! NIKKI!! I love you so much oml

As a note, I apparently do not know how to ‘just write headcanons’ for these two, and I just straight up started writing bLURBS AHH-

Mermaid AU: Who is the adventurous mermaid who swims a little too close to the shore? Who is the curious human who finds them? Give one headcanon about you and your f/o’s relationship in this AU!

It goes without saying that for this AU, their first meeting(s) would be as wee beans. For those that don’t know what I mean by wee beans, they’re all children. Cause it’s adorable, and that’s how my brain thought these up.

For Hiei, he’d be the mermaid (merman?) and Gabe would be the Human.

Just Hiei being a tsundere little shit, like “No, I’m not getting too close to the Humans! I’m just making sure they won’t find us...” but the section of shore line that Hiei likes to hang out and sunbathe in, also happens to be Gabe’s little hiding spot away from everyone. So one day while Hiei’s laid back on a rock, almost asleep, Gabe stumbles down, rubbing at their eyes, so they don’t see him. As they settle against Hiei’s rock, still not having noticed him, Hiei had noticed them, and the fact that they were upset.

“Why are you crying?”

The question makes Gabe jump, and they start rubbing harder at their face as they stand back up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think anyone would be here. I’ll leave...” They lower their hands to look at him, and finally notice he’s a merman.

“You don’t have to leave yet. Not til you answer my question first, at least...”

Gabe eventually manages to calm down enough to answer him, “My family don’t like me, and keep calling me a monster...”

“Hn. A Human as pretty as you can’t possibly be a monster.” At Gabe’s smile, Hiei smiles a little too. “I’m Hiei.”

“My name’s Gabe. Will you... be my friend?”

Hiei nods, smiling more.

@junkratsloverat also asked for Mermaid!AU with Dabi, so here you go, Hannah!!

For Dabi, Gabe’s the mermaid.

Touya had been going to that section of beach almost every day for a month, now; It seemed to be ignored by most of the locals, with tall grass and weeds growing right up to the waters edge. He thought he’d heard singing coming from there one day while walking by, and he’d hoped to find the source. Touya had tripped, crying out in surprise as his face met sand, before hearing a splashing sound and silence. Today, he was hoping his luck would change.

As he walked closer, he thought he could hear a melody over the wind. Touya had to force himself to be careful this time, didn’t need to trip and scare them away again. As he crept close, the song got louder and louder, and he could start making out the words the person sung. Passing a large driftwood log, a figure came into view, leaning over a large rock to look down into a tide pool. Their blonde hair gently swayed back and forth as continued their song, watching as a small crab scuttled by a starfish. The red-head leaned forward, putting more of his weight on the log, hoping to get a better look at the singer.

The driftwood let out a creaky groan before moving under Touya, frightening both him and the blonde. The figures head shot up, looking straight at him before pushing themself away from the rock and into the water.

“Wait!” Touya cried out, running towards the rock. The crab had the good sense to scuttle under the crags of the rock, before the human accidentally stepped on him. He jumped up onto it, where the figure had been resting, looking over to try and find them, but there was no sign of them. He sighed, and sat down, catching his breath.

“I just wanted to tell you that I liked your song...”

Hearing nothing but the waves lapping against the rock in response, Touya stood back up and turned to hop off the rock.

“...You liked it?”

The question made Touya jump and whip back around to the water, quickly loosing his balance and falling back into ocean. He felt the burn of the frigged water, followed by arms around him, pulling him back up. He’s set down on the rock, just out of the water.

“Are all humans this accident prone, or is it just you?” the voice joked. Touya opened his eyes, and saw the blonde figure in front of him, still half in the water.

“...Aren’t you cold?” He asked, noticing they weren’t wearing a shirt of any kind.

“Why would I get cold? Do humans not have good circulation? Is that why you wear those fabrics?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Touya stared at them, confused by their questions. He looked down at the water again, and noticed something shimmering at their waist. “...Are you not human?”

The blonde shook their head. “I’m a mermaid!” A look of guilt shot across their face and they ducked down slightly. “We’re not supposed to let humans know we exist... You promise not to tell anyone, yeah?”

Touya quickly nodded as he grinned. “I promise!”

The blonde grinned back. “I’m ᎶᏗᏰᏒᎥᏋᏝ.” At the sight of Touya’s confused face, they slowly nodded, “You probably can’t pronounce that... Uhhh, you can call me Gabe?”

