LotS/Camelot Fic: Birthright - Part I (7/10)
Title: Birthright - Part I (LotS/Camelot Crossover) 7/10
Author: TheDawn
Pairing: Cara/Morgan, Berdine/Raina, Cara/Morgan/Berdina/Raina
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Mass amounts of exposition. Oh, and also an orgy.
Word Count: 2292
Disclaimer: Neither Legend of the Seeker or Camelot are mine - but you'll never convince me that this didn't happen.
Summary: Morgan Pendragon's life was turned upside down when her mother was killed to make room for her father's new wife. When a mysterious Sister arrives from across the sea in D'Hara, she enters a world she never could have imagined - and was always meant to know.
Author's Notes: So, I really wasn't sure about this bit? But the idea was there, and I actually think it makes sense in the context of the story, so I did it. This is one of those bits that may seem gratuitous, though - fair warning;) Also, it's been ages since I've read the Sword of Truth books, so I'm hoping I managed to do Berdine and Raina justice. See Chapter One for full Author's Notes.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Birthright - Part I (7/10)
The sight that greeted the two Mord-Sith when they arrived at Morgan's chambers was one neither would ever have expected to see: Mistress Cara, willingly on her knees for another Mord-Sith. Morgan had been stripped of her uniform, naked save for the leather harness slung over her hips, fitted with a long, thick phallus. Cara's gloved hands were braced against Morgan's bare hips as she took the phallus into her mouth, looking up at Morgan all the while with a more submissive expression than either of the newcomers had ever witnessed on her face - and they had known Cara for quite some time.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Berdine said as she and Raina stepped into the room. Her tone was anything but apologetic, and her blue eyes glittered with interest. Raina elbowed her in the ribs, shooting her a stern look, and Berdine swallowed her amusement, straightening her expression.
Morgan was not quite as amused; her head shot up, her eyes shifting from Cara's to pierce Berdine with a glare. “What are you doing here?” She asked, the desire in her voice tinged with irritation at being interrupted.
Berdine felt a tug in her chest, a foreign power invading her mind and compelling her to answer. She almost laughed. “You don't need to command me to speak,” she said with a smirk. “Ask Raina; you'll have a harder time getting me to stop.”
Her dark-haired companion nodded in confirmation, a wry smile touching her lips. She glanced over at Berdine, taking note of the triumphant glint in the woman's eyes. Raina knew that look - it was the one Berdine got whenever she was right about something.
Morgan eyed Berdine with interest; she had used her power on countless Mord-Sith, and never before had she seen one respond by looking almost happy about it. It caught her off-guard, and her hand loosened around the base of Cara's braid as she considered Berdine's reaction.
Cara released the phallus with a wet pop, turning to fix Berdine with an impatient glare. “Berdine,” she growled, with the slightest tilt of her head. “You didn't answer the question.”
“Lord Rahl ordered us to spy on you,” Berdine replied casually.
Rising to her feet, Cara positioned herself slightly in front of Morgan, her hand resting on her agiel.
Berdine ignored Raina's questioning look, too busy studying Morgan curiously. “You were taken from Britain, weren't you?”
Morgan's lips parted as she blinked in surprise. “How do you know that?”
“You could say it's my job to know things,” Berdine offered, smiling at the confirmation. “Most Mord-Sith serve in the temples, because that is where their skills are best utilized; my skills, however, serve Lord Rahl best in the area of research.”
“She pretty much lives in the library,” Raina clarified.
“And Lord Rahl instructed you to research me?” Morgan asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“In a manner of speaking,” Berdine replied. “His father, Panis Rahl, did a lot of business with Britain. Lord Rahl wanted me to look into what records there are of it - I assume to keep himself apprised of potential enemies.”
“Where does Morgan fit into this?” Cara asked, her gaze flicking between her mistress and the bookish Mord-Sith. She didn't think she'd be forced to defend Morgan, but she was still incredibly confused as to what was going on.
Excitement filled Berdine's voice. “Recently, I came across some old letters that refer to Panis Rahl's younger sister, Karena.”
“Karena was my mother's name,” Morgan interjected, her mind racing.
Berdine grinned. “I suspected as much. You see, Panis had no use for a sister - he was far more concerned with developing his own magical powers, and securing his hold over D'Hara. The letters I spoke of are correspondence between him and a warlord in Britain - who, as it happens, was on the lookout for a bride.”
A grim smile touched Morgan's lips. “Uther.”
“Uther Pendragon,” Berdine confirmed. “It was the perfect deal: Uther wanted a wife to bear him a son, and Panis wanted to ensure that he had no rivals for the throne of D'Hara. By sending Karena to Britain to marry Uther, Panis not only got what he wanted, but he also gained a powerful ally. Should the need arise to defend D'Hara with force, Uther's armies would be a formidable asset.”
Cara cocked her head as she processed the information. “So you're saying that Morgan is a Rahl.”
Berdine's smile widened. “I'm saying more than that,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement as she turned to address the woman in question. “From what I've seen and felt here, I'm almost certain that you possess the Rahl bond.”
Morgan's brow furrowed as she glanced at Cara, seeing her own confusion mirrored there. “What bond?”
“There are texts in the libraries of the People's Palace that speak of a magical bond that Lord Rahl possesses, that compels his subjects to obey him,” Berdine explained. “The bond is strengthened and maintained by twice-daily devotions. When I first read of the bond, I thought it was a myth. I had never felt the kind of compulsion described in the texts when Darken Rahl gave me orders. Now I know why - you hold the bond. You are the Lady Rahl.”
Morgan was silent for a long moment as the implications of what Berdine was saying became clear. Suddenly a lot of things made more sense. “That's why the devotions affect me so powerfully,” she mused. “They are meant for me.”
Cara stared at her mistress in wonder as the pieces fell into place. This was why she hadn't been able to repel Morgan's magic, why she had inevitably succumbed. She hadn't been weak - she had been finally doing her duty as a Mord-Sith. Her eyes gleamed with vindication as she slowly knelt at Morgan's feet.
“Mistress Rahl, guide us,” Cara began, holding Morgan's gaze rather than pressing her forehead to the floor. Her voice held reverence, but it quickly grew thick with desire. “Mistress Rahl, teach us.”
Raina sank down to her knees as well, followed shortly by Berdine. “Mistress Rahl, protect us. In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”
Morgan's eyes slammed shut as she breathed in the surge of power flooding her body. By the time they reached the end of the second repetition, she was trembling with the force of the arousal pulsing through her veins. Forcing her eyes open, she held up a hand to stop the Mord-Sith from starting another round.
“Stand,” she directed, her voice rough with need.
Cara rose to her feet, her eyes smoldering as they stayed locked on Morgan's own. “How may I serve you, Mistress?”
“Remove your leathers,” Morgan said with a great deal of effort. Looking behind Cara, she directed her next words to Berdine and Raina. “Assist her.”
Neck-guard, corset, belt, agiel - they all collected in a pile on the floor, quickly joined by Cara's leathers and boots. Morgan's eyes raked appreciatively over Cara's golden skin, lingering at her breasts and between her legs, before her impatience got the better of her.
Morgan stepped in close, reaching for Cara's neck to pull her into a fervent kiss. She pressed herself tightly against Cara, and the movement jerked at the phallus between her legs as it was forced up between their abdomens. The base of it ground against Morgan's clit, and she moaned hungrily into Cara's mouth before tearing herself away.
“Get on the desk,” she ordered roughly.
Cara rushed to obey, striding over to the desk and pulling herself up onto it just in time for Morgan to press her thighs apart and thrust deep into her with the phallus. Cara groaned as Morgan filled her; they had done this before, but there was something different about it now, something intangible but there. Cara was not submitting to a fellow sister of the agiel, to an equal - she was serving her Lady Rahl.
Berdine and Raina shared a heated glance as Morgan began to fuck Cara in earnest. It had been a long time since they had indulged in anyone but each other; the situation at the People's Palace had been tense ever since Denna had let the Seeker slip through her fingers, which left little time for the more enjoyable aspects of sisterhood. Berdine quirked an eyebrow, a silent question clear in her expression. Her dark-eyed lover grinned hungrily in response.
Morgan grunted appreciatively as the buckles of Raina's belt dug sharply into her ass, and leather-sheathed hands slid up her sides, moving around to tease at her full breasts. Then Raina's touch fell away, sliding down Morgan's back to stroke her ass as Berdine stepped up next to them, reaching up to cup Morgan's jaw. Morgan turned to claim Berdine's mouth with her own, teeth and tongues colliding as Berdine reached up to tug at hardened nipples.
Morgan's rhythm faltered, but she never ceased her thrusts, her own fingers digging into Cara's hips as Raina's fingers slid down between the straps of the harness to sink knuckle deep into her sex. She lost herself in the steady back and forth - thrust hard into Cara, back against Raina's fingers, all the while arching into Berdine's hand at her breasts. The physical sensations coupled with the power she now recognized for what it was overwhelmed her, and she felt her release rapidly approaching.
Cara leaned back on her hands as she jerked her hips to meet Morgan's thrusts, her eyes hungrily devouