comment_fic 706-710: Avengers, Merlin, Greek myth, Black Jewels
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Title: the great body not torn apart, though raked and raked by our claws
Fandom: Avengers movieverse
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov
Warnings: set during and post-Avengers
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 454
Point of view: third
Prompt: Thor, Thor + or / Loki, Thor does not see the difference between his brother and his brother's glamour duplicates
Note: I misread the prompt as Thor could always tell the difference, so that’s what I wrote.
Are you ever not going to fall for that? his brother asks, sneering, before turning away.
Thor watches him for a moment, trying to capture all his thoughts, and then he again entreats his brother, commands his brother, pleads - and Loki kills a good man, and Loki tosses Thor from the flying fortress, and as Thor falls, he can think only of how far Loki must have fallen.
And he breaks his way free from the cage that could only have contained Loki if Loki wanted to be contained, and he battles his brother, and he battles his brother's army, and he helps the Midgardians capture his brother, and he takes his brother home, and - only in private - he begs his father to have mercy on Loki, but Father speaks of justice and lessons never learned, and Thor wonders how far Loki fell.
Why Loki fell so far.
Are you ever not going to fall for that? Loki asked. But he is silent, now, eyes and lips closed, alone, always alone.
Justice, the All-Father calls it. Loki did wrong, and so Loki must be punished. Like always.
Loki's magic is locked away, and he sits silently in a cell, eyes closed, and he fell, he must've fallen so far, and no one in Asgard, no one in Midgard, no one in any world will speak for him, his silver tongue tied, and the longer Thor watches him, the higher his anger grows, a storm building outside, thunder and lightning and a roaring wind -
And Loki lifts his head, eyes opening, and Thor can see the smirk there.
Are you ever not going to fall for that? Loki had asked.
Thor has never, not once, told Loki that he can always pinpoint his brother, even when surrounded by the illusions. Thor has never, not once, treated any of them differently than he does his brother.
But this copy, so flawlessly done, so magnificently real -
Oh, well done, brother, he murmurs.
He stays outside the cell until his father sends a messenger, calling him to dinner. As the sun sets, the sky is clear; the storm left as quickly as it came.
Thor smiles at his mother, discusses policy with his father, spars with his friends.
Perhaps he should tell Odin the truth. Perhaps he should be angry with himself, to have been fooled for all these days of pain and despair. Perhaps he should warn Loki’s many enemies, or prepare himself for whatever move Loki has planned next.
He goes to bed and wishes only that Loki is safe, that Loki is happy, glad - in his heart of hearts, where a bright-eyed little boy shows off magic tricks - that Loki is free.
Title: the choice endured
Fandom: Merlin (BBC)
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov
Warnings: dark; canon events rearranged to suit my whim
Pairings: gennish with possible Arthur/Merlin undertones
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 530
Prompt: Merlin, any, destiny and how to escape it
Everyone keeps telling him he's so very powerful, that no one like him has ever been, that he has such a grand destiny - stars and dragons and an entire people know his name. Or, well, a name they say is his, though he still feels like Merlin. Just Merlin. Just a peasant from Ealdor.
Just Merlin. A warlock. A dragonlord. Calls down lightning and stops time.
Nothing special, really. Nothing to see here. Keep on walking.
.
Arthur will be a great king. One day. He will unite the land, and restore magic, and all will be bright and wonderful. People will smile again. People will laugh. People will not shudder when the king's gaze turns to them, because the king is a good man. The best man.
One day.
But right now, Uther thunders his hate down upon the land, and Arthur stands by his side - not agreeing, but not disagreeing either. And Merlin watches a woman burn, a woman who has done nothing wrong except enrage her neighbor. There is no proof of magic, only an herb in her home. And an angry neighbor, jealous of her strong children.
Accusations of a curse and three stillborn babes, and a woman burns while the king watches, and Arthur does not look away.
.
Emrys. Destined to protect the golden king. The most powerful sorcerer in the world. Perhaps, the greatest warlock in the history of the world, that has ever been or will ever be.
He cannot believe it, because he is so terrified of anyone discovering his magic. He knows he could escape, were he arrested. He knows he could tear the castle down around him, topple it into the catacombs imprisoning the dragon.
He knows he could. He just doesn’t quite believe it, yet.
.
Gaius pleads for Uther’s life. Uther is Gaius’ king, and Merlin understands that. He truly does. Uther is Arthur’s father, and Arthur is a good man. So, too, Uther must have been, once.