“And you can call me Touya!”

Roaring 20s AU: Who is new to the city or visiting family in the city? Who’s the wealthy bachelor who notices them at a party? Give one headcanon about you and your f/o’s relationship in this AU! 

Dabi would the wealthy bachelor? With Gabe being new to the city.

Touya had been dragged to the party by Natsuo, who just wanted him to have some fun without their father constantly breathing down his neck. Gabe had also been dragged to the party, by Atsuhiro, so they could make some new friends. So Gabe’s off being a social butterfly with Atsu, and Touya notices them flitting around, and their joy is almost infectious, and he can’t help but go and say hello.

Now for Hiei... He’d be visiting Kurama for one reason or another, and Kurama convinced him to go to the party to loosen up a bit. Hiei’s always constantly stressed, and maybe a bit of light-hearted shenanigans would do him some good. Gabe’s been too busy lately to just relax, and let’s their brother Yusuke convince them to come to the party as well. Yusuke and Kurama are old friends, so of course they introduce the two, and the enjoy the party together.

Fake dating AU: Who has a plan and needs a fake partner to show to their parents or ex? Who begrudgingly agrees? Give one headcanon about you and your f/o’s relationship in this AU! 

In both cases, it’ll be Gabe who needs a partner, cause we already have Hero!Dabi needing the fake partner for that wedding.

Hiei doesn’t understand why the witch would need him to pretend to be their date, Kurama would do a much more convincing job of it. But the longer he thinks about that, the more upset the thought makes him, so he stops thinking about it, and agrees to parade around for their family. The sight of Gabe relaxing in relief has him feeling a certain way, and now he’s confused and slightly worried there’s something wrong with him.

Hiei hasn’t experienced these feelings before, so he goes to talk to Kurama, who would surely know the answer.

“Hiei, you like them.”

“I tolerate their existence.”

“I think you love them.”

“What? No, that’s ridiculous.”

Well, Kurama didn’t have the right answer.

So Hiei goes through the week of Gabe’s family visiting, holding their hand, constantly being near them, and letting Gabe do all the talk as he watched them. On the last day of the visit, it finally clicks that he actually enjoyed being that close to them, and after today, he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.

And fuck, Kurama was right.

So he goes and tracks them down. Luckily, Gabe’s just chilling in their room, as it’s still early, and they didn’t want to talk with anyone yet. So, true to Hiei fashion, he’s terrible with words, and just goes in for a kiss, hoping that would get his point across.

It does.

For Dabi... Hmm...

Gabe and Dabi would be chilling in a random bar, when in walks a rather attractive looking woman, who smirks when she sees Gabe and starts walking over.

“Ahh, fuck it’s my ex... Uhh... Can you make out with me?”

Dabi almost spits out his drink, “What?”

“Make out with me! I don’t want to deal with her manipulative ass tonight. I will cook you dinner for a month-” Their offer was cut off as Dabi’s fingers lifted their chin towards him, and he moved in to kiss them. Just as Gabe started to kiss back, Dabi felt a tap on his shoulder. He slowly pulled away slightly, just enough to glance at the woman, who was now sporting an offended look on her face.

“Excuse me, can you stop making out with my boyfriend?”

Dabi slowly looked her up and down, before smirking, and pulling Gabe over to straddle his lap. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I think you mean my boyfriend. They broke up with your terrible sense of style ages ago,” and pulled Gabe’s face down to connect with his again. The woman’s best impression of a fish did nothing to break their kiss a second time, leaving her to storm off, spouting off obscenities and threats.

After a minute, and neither could hear her screaming anymore, they parted again, their breathing heavier than expected. “Thanks Dabi. I... Really appreciate that.” Gabe smiled as a tint of red started to creep onto their face.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dabi smiled back, rubbing his thumbs gently on Gabe’s hips where he’d rested them. “I... Uh... wouldn’t mind skipping out on those dinners, if... you wanted to keep making out on a more... romantic basis...?”

Gabe’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah...” and they leaned in to continue their make out session.

Oops, I got carried away again!!

Found it!

This was from last year’s AU!April and I haven’t archived it on Ao3 because it is really just a scene. But yeah, this is what happened when I attempted to cross Thunderbirds Are Go with Disney’s Beauty and the Beast :D

::insert insanity emojis here::

-o-o-o-

Virgil stared at the flower that held them all captive.

John had been trying for years to break its spell, determined that magic was not a thing, despite the proof that was their lives.

A single white daisy held in stasis, placed there by that same brother as their eldest was held back, prevented from stopping the scientist by brute force.

Scott still hadn’t forgiven Virgil for his intervention.

He rolled his shoulders, the handsewn flannel stretching and tearing yet again at the movement.

Thank god they had a set of china who could weave cloth almost out of nothing.

Who was he kidding? Coffee mugs didn’t usually knit.

Or dance.

The singing was very irritating first thing in the morning.

Fabric out of nothing was easier to believe than a coffee mug that monitored his caffeine intake and complained when his moustache needed trimming.

While he drank coffee that also appeared out of nothing.

The daisy sparkled.

Daisies were his mother’s favourite flower and that bastard knew it…somehow.

First he killed their mother and then he whisked their father away to who knew where and locked the rest of them down with this damned spell.

Virgil’s lip curled. Strand five men on an island, trap them there until they find true love…thousands of miles from any other land, much less another human being.

Gordy had already fallen in love with the ocean, three fish, several octopuses, and even a dolphin, a fellow mammal that was caught up in the caldera once.

Hadn’t done a thing.

Gordon claimed that they all needed to fall in love and that the rest of them were spoiling it.

Lightning had struck Tracy Peak moments after Gordon’s declaration and Scott had stalked off, the ever-present storm in his expression.

Virgil’s jaw ached.

Since the shirt was trashed anyway, he flexed both shoulders and stretched out his arms. He itched to move. Flannel shredded and jet-black fur sprung out through the seams.

Damn.

He shouldn’t care, but he did.

Maybe that was because…five, four, three, two, one…

“Again? You need to be more careful, really, sir.” The green metal mechanic’s cart zipped down the hallway towards him, tools clanking inside it. Did she have radar? Probably.

“I’m fine, Two.”

“I doubt Eos would agree.” Her handles patted him down to make sure because apparently Virgil’s word wasn’t enough. “That is the third shirt this week. Perhaps you should wear your uniform, the material withstands so much more…flexing.”

Virgil let the growl out between his fangs. “Two! I’m fine!”

Animated eyes darted between Virgil and the protected flower. “I can see that.” The words dripped sarcasm.

Seriously, there had been a time Virgil could have listened to his ‘bird all day. She wouldn’t have to say a word and he would understand everything.

But now…

The cart moved closer until a handle gently touched his waist. “It will happen one day, sir. We will see the sky again.”

Virgil swallowed. “Don’t call me ‘sir’.”

But his paw landed gently on the handle anyway.

Only to tremble as he was startled by the emergency alarm.

That hadn’t gone off in years.

Well, not since Alan tried to cheer them up that time.

It had backfired just like everything around here did.

“Sir! Sir! The alarm! We must respond!”

Before he could react, Two had knocked him off his feet and scooped his hairy ass into her tray.

“Two, goddamnit.”

“Responding, sir!”

She carted him all the way down to the lounge.

It was dark.

It was always dark. The caldera below was draped in fog and the only light was from the holoprojector in the centre of the room flashing the alarm signal.

As he stumbled to his feet, it lit up three other familiar and gargoyleish features. It was like a scene out of a black and white horror holo.

John appeared on the projection, his aquamarine eyes almost fevered. “We have a situation.”

“A what?!” Alan bounced like the golden marmoset he resembled.

Virgil’s snout twisted. At least one of them had a chance, in a cute, petsy kind of way.

John’s eyes flickered towards him. “Apparent shipwreck on the other side of Mateo.  Looks like five survivors, possibly in need of medical aid.”

Virgil frowned up at his brother. The man’s ginger fur was bristled like a toilet brush.

Their scientist brother had migrated towards the top of Tracy Peak some years ago, all of them helping to build him a station as close to the sky as they could get it.

They knew it would help their space brother at least a little. He couldn’t see the stars or the sky any more than they could, but he would have sensory line of sight to monitor everything on the Island.

It was better than nothing.

And it kept Scott and John apart. Probably the best thing for all of them.

But now…

“We have a rescue?” Gordon was dripping water on the hardwood floor again, his fur soaking wet. At least this time no one cared.

