Hi my name is Nox and I shit out AUs like my life depends on it.
On todayâs episode of âwhat AU did Skunk shit out this time?â we haveâŚ.
Royal AU / High Fantasy AU!
This specific AU is particularly tied to a fic iâm kind of brainstorming?? However, Work is ensuring I have absolutely ZERO time to actively work on itâ So God knows when Iâll even get to start on it!
The first step (for me) is to always either do Character aesthetics or a playlist to get the vibes of the character. If i can see their aesthetic, I can determine how theyâre going to behave a little bit easier?
So thatâs what I did tonight.
đĄď¸ NOTE: This is a high fantasy AU workshopping, so nothing is 100% set in stone really and, there is a significant lack of Navy jets and Callsigns in this AU. Youâll have to forgive me for that one!
Anyway, Lemme show you what Iâve got so far
Tom Kazansky [Iceman]
First and Foremost, we have to start with the King. Tom is a vital part of the story and is considered (at least here) a Major character and both versions of him (Younger and older) are depicted in this AU so far!
Tom is notorious for being an Ice Cold king, someone who claims he needs no oneâŚsave for his flowers, his right bloom and his first swordâŚ(more on that later.)
Except when it comes to childrenâŚsomething within him always softens and by the time heâs pushing mid 30s, Tom somehow has four sprouts heâs raising. Which is wild to the public because heâs not marriedâ nor are any of them visibly his blood butâ
Tom has spent the last twenty years or so raising Jake, Bradley, Natasha and Callie. Heâs taught them everything he could and heâs got intentions for these four to reform how the kingdom functions.
Rather than dump the weight of full responsibility onto one man, Tom plans to lay the ground work for the Kingdom to shift to a council of rulers rather than the system in place now.
However, things get complicated when he realizes that as the four entered their early teens, they didnât exactly view each other as siblings.
Rather, theyâd fallen in love with each other.
Which I recognize how that sounds, but I NEED you to view it from an Arno and Ălise lens from Assassins Creed Unity. PLEASE.
So Tom, desperate to keep them safe arranges for two lavender marriages between the four of them.
Natasha and Bradley.
Callie and Jake.
To keep them safe.
I want to say more, but it begins to really spoil some of the big notesâŚSo iâll end with this.
The current system in Tomâs kingdom isnât structured to support and protect love like Bradley and Jakeâsâ Love like Natasha and CallieâsâŚ
Nor love like his and Peteâs.
But, thatâs part of his plan.
Once the flowers bloom, a new dawn will come and so will that safety they need⌠hopefully.
Pete Mitchell [Maverick]
Remember earlier when I mentioned something called âThe First Swordââ well, a very specific incident went down thatâll probably happen in Bradleyâs section of the story and that was how Pete became Tomâs first sword.
See, During this incident, Peteâs liege was killed. Which, seems like itâd go against his whole purpose *and* youâd think Tom would have a first SwordâŚhe did.
Iâll touch on that in a moment.
When things went down, Pete made a conscious decision to protect the innocentâ and while that resulted in the death of his liege, it was the planting of the seed into his future.
It was the event that led Tom to raising Bradley and Pete to becoming Tomâs first sword.
And over time, while youâre raising children near one anotherâŚyou spend a lot of time in the gardens togetherâŚ
And slowly you fall deeply in love with your liege and you learn to hide it underneath the stars and the moon. Because Tom cannot lose his crown and Pete cannot lose his sword.
Nor can either of them be put to death at the momentâ theyâve children to raise.
Yeah? See where this is going? Are the blanks filling in for you?
Ron Kerner [Slider]
Ah, the original first sword and the biological father of Jake.
Ron was Tomâs original first sword, the one destined to die for his liege. The one who worked his way up and through the ranks and was hand picked by Tom to protect him.
However, that incident surrounding Bradley? Yeah, that oneâ During that, an attack on Tomâs life was attempted and â when youâre the first sword, thatâs pretty much your lifeâs purpose. To keep your Liege alive.
So, Ron acted, however in the process of defending the king, he lost his hand.
almost passed from the blood lossâ from the shock, but Tom was safe and that was all that mattered.
Ron had accepted he was going to die and made one final plea to his King;
Look after his son. Keep him from being sent off to die.
Tom however, wasnât going to let his first sword die and used what medical knowledge he hadâ that combined with Peteâs they managed to keep Ron alive; granted, he was in a coma but alive.
That was how it was for at least three weeks.
During those three weeks, Tom kept his promise. Kept an eye on Jake.
Obviously, when Ron finally came to, he was devastated.
His dominant hand was gone. Completelyâ further, one needed two hands to be a first sword.
Tom though wasnât ready to part ways and so, he created a new position.
A right bloom.
Essentially, a top of the line advisor. One of the only people with permission to speak for the kingâŚ
And one of the only people to know of Tom and Peteâs relationship.
One of the only people to know about the lavender marriages.
His survival is a true miracle and Tom cannot express how deeply grateful he is that Ron is still alive.
