Part 1

Context: You, a noble, were married off to Prince Ignatius a little over a year ago. He was a kind but slightly incompetent man, but you were happy to help clean up some of his messes. You love your people, and they are good to you in turn, even though tension looms with talks of a very dangerous man coming to visit soon... Needless to say, you were right to be worried. Gaius the Conqueror tore through your kingdom and claimed you for his own in the same breath. Now... you don't know what his real intentions are.

Setting: Gaius's castle

Tags:[M4F][Enemies to Lovers][Mysterious Elven Conqueror Speaker][Widowed Queen Listener][Fantasy][Lore Drops][Cuddles][Surprisingly Supportive][Backstory][Flirting?][A Little Spicy][Lap Sitting][TW: Mentions of Death/Body Horror/Daddy Issues]

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[Scene opens in Gaius’s castle - the royal quarters]

[SFX: A fireplace crackling/heavy, Medieval doors swinging open and shutting]

“Ah, a good morning to you, my Trinket. I hope you slept well?”

[...]

“Where did I go? Oh, there was a drake loose near the border and they needed backup… Are you alright?”

[SFX: Paper rustling]

[Pause…]

“...Someone wrote you a horrid letter… I see. Is that what you’re holding?”

[Pause…]

“One moment… Let me get out of this armor, at least, so I am not muffled.”

[SFX: Armor stripping, oh my]

[He undresses while you focus on the hateful words burned into the paper before you. You’re so focused on them that the feel of his fingers on your shoulders makes you yelp]

[Pause!!]

“Shh, it’s just me… I’m sorry my hands are cold, I just wanted to rub your shoulders, not to startle you…”

[...]

“...Here, I am with you… Sit on the bed with me, let me rub your shoulders, and I’ll read over your shoulder, OK?”

[Pause…]

[SFX: Them snuggling (?) up in bed]

“Thank you.”

[Pause…]

[His deft, strong fingers massage your shoulders as he calmly peers over your shoulder]

“Let’s see this letter… Ah. I see you have received your first death threat, hm?”

[Pause…]

“Mmhm… How does it make you feel?”

[Pause…]

“Angry… Scared… Confused. Yes, that is normal, I would say.”

[Pause?]

“Of course, it is normal. The idea that someone loathes us enough to claim they will take our lives? It is frightening. Here, rest back against me, and hold the letter up so we both can read. I will show you that you have nothing to fear.”

[...?]

[You rest back against him, shivering at the feel of his bare flesh on yours]

[SFX: The paper rustling slightly]

“First, what do you think of the paper, hm?”

[...Pause]

“Yes… It is of poorer quality and quite yellowed, despite being fresh. The ink has also begun to bloat from humidity.”

[Pause!]

[He nods, gently breathing on your nape]

“Yes, very good. It was more than likely written South of the moorlands. An area of poverty, strife, and nothing better to do than to pick fights. See how poor the grammar is?”

[Pause…]

“Mmhm, very good. It’s Riotian tongue also lovingly known as the Boon tongue. It’s an idle threat from some drunken Boonie who has no idea what his name is by noon. It is Lars, by the way.”

[Pause??]

“Yes, I did deduce all of this when the letter arrived. Tim checks every letter for powers or poisons, of which this one had neither. I asked him to alert me if anything involving you came across for a while, and he followed orders to the letter.”

[...]

[He adjusts the letter in your hand slightly, eyes burning through it and you]

“It was a baseless threat… Bark with no bite. But I will never risk being wrong, especially not regarding you.”

[Pause…?]

“Why you…?”

[You feel him smile but he says nothing else on the matter]

“Do you feel better, Trinket?”

[Pause…]

[You surprise him by turning on his lap so you are face to face]

[SFX: The Listener shifting]

“Oh?... I was not expecting you to turn on my lap and face me, dear…”

[Pause.]

“You wanted a good look at me without my armor and helm?...”

[He cocks his head, hair falling across his brow]

“You know you could simply ask if that is your wish, yes? We are to be wed, you will see my body quite often, I am sure. Besides, I am not so remarkable in looks… Just a common Elf, maybe a little more torn up than normal, hmhm. My chest alone tells quite a story, I am sure.”