Merlin can save Uther again. Spare him, as he has never spared anyone. Protect the man who eradicated the dragons and tried to erase magic.
Staring down at the dying king, Merlin smells roasting meat and feels oppressive heat.
“Please, Merlin,” Gaius says, eyes only on his king.
Gaius will never forgive him. Nor will Arthur, once he realizes the truth (as he must, one day).
But Merlin has a destiny. The druids and the dragon have told him so. Arthur will be a great king, but every moment Uther lingers, he poisons the land.
“I will do my best, Gaius,” Merlin promises.
.
Uther dies in the dead of winter. Arthur is crowned as snow falls on Camelot.
He will be a great king.
And if he is not…
Just Merlin is Arthur’s man.
Emrys is the most powerful person to ever live. The druids and the dragon swear to that. He is magic. Calls down lightning and stops time. He is meant to restore magic.
He will restore magic. And if Arthur is as great a man as Merlin hopes, he will welcome magic back to the land.
If he is not…
Merlin will grieve forever; Emrys will do what must be done.
Title: earth's cries of anguish almost audible
Fandom: Greek mythology
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov
Warnings: incest?
Pairings: past Demeter/Hades, Hades/Persephone
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 245
Point of view: third
Prompt: Greek mythology, Demeter/Hades, before
Once, they had been lovers.
Before that, they were friends.
In the beginning, she was his sister and he was her brother, and everything was golden.
Now, she is only a grieving mother, and he is the man who stole her child.
Oh, dearest, he says sorrowfully, 'stole' is such a harsh word.
She does not listen. She never forgives.
.
Hades had the gentlest hands. The sweetest lips. He made her laugh. Held her in his arms. They walked the world together, Death and Harvest, and she was happy.
She was so happy, then.
.
Persephone comes to love her realm of darkness. She is as the sun, and flowers bloom in Tartarus.
Hades tries to speak to his queen's mother, but Demeter is deaf to him and only greets her daughter, welcoming her back into Spring.
.
Once, they had been lovers. Friends. Brother and sister.
Now, Demeter never speaks his name.
.
Before, all was golden. Now, winter is dark and cold, and she is a mother grieving, and he is a husband whose wife spends half her life away from him - and is glad of it.
For all that Persephone has come to love her realm, she never loves her husband.
.
Mother, Persephone asks during the height of summer, what was he like, when you were young together?
Demeter smiles sadly. He was beautiful, she says. The kindest of my brothers.
Persephone gently takes her mother's hand and leads her outside, into the brilliant sun.
Title: untitled
Fandom: Black Jewels series
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: takes place around Kaeleer’s Heart
Pairings: Jaenelle/Daemon
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 50
Point of view: third
Prompt: Black Jewels, Jaenelle/Daemon, Never love another.
He was born to be Witch's lover. He waited a thousand and a half years for her, and then he wandered the Twisted Kingdom, searching. He played the game one last time, pulling on the Sadist like a poisoned coat.
He was born for Witch, but it’s Jaenelle he loves.
Title: a billion times told lovelier, more dangerous
Fandom: Avengers movieverse
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Hopkins
Warnings: AUish; post-film
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 275
Point of view: third
Prompt: Avengers movieverse, any, there are wrongs for every right
Before he worked for SHIELD, he was independent and only the highest bidder could afford him. He knows exactly what his coworkers and his teammates think - Clint Barton, oh, he was in the army, wasn't he? Black-ops or something. Good with a weapon, and a smartass. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, though.
Every operative sent after Black Widow either vanished or came back in pieces. Every operative but one. That seems to have escaped a lot of people.
Clint Barton was in the army, and he did do black-ops or something. But he got out of that quickly enough and made a bit of a name for himself, and it’s best for everyone, really, that nobody connects that name to Hawkeye of SHIELD. Hawkeye of the Avengers. Hawkeye, savior of the world, after he got over that whole ‘working for the enemy’ thing.
I see you, Loki whispers in his dreams, in the months after. I know you. We are so alike, my warrior. So very alike.
SHIELD pays pretty well. They have to, for all the people who aren’t being blackmailed into staying.
But. They don’t pay as well as when he was an independent contractor, and he’s really tired of being blackmailed.
And when Loki isn’t trying to subjugate the world or open portals to doom-monsters… he’s actually a pretty good boss, with a kickass sense of humor.
Clint thinks about asking Natasha to come with him. Except Black Widow is trying to atone, and Clint doesn’t have anything he needs to atone for.
So when Loki whispers, I see you, my warrior, Clint replies, Well, yeah, boss. I’m waiting for you.