Having someone capable of reading the room, of sensing danger the way Ron canâ is vital and so important to the future of the kingdom.
To Tomâs Plan.
He can only hope Ron continues to keep loyalty to himâ and can snuff out the threats before they biteâŚ
Jake Seresin [Hangman]
I know, everyone was waiting for this oneâ so letâs get him talked about.
Dad was the Kings first sword, Mom died having himâ that was pretty much it. Jake was destined to be in the castle. 100%.
Tom was NOT going to give up his first sword just because he was a father nowâ a single parent nonetheless.
But remember what I said earlier? Tom has a soft spot for children? YeahâŚHe himself took on a very paternal role in raising Jake. He taught him what he could, ensured he had food and clothing and comfort.
It led to Jake developing genuine care for Tom. A genuine respect for the man who ensured he could read and write. For the one who taught him how to wield a sword and ride a horseâ Jake was forever grateful.
The âincidentâ happened around the time Jake was roughly six. Heâd been playing with a visiting Lordâ The Counts son; and thenâ thereâd been chaos and that Lords first sword had come runningâ grabbing both of them and dragging them off.
At the time, Jake didnât know what had happened but would later find out by eavesdropping on Tom and that first sword; named Pete.
It was via this eavesdropping that Jake learned his father had lost a handâŚso thatâs fun trauma!
From that day forward, Jake had always had a playmate. Someone around.
That someone? Lord Bradley, second liege of First Sword Pete and Jakeâs new companionâŚ
New dueling buddy.
New partner in crime.
Even though it took Bradley some time to warm up to Jake, there was never anything familial between themâ they always felt like friendsâŚuntil they werenât and around the time they were thirteen their relationship shifted to be less platonic and more romanticâŚ
And then⌠the marriages happened.
Bradley Bradshaw [Rooster]
Ah!! A great one to follow up with!
So Bradley, is the biological son of a CountâŚYou all know where this is going I keep dancing around it like you havenât put the pieces together.
Bradley is just a little Lord, no more than seven almost eight when his life gets flipped upside down.
Heâd come with his parents to this diplomatic meeting and was told to wait outsideâŚuntil he was invited to play by another boy andâ
when they came back in from the gardens, Pete was running towards them, dragging them away andâ
Then Bradley and Pete were staying here.
Indefinitely.
It meant Bradley was growing up alongside JakeâŚfor the rest of his life.
It meant he spent his life learning to wield a sword alongside Jake.
It meant learning to ride alongside Jake.
It meant doing everything alongside Jake and while he got on his nerves at firstâŚBradley wasnât immune to that cheshire grin.
But he knew the rules; knew how people looked upon love like theirsâ and when the marriages came about?
He wasnât sure how he feltâŚ
But at least Natasha was alright.
Speakinâ of Natashaâ
Natasha Trace [Phoenix]
Now, maybe this is where my Phoenix favoritism comes in, BUTâ
Natasha is a Duchess, a foreign one. Not to the extent youâre probably thinking but on a technicality, Natasha isnât from Tomâs Kingdom.
Sheâs actually from a neighboring kingdom that Tom had strategically worked to ensure diplomatic and intense trust with.
From sending consistent gifts to sharing the harvest each year? Oh yeah, diplomatic relations were high.
Now, While Tom himself may have had good relations with her homeland, not every person didâŚ
So, around the time Natasha was ten, Tom was asked to take her. A war was brewing and her father, as much as it hurt to send him away knew the best case scenario was her with Tom.
(Think abt it like this okayâ especially since I havenât moved to the major world building portions of my outline yet
Kingdom A is Tomâs, Natasha is from kingdom B.
Kingdom B and C arenât on good terms.
Kingdom A is on good terms with both B and C.
Kingdom C has intentions to go to war with B, but because of their relationship with Kingdom A, regardless of if a war broke theyâd leave him out of it.
Therefore, making Tomâs Kingdom the safest place for her.)
Natasha however was not all that receptive to falling under Tomâs rule. She wanted to go home. To be with her family; Much like any ten year old would want to.
However, Tom wasnât persistent; he was consistent in trying to understand Natasha.
While any other king may have grown agitated with Natasha and her stubbornness, Tom continued to build trust with her.
It took him over two months before he made any actual progress with her.
Slowly, overtime Natasha opened up to Tom, and Tom was able to accommodate her needs.
Not just emotionally, but physically.
See, while some Kings would flip their shit over Natashaâs interests; Tom was more than willing.
Because what happened in the lavender gardens of his home didnât concern the public.
If Natasha wished to wear trousers so be it. She wasnât hurting anyone, and while some would disagree or look down on Tomâs decision wellâŚ
Tom didnât care.
Because it made Natasha happyâ further, by allowing Natasha to wear what she wished when the days were simple and calm, come events where Natasha did need to present herself wellâŚ
She was much more receptive to the swallowing fabrics, simply because Tom respected her.
Same with her sword trainingâŚsort of. Because Tom was trying to get her to open up to him and trust him, he offered up any and all activities he could to her.
One that caught her interest was the option to learn to wield a sword.
And for Tom? So long as it was supervised and she was practicing sword safety, who was he to dictate what she could and could not do in her time?
For Tom, it all came down to âTime and place.â
Not that he was ashamed of Natashaâs swordswomanship. The opposite really and if he believed their visitors to be sensible, heâd be more than willing to showcase her talents.
Because that was a big thing; Natasha was a warrior. She was capable. She could wield a sword better than most and that brought Tom indescribable amounts of joy.
Because it meant when the kingdom reformed, when the weight was distributed, militant forces and decisions would default to Natasha.
Now, it was during this sword training that Natasha met both Bradley and Jake; befriending both but taking an active liking to Bradley.
Simply because they seemed to understand each other betterâ laughed at the same humors, found interest in the same stories.
The trio seemedâŚcontentâŚuntil the fourth came along.
And when that fourth came along, rather than Jake or Bradley growing careless in their swordsmanship, it was Natasha.
Utterly smitten and melted by her.
Callie Bassett [Halo]
Tom is not an unreasonable man. The opposite really. Those working for him as soldiers, servants, cooks, stable hands, entertainers are there on their own volition. Tom holds no one hostage, never has and never will. Every person who works for the king in some capacity does so because they chose to.
And thatâs where the Bassett family come in.
A soldier father, a servant motherâ Callie grew up on the castles grounds.
Because again, Tom is not an unreasonable man. Heâs not one to forbid love orâ children. Heâs one to accommodate and make it work.
And again, heâs got that soft spot for children.
Especially talented ones.
Callie, was nothing like other girls her age when one put a bow in her hands. Her reflexes were magnificent and her aim was impeccable.
No surprise considering her father was an archer as well.
But it didnât just stop as casual archery for her like it did other girls her age. Tom saw a future in her.
She was instinctive and perceptive. It was as if Callie had a sixth sense for timing and for people.
Tom tried not to choose favorites butâ Callie was a once in a generation God gifted talent.
And what does one do when presented with someone like Callie?
They sharpen those skills. They have her work with the first sword exclusively, they begin having her sit in on lessons with Bradley and Jake andâ Natasha.
It was part of his grand reformation plan.
Get Callie to a point she could stand in a diplomatic argument. She had the senses to keep up. The capabilities. He believed that come the reformation from king to council that Callie would be the one to handle diplomacy. The one to negotiate and lead.
Now in regards to romance, one might think Callie would be drawn to maybe Jakeâ perhaps Bradley but oh no.
See, while Natasha may have the swordswomanship of a Goddess, she could not stable a bow to save her lifeâ but Callie could do it blindfolded in 12 seconds flat.
See where Iâm going with this?
Natasha was Callieâs Purple, while she was Natashaâs pink.
Awe.
Now, all of this seems great right? Tomâs working to reform, to build up and out in his Kingdom exceptâŚthereâs one group of people Tom has to answer to.
One group of people who arenât too interested in this grand plan, nor in restructuring their society.
The church.
Itâs not that Tom necessarily has to answer directly to the church, but rather, Tom needs their approval to keep the peace.
Itâs long and convoluted and iâm still working out the kinks butâ
Letâs get back to the fun bits :â)
When Ron mentions heâs noticed things are getting tense, Tom makes the decision to bring something back that hasnât been used in generations.
The Floral Knights. [Coyote, Fanboy, Payback and Bob.]
What are the Floral knights? In the simplest of simple terms, The floral knights serve as body guards specifically.
However, to a deeper extent, Floral knights are stepping stones to First Swords.
Hand picked by the current First Sword and approved by the King himself, to become a Floral Knight is a high honor.
Floral Knights must be loyal, hardworking, quick on their feet and be willing to give their lives to protect their liege.
So when things start looking grim and Pete is told to seek out four Floral Knights, his decision comes easy.
Javy, Mickey, Reuben and Robert have showed impeccable skill, devoted loyalty and a willingness to put their lives on the line for this Kingdom.
(Before you say anything, I was gonna use Neil for Callie but then got really sad at the thought of using Fanboy but not Payback or vice versa because I love those two very much soooâŚ.)
One Floral Knight assigned to each of Tomâs growing flowers.
Javy to Jake.
Robert to Natasha.
Reuben to Bradley.
Mickey to Callie.
The other thing to know about Floral Knights is that sometimesâŚtheyâre blood bound to keep secretsâŚ
And when Tom brought forth these Floral KnightsâŚhe basically made them blood bound to keeping the secret that Jake, Bradley, Natasha and Callie were in lavender marriages.
Bonus points!
Floral Knights with as much time as they spend with their lieges end up becoming some of their most trusted and adored confidants! So friendship! Hooray!
Again, a lot of this is still being worked out and worked on but I neededâ NEEDED to yap about this before I go back to work for 12 hour days where Iâll have no writing time.
So enjoy this. đŞť