Scott’s spine was as straight as he could get it. His eyes latched onto John’s.

A breath sucked in through sharp teeth.

And released in an incredulous whisper…”Thunderbirds are go.”

-o-o-o-

We certainly have a fandom rich in Alternate Universes (AUs). Here are some AU questions/prompts to play with this April. If you are an AU writer, this might be a good time to add to existing AUs or write new ones. If you’re an artist, anything is possible :D

Favourite AU

An AU you’ve seen in another fandom you would love to see in this one.

Describe your favourite character in a new AU.

Canon can be described as ‘vanilla’, what would you describe for the following:

Coffee

Chocolate

Strawberry

Tutti-Frutti

Rum & raisin

Sour or bitter

The ultimate crossover?

What never changes, no matter the AU?

Some AU prompts:

Change where they live

Something crucial in their past never happens

Swords and axes

The future

War

Someone thought dead returns unexpectedly

Canon is a layer of reality that can be accessed by the real world somehow

Mirror

Sky, earth, sun, ocean, moon and shadow.

Play through April and expand your universes :D

-o-o-o-

Hmm, time to get a little wacky with da bois, me thinks :D Wonder what I can come up with this year?

Nutty

This one is for @riotraze​ I hope you like it :D

This is also Gentle Rain, Scott/Em, Scott/OC and contains elements of romance. If not your thing, this one ain’t for you. I’ll write you something else later :D If you don’t know who Em Harris is, you can find the series here :D It should be noted that Gentle Rain is a subseries of Warm Rain which involves lots of Virgil/Kayo, however there is no V/K in this fic.

@symphony-of-flutes I haven’t forgotten your ask, I have something in the pipeline. My writing has just been haphazard of late ::hugs::

This fic is also new and complete. Almost a first for me this year :D There may be a sequel, Virg is being nosy in my head and John is a little pissed off.

Many thanks to @the-original-sineater​ and @janetm74​ for the read throughs and support :D

It’s AU!April, and this one just happened. It was also Scott’s birthday and he deserves some nice stuff.

I hope you enjoy :D

-o-o-o-

He was hovering beside a mountain. He had Virgil in his ear, his voice churned across the mountain range by John, listing the stress limits of the rockface, and fretting over the storm lashing above.

And three climbers exposed, one seriously injured, and all desperately needing immediate rescue.

A soft voice from his left interrupted it all. “We’re fine, Thunderbird Two. Rescue underway. I’ll look after him, you know that.”

A sigh across comms. “FAB, Thunderbird White.” And Virgil signed off, no doubt to worry in silence while completing his own rescue.

“You are going to send your brother grey, you know that, don’t you?” Em smiled just a little as she unfastened her harness and reached for her helmet. Her uniform hoverscoot interfaced wirelessly with the systems in One and kept her stable as Scott adjusted for the buffeting the ship was receiving.

“He worries.”

“He has reason.” She shoved her helmet over her head and straightened her white baldric. “We doing this?”

Scott rolled his eyes just briefly. “Thunderbird Five, Eos, you’ve got control.”

“FAB, Thunderbird One.”

He reluctantly let go of the controls as they flashed the blue of remote. Eos could compensate for the massive turbulence even faster than he could.

But it felt wrong to give up control.

He climbed out of his seat and his body creaked protest. Sure, he was healed, but this was his first rescue back in the saddle for at least a couple of months and he knew Virgil had every right to worry.

Em kept her worry to herself and only glanced at him from time to time, medical eyes assessing in a way that he knew she would intervene if she felt it necessary.

If there was anything he knew about Em Harris, it was that she was as protective of her family as he was.

And at some point, his family and hers had merged.

The thought struck him sideways, out of the blue, and at completely the wrong time. He needed to focus.

A dark eyebrow arched in his direction and he knew she had noticed.

This one is totally @janetm74 and @onereyofstarlight ‘s fault as their post ambushed me over breakfast. I had most of this planned out within seconds of reading it. Talk about taking over my neurons.

Many thanks to @onereyofstarlight and @gaviiadastra for reading and putting up with my crazy while writing this morning :D Who knew I would write over 1600 words this morning?

Again, it has crack genetics, so read it for fun :D

I hope you enjoy :D

-o-o-o-

It was a day to end all days.

The meteorite took out his father’s cornfield and the tractor shed.

