A Safe Place in the World plsssssss 🙏
With joy, Jey. <3
I've discussed it some here so I'll try not to repeat myself too much, but it is a fic that explores the trust and safety that Beloved has and feels with Fitz - and that Fitz has and feels with him. Set in a post-AF world in which a prophecy was forcibly denied and rewritten, it's an exploration of what Fitz and Beloved's relationship might've grown into had it (had they) truly been given the chance.
One of my favorite things to write about when it comes to Beloved is how they make a place their own, make it a home, and in this setting that is something I can thankfully more or less run wild with.
As I refilled the kettle, I worried needlessly that he might be cold in only his robe, kept waiting for his bath as I dawdled about my work. Yet the flush of eager exertion was on him still, the warmth to his cheeks and skin now a sweet, slight pink, and I attempted to calm myself with the knowledge of how well his rooms held heat; although I had not limited him to those he could choose from, it had been my intention when I’d first begun preparations for the estate that these might be the ones he favored. I had made sure to emphasize this chamber located just above the kitchens, where the blazing heat of its two large fires, kept at a safe smolder even within the smallest hour of the night, warmed the stone floor I currently stood upon. His windows were well-maintained, the shutters a perfect fit, snug in their holdings without a single crack for wind or snow or rain to sweep through. Over them as well were curtains made by his own hand, the dark orange of a glowing ember, and they were pulled across for added protection. No, Beloved was not cold. And, here within these rooms, never again would he be. [. . .] It was undeniable that Beloved took pride in wherever he dwelled, for even far beyond his chosen chambers the estate flourished beneath his touch. Color invaded its rooms in a way it would not have had it been left to my lack of expertise, and hangings decorated the walls as rugs and furnishings warmed the floors. The sweet smell of flowers from his own garden, or more recently those from our shared hothouse, rose upon every entry. Yet the scent was far from overwhelming, the plants carefully curated and chosen, and he alone saw to their upkeep when we'd not been called away to Buckkeep. Even the bulk of the moulding had not escaped his notice, and often I stumbled across our staff, with and without their children, close to the floor, tracing his etchings as they searched for and found details they had missed or which had been newly added, all for their own enjoyment. Once I had even found Bee at it, her black kitten at her heels, one of the Cat’s mottled own following close behind. I knew it unlikely that my presence had gone unnoticed, yet either she had been too intent in her search to greet me or, most likely, she had decided to outright ignore me, uninterested in a conversation or embarrassed at being caught. I had made no mention of it to her then, nor would I now, for I knew she and Beloved walked a precarious path. I would do nothing to ruin the friendship that had tentatively begun to grow between them as the year carried on, yet the sight had eased something within my heart. I had left her to it with a smile tugging at my lips, the curious, questioning meow of the smaller kitten the only sound as Bee sat down to peer at a flowering vine of wisteria, her small hand reaching out.
Among other things that I enjoy writing about in this universe, one of them is how all the staff at their estate adore Beloved. They get along well with Fitz, and care for him and respect him (and he them), but with Beloved? Oh, they love him. And he loves them right back. <3
In this universe, I have it where, after it all, Fitz makes the decision to go back to Withywoods to see if there is anything of Molly's left that he can salvage and bring back for Bee (and for himself as well). Amongst the things he finds is the black kitten that Bee had been friends with. It's already stated in the text that he knows having a companion will not cure her of her grief, but paired with the fact that he knows how much comfort they can bring, as well as that she is not Witted, he brings him home. And, as cats are wont to do in the countryside, especially when there's easy / free access to food and resources, other strays begin to make the estate their home. One of them, an adult female Calico, chooses Beloved (and they choose her). Fitz and mind-Nighteyes both have a moment of "a cat, really?" but it's clear how much they adore each other and, besides, Fitz would not deny Beloved such a thing. Fitz simply calls her the Cat because she won't tell him her name (more out of being sassy than any true distrust), but they come to care for each other. Fitz and Beloved have separate rooms, for privacy and space both, but after they deepen their relationship (and before, even) it's common for them to spend the night in the other's bed and the Cat will follow. Like Beloved she's an absolute brat, but she is also slightly territorial over them and so she'll make sure that Fitz knows that she too is important to Beloved and that she has a place in their beds; multiple times Fitz has awoken to her shoved in between them, or Beloved curled up with her and away from him, as well as her kneading into his curls or slapping his face with her tail. All of that to say: she makes an appearance in this fic. <3
I've already gone on for too long, but yeah, idk, I just love them and this fic. 💜
