#spedbyflame

M A K O T O   T A C H I B A N A

“But there had never been any touch of fire in Makoto, not as there was in Haru. Like his father before him he took up arms for the sake of the city, and not for his own; if the choice were left to him he would have passed his days running through the dusty streets to lend his might and comfort wherever they might be needed. For his was a gentle soul, gentler by far than the man he had taken to husband, and struck by his grace his people began to call him the heart of Sardahan.”

― A Raven Calls in Qasr, Chapter 1

coming soon!

Aesthetics for the lovely @godmothertoclarion‘s Slain by Fire, Sped by Flame. 

Please, please, please read it. I promise it’ll be the most worthwhile investment you’ll ever make.

Title: All That I Am, Sweetheart, All That I Wish

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

In his youth Haru had often lain by the indigo shrubs in the courtyard with Aki and Rei, long enough to see them blossom under the rising sun. They scarcely stirred, at first, waking so slowly that when they moved he thought himself mistaken—and then the great lamp to the east rolled over the dunes like a wave, bringing the buds to life as they opened their throats to the warmth. The petals unfurled like a banner by the light of the waxing rays, and though they were cool and soft to his touch they burned like a garden of stars. 

It was a pity that green was kept for the leaves, he thought, for surely such a color deserved the fairest of flowers to grace it—but perhaps it was better as it was, for without their foliage even the blooms of the desert would perish, as he himself would fade without the glow of the gentle eyes he loved so well, first as companion and then as a friend…and now his betrothed, as the princes were destined to be.

— Slain by Fire, Sped by Flame Chapter 16

In which Haru and Makoto are Arabian princes, brought together by the fires of drought and an alliance between their kingdoms.

(Or, a pair of fools take far too long to fall in love, and everyone else is along for the ride).