It also landed only a week after he lost his wife in childbirth. All the technology they had and still…

His first born slept quietly in his arms as he stepped out onto the porch. His mother was fortunately still asleep. She had taken it all as a personal failure and was exhausted.

A destroyed tractor shed was minor in comparison.

If he had been himself, he would have rushed to put the fire out and save everything he could. But he wasn’t. Grief had him bowed over his little son who didn’t know what had been taken from him yet. Little Alan, so fragile and precious.

All he had left of Lucille.

The flames flickered orange light over his sleeping face.

He stood their staring at the shed as it eventually came down in a pile burning rubble. It was loud enough to wake both Allie and his mother.

He was still trying to settle his upset little boy when Jeff was joined by his mom.

“What the hell happened?”

“Would you believe a shooting star?”

She stared up at him in the orange darkness. “You’re kidding.”

He shook his head and rocked Allie a little more. That drew his mother’s attention to their newest family member.

Consequently, neither of them saw where the young boy came from. About ten years old he stepped away from the wreckage and approached the Tracys, determination in his eyes.

We certainly have a fandom rich in Alternate Universes (AUs). Here are some AU questions/prompts to play with this April. If you are an AU writer, this might be a good time to add to existing AUs or write new ones.

 Favourite AU

An AU you’ve seen in another fandom you would love to see in this one.

Describe your favourite character in a new AU.

Canon can be described as ‘vanilla’, what would you describe for the following:

Coffee

Chocolate

Strawberry

Tutti-Frutti

Rum & raisin

Sour or bitter

The ultimate crossover?

What never changes, no matter the AU?

Some AU prompts:

Change where they live

Something crucial in their past never happens

Swords and axes

The future

War

Someone thought dead returns unexpectedly

Canon is a layer of reality that can be accessed by the real world somehow

Mirror

Sky, earth, sun, ocean, moon and shadow.

How could I forget this AU? I had a whole storyline worked out. Now if I could only remember it all...

-o-o-o-

Sal was old and weary. Tired of the waiting, the dread, the not knowing if her loved ones would be returning and the doubt echoing throughout the halls of her home. Each year her body ached more with age. Each year she missed those she had lost more.

She knew her time was fading, but she could not leave. She was needed.

Her bodice was tight as she stood waiting on the dais. As always she took her place to the left of the great empty chair that stood looming in the middle. Above it, in all its majestic awe hung the gilt Thunderbird crest, its great wings flourished and defiant. Fire shone in its jewelled eyes and the crystal sword of justice clutched in its talons sparkled with the cause.

The cause that was so broken.

The bells at the gates rung furiously, followed not long after by the deep resonance of the central bell tower.

She held her breath.

At least one of her grandsons had made it home.

Her spirit was anxious to flee the room and find her grandchildren to reassure herself that they had all come home, that her family had not lost more to this holocaust, but there was more than her to consider here. There was the people, the desperate souls looking to their ruling class to save them from the menace.

So she held her position.

And waited.

It was not long, but forever, before the great doors at the end of the hall opened with a clatter and her littlest, Alan, just sixteen, burst through. He wore his state baldric, his accent as ruby as the great firebird the stars had foretold at his birth, his expression one of fury.

He had been forbidden to set out with his brothers, despite his aptitudes, and he had been angry the entire month they had been gone. Kay had attempted to reassure him, but he refused to listen. Worry for his brothers and frustration at not being accepted as a full Lance had him storming the halls late at night.

None of her words had been enough.

She prayed her grandsons had all come home whole.

“They have returned, Grand Mother.” His voice rung clear throughout the Great Hall as he strode hurriedly towards her, and the gathered nobility murmured words of relief and expectation. His stride was still growing, and she found herself so grateful for his youthful presence. He stopped at the ceremonial line and executed a perfect bow to the empty chair, before turning to her.

His startling blue eyes flashed hope and he bowed in deference to her before crossing the line and taking his place on her left.

The chancellor stood off to her left and his single clap echoed throughout the Hall. She straightened instinctively as the drums started up their entrance beat and her old heart kicked up and echoed them, their thrum powerful yet ominous.

The trumpets heralded the entrance of her eldest grandson.

For a moment, all was well and her heart lifted. Four young men entered the room, their baldrics lauding their identities, followed by the chaperone force of twenty lances. But the trumpets faltered as realisation set in.

The room fell silent as Scott limped his way down the aisle, his silver baldric stained with something dark. Sal drew in a breath, but behind him Virgil was staggering. His weight seemed almost all on young Gordon. The Warder’s robes were singed, torn and bloody, his head bowed and his green baldric barely hanging onto his body.

Gordon was wearing his armour, his yellow baldric dulled with dirt, his cape torn. It was obvious he had channeled recently, his eyes still shining red-gold. There was a story there between the two of them, between the fire and the water.

The only one standing entirely upright was her middle grandson. He brought up the rear, his tall, lithe form fluid as he walked. As always, his red hair was startling against his golden baldric. His eyes tracked around the room, his expression cool and controlled, but as his grandmother, she could see the tells of worry and exhaustion.

The great silver form of Eos sat on his arm preening her feathers. Every so often, the hawk would pause and survey the room, just like her bearer, her startling red eyes catching everything. Sal would never understand that relationship, but it had saved her family more than once and she was grateful, if still wary.

Their procession up the aisle was slow and the room silent in horror. Scott defied tradition several times to turn and check his brothers’ progress. An incomprehensible sound issued from Virgil and he stumbled, but Gordon caught him and they continued their silent journey to the dais.

The moment Scott reached the line, he bowed to the Great Chair, and in echo of his littlest brother moments before, he bowed to his Grand Mother and then dipped his head to Alan.

Sal’s voice was dry as the wind from the north when she spoke. “Speak.”

“Grand Mother.” Scott’s voice was commanding as always, blue eyes flickering. “The mission was a failure.”

The room erupted into loud murmuring.

“Silence.” She still had enough strength in her old body to command that at least. She turned to Scott once more. “Tell me.”

He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by a groan behind him as Virgil collapsed against Gordon and the young lance was hard put to hold his older brother up.

Eos took flight, her great wings spreading with an angry squawk as she leapt into the air. John stepped in to catch the teetering Warder. Between them, Gordon and his older brother kept Virgil upright and prevented him from meeting the polished stone floor.

“Please, Grand Mother, Warder Virgil saved our party at his own expense. He held the wards to enable us to escape, but was unable to escape uninjured himself. If it wasn’t for Lance Gordon, we would have lost him.

Sal’s heart crawled into her throat.

“Please, he needs attention.”

Eos circled in a tight ring above them, her stark calls taunting. The crowd grew nervous, eyes darting up and shoulders hunching.

The situation was a poor one. Tradition dictated a full report before the nobility, but it was obvious her grandson could not comply. Virgil appeared to have lost consciousness.

“You are excused.”

The room erupted in an uproar.

“SILENCE!”

And there was, shocked and scared. She glared at her subjects, daring any of them to contradict her order. Since the loss of her son, rule had fallen to her. Scott refused to believe his father was dead. Taken from them in a ball of fire it appeared obvious that he no longer lived, but Scott refused to step up and take his place as king. So Sal stood regent.

Their rule grew more fragile by the year and she feared if Scott did not face reality soon, all would be lost.

The shock in the room was shattered by footsteps on the stone floor as a figure pushed her way through the chaperone force behind her grandsons. Kay emerged, dressed in her leathers and worry on her face. As always she ignored tradition and hurried up to the boys, her hands immediately reaching out to the Warder hanging limp between her brothers.

The crowd did not appreciate the lack of decorum.

But to be honest, Sal didn’t care. “Take Warder Virgil to the healers. We will discuss the situation at a gathering tomorrow.”

Scott dipped his head. “Yes, Grand Mother.” And the boys, along with Kay, were hustling their injured sibling out of the Hall. The chaperone force split down the middle and then followed them out.

The crowd was not happy, but a defiant squawk from Eos far above silenced them once more. Sal’s lips thinned as the great bird dipped beneath the door’s lintel to follow her grandsons from the room.

“I do not know how you allow such conduct, Grand Mother.” The chancellor approached from her left, his long robes whispering over the floor.

“The man was injured, Belah.”

“Tradition must be observed. It keeps law and people in their place.”

She rounded on him, the ire of the day and her long standing discomfort of the bald and devious politician coming to the fore. “I rule here, Chancellor, not you.”

His eyes flickered at her, startlingly yellow in the dim light. “Yes, Grand Mother.”

-o-o-o-