[...Pause?]

[He looks to where your pointer finger falls - a jagged, cruel scar darts across his abdomen, splashed by what looks like a few small acid burns]

“Hm? Ah, where you’re poking. Those scars and the burns by them?... Aha. Yes. My first kingdom conquered… My first victory of my dear, sweet father. We went tit for tat for years, but I steadily gained ground. I focused his attention on a battle too grand to ignore, one he needed to be present for. Of course, he sought me out and spilled my guts on the dirt… Eheh… Well, he certainly did the Mimic that had been possessed in my form. Took his right arm off before he managed to escape back to the castle…”

[...?]

“Hmhm… He went back because he, correctly, assumed that I was staging a solo mission to seize the jewel of the kingdom. Terrible way to determine Kings, yes, but the law is the law. He managed to, ahm… diagonally bisect me, we shall say…”

[Pause?!]

“How did I live? A healthy combination of dark magic and spite, mostly. I was still in pieces when Father threw me to the dogs in the dungeons. Wished me better luck next time. A good lesson to you, my dear: make allies anywhere you can.”

[Pause???]

“The dogs remembered my kindness from when I was a child. It was enough that they trusted that aiding me would reward them more handsomely than if they simply ate me alive. They got me to another prisoner who healed me in exchange for her freedom. Seven hours later, my father was the one contending with the dogs.”

[He takes a breath through his nose, as though reminiscing about a fishing trip]

“...Better luck next time, Father.”

[Pause…]

[He chuckles, many scars winking from his pale skin]

“Yes… ‘Fucking Hells’ is a reaction that the story gets often… But it is in our nature, I fear. You, my human Trinket, I am sure are used to the Elf clans of the land. Those of the snow, those of the iron, those that blend into the shadow… all normal. And I, well, I hardly look any different than a mutt between two of the clans, do I? But my clan… My people… we are in constant turmoil. We are born with an innate need to prove ourselves to a challenge that is called from the Void. Doesn’t matter if it is ‘invent a new dessert’ or ‘turn conquering kingdoms into an art form’, the Journey calls us all.”

[...?]

“Well… Yes, that is a way of looking at it. We aren’t exactly empathetic toward one another, seeing as there’s no rule that the same calling can’t be used twice. Being the best in combat is… common. That means there are many Thursdays where two Elves will have a drink, apologize, and then proceed to try and murder the other. No hard feelings, just… ‘better luck next time’.”

[Pause…?]

[He chuckles slightly]

“...Your hair is very soft… and, to answer your question, no, we feel very differently about others outside of our clan. Largely… empathetic… Forgiving…”

[Pause?]

[Gaius smiles, to your surprise]

“Yes, fine… We think most of you are ‘cute’. Now, my dear, I do need to get to a meeting with my generals. I hope I was able to assuage your fears over this little death threat.”

[...Pause]

“I’m glad. Hup, here we are…”

[SFX: Him standing and standing the Listener up with him]

“There we are. I didn’t muss your clothes too much, fortunately. You should be able to continue your day in peace, though I swear I will be at supper, alright?”

[Pause…?]

“Hm? You… Wish to attend the meeting as well?”

[Pause.]

[He studies you a moment, half back in his armor already]

“...As you wish.”

[Pause????]

“Yes, really. Come, gather yourself and we’ll go.”

[...]

[You do as he asks, still unable to discern what this man, who murdered your husband, truly wants from you. He has no tells, no twitches, nothing to give away what he is thinking…]

“You look beautiful, my Trinket, I promise. Now, come, being fashionably late will lose us several advantages.”

[Pause!]

[SFX: Fade out on them heading to meet the generals]

[To be continued?]

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: Gaius has such strong Dad troll power that if he ever actually has a kid, I cannot comprehend what will to his personality. My running theory is that he’ll revert to his edgy teen phases, meaning he will have a sick mohawk and SO MANY PIERCINGS-

Second note: How his cannon voice sounds in my head makes this 1,000x worse. I got it in my head that it'd be hysterical if he had a silky smooth voice but now I can't stop laughing at how every horrifying line from him would come out sounding like this. I did this to myself, I know. I have to live with this man singing smooth jazz in my head forever.