.
.
Title: the great body not torn apart, though raked and raked by our claws
Fandom: Avengers movieverse
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov
Warnings: set during and post-Avengers
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 454
Point of view: third
Prompt: Thor, Thor + or / Loki, Thor does not see the difference between his brother and his brother's glamour duplicates
Note: I misread the prompt as Thor could always tell the difference, so that’s what I wrote.
Are you ever not going to fall for that? his brother asks, sneering, before turning away.
Thor watches him for a moment, trying to capture all his thoughts, and then he again entreats his brother, commands his brother, pleads - and Loki kills a good man, and Loki tosses Thor from the flying fortress, and as Thor falls, he can think only of how far Loki must have fallen.
And he breaks his way free from the cage that could only have contained Loki if Loki wanted to be contained, and he battles his brother, and he battles his brother's army, and he helps the Midgardians capture his brother, and he takes his brother home, and - only in private - he begs his father to have mercy on Loki, but Father speaks of justice and lessons never learned, and Thor wonders how far Loki fell.
Why Loki fell so far.
Are you ever not going to fall for that? Loki asked. But he is silent, now, eyes and lips closed, alone, always alone.
Justice, the All-Father calls it. Loki did wrong, and so Loki must be punished. Like always.
Loki's magic is locked away, and he sits silently in a cell, eyes closed, and he fell, he must've fallen so far, and no one in Asgard, no one in Midgard, no one in any world will speak for him, his silver tongue tied, and the longer Thor watches him, the higher his anger grows, a storm building outside, thunder and lightning and a roaring wind -
And Loki lifts his head, eyes opening, and Thor can see the smirk there.
Are you ever not going to fall for that? Loki had asked.
Thor has never, not once, told Loki that he can always pinpoint his brother, even when surrounded by the illusions. Thor has never, not once, treated any of them differently than he does his brother.
But this copy, so flawlessly done, so magnificently real -
Oh, well done, brother, he murmurs.
He stays outside the cell until his father sends a messenger, calling him to dinner. As the sun sets, the sky is clear; the storm left as quickly as it came.
Thor smiles at his mother, discusses policy with his father, spars with his friends.
Perhaps he should tell Odin the truth. Perhaps he should be angry with himself, to have been fooled for all these days of pain and despair. Perhaps he should warn Loki’s many enemies, or prepare himself for whatever move Loki has planned next.
He goes to bed and wishes only that Loki is safe, that Loki is happy, glad - in his heart of hearts, where a bright-eyed little boy shows off magic tricks - that Loki is free.
Title: the choice endured
Fandom: Merlin (BBC)
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov
Warnings: dark; canon events rearranged to suit my whim
Pairings: gennish with possible Arthur/Merlin undertones
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 530
Prompt: Merlin, any, destiny and how to escape it
Everyone keeps telling him he's so very powerful, that no one like him has ever been, that he has such a grand destiny - stars and dragons and an entire people know his name. Or, well, a name they say is his, though he still feels like Merlin. Just Merlin. Just a peasant from Ealdor.
Just Merlin. A warlock. A dragonlord. Calls down lightning and stops time.
Nothing special, really. Nothing to see here. Keep on walking.
.
Arthur will be a great king. One day. He will unite the land, and restore magic, and all will be bright and wonderful. People will smile again. People will laugh. People will not shudder when the king's gaze turns to them, because the king is a good man. The best man.
One day.
But right now, Uther thunders his hate down upon the land, and Arthur stands by his side - not agreeing, but not disagreeing either. And Merlin watches a woman burn, a woman who has done nothing wrong except enrage her neighbor. There is no proof of magic, only an herb in her home. And an angry neighbor, jealous of her strong children.
Accusations of a curse and three stillborn babes, and a woman burns while the king watches, and Arthur does not look away.
.
Emrys. Destined to protect the golden king. The most powerful sorcerer in the world. Perhaps, the greatest warlock in the history of the world, that has ever been or will ever be.
He cannot believe it, because he is so terrified of anyone discovering his magic. He knows he could escape, were he arrested. He knows he could tear the castle down around him, topple it into the catacombs imprisoning the dragon.
He knows he could. He just doesn’t quite believe it, yet.
.
Gaius pleads for Uther’s life. Uther is Gaius’ king, and Merlin understands that. He truly does. Uther is Arthur’s father, and Arthur is a good man. So, too, Uther must have been, once.
Merlin can save Uther again. Spare him, as he has never spared anyone. Protect the man who eradicated the dragons and tried to erase magic.
Staring down at the dying king, Merlin smells roasting meat and feels oppressive heat.
“Please, Merlin,” Gaius says, eyes only on his king.
Gaius will never forgive him. Nor will Arthur, once he realizes the truth (as he must, one day).
But Merlin has a destiny. The druids and the dragon have told him so. Arthur will be a great king, but every moment Uther lingers, he poisons the land.
“I will do my best, Gaius,” Merlin promises.
.
Uther dies in the dead of winter. Arthur is crowned as snow falls on Camelot.
He will be a great king.
And if he is not…
Just Merlin is Arthur’s man.
Emrys is the most powerful person to ever live. The druids and the dragon swear to that. He is magic. Calls down lightning and stops time. He is meant to restore magic.
He will restore magic. And if Arthur is as great a man as Merlin hopes, he will welcome magic back to the land.
If he is not…
Merlin will grieve forever; Emrys will do what must be done.
Title: earth's cries of anguish almost audible
Fandom: Greek mythology
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Denise Levertov
Warnings: incest?
Pairings: past Demeter/Hades, Hades/Persephone
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 245
Point of view: third
Prompt: Greek mythology, Demeter/Hades, before
Once, they had been lovers.
Before that, they were friends.
In the beginning, she was his sister and he was her brother, and everything was golden.
Now, she is only a grieving mother, and he is the man who stole her child.
Oh, dearest, he says sorrowfully, 'stole' is such a harsh word.
She does not listen. She never forgives.
.
Hades had the gentlest hands. The sweetest lips. He made her laugh. Held her in his arms. They walked the world together, Death and Harvest, and she was happy.
She was so happy, then.
.
Persephone comes to love her realm of darkness. She is as the sun, and flowers bloom in Tartarus.
Hades tries to speak to his queen's mother, but Demeter is deaf to him and only greets her daughter, welcoming her back into Spring.
.
Once, they had been lovers. Friends. Brother and sister.
Now, Demeter never speaks his name.
.
Before, all was golden. Now, winter is dark and cold, and she is a mother grieving, and he is a husband whose wife spends half her life away from him - and is glad of it.
For all that Persephone has come to love her realm, she never loves her husband.
.
Mother, Persephone asks during the height of summer, what was he like, when you were young together?
Demeter smiles sadly. He was beautiful, she says. The kindest of my brothers.
Persephone gently takes her mother's hand and leads her outside, into the brilliant sun.
Title: untitled
Fandom: Black Jewels series
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: takes place around Kaeleer’s Heart
Pairings: Jaenelle/Daemon
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 50
Point of view: third
Prompt: Black Jewels, Jaenelle/Daemon, Never love another.
He was born to be Witch's lover. He waited a thousand and a half years for her, and then he wandered the Twisted Kingdom, searching. He played the game one last time, pulling on the Sadist like a poisoned coat.
He was born for Witch, but it’s Jaenelle he loves.
Title: a billion times told lovelier, more dangerous
Fandom: Avengers movieverse
Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Hopkins
Warnings: AUish; post-film
Pairings: none
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 275
Point of view: third
Prompt: Avengers movieverse, any, there are wrongs for every right
Before he worked for SHIELD, he was independent and only the highest bidder could afford him. He knows exactly what his coworkers and his teammates think - Clint Barton, oh, he was in the army, wasn't he? Black-ops or something. Good with a weapon, and a smartass. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, though.
Every operative sent after Black Widow either vanished or came back in pieces. Every operative but one. That seems to have escaped a lot of people.
Clint Barton was in the army, and he did do black-ops or something. But he got out of that quickly enough and made a bit of a name for himself, and it’s best for everyone, really, that nobody connects that name to Hawkeye of SHIELD. Hawkeye of the Avengers. Hawkeye, savior of the world, after he got over that whole ‘working for the enemy’ thing.
I see you, Loki whispers in his dreams, in the months after. I know you. We are so alike, my warrior. So very alike.
SHIELD pays pretty well. They have to, for all the people who aren’t being blackmailed into staying.
But. They don’t pay as well as when he was an independent contractor, and he’s really tired of being blackmailed.
And when Loki isn’t trying to subjugate the world or open portals to doom-monsters… he’s actually a pretty good boss, with a kickass sense of humor.
Clint thinks about asking Natasha to come with him. Except Black Widow is trying to atone, and Clint doesn’t have anything he needs to atone for.
So when Loki whispers, I see you, my warrior, Clint replies, Well, yeah, boss. I’m waiting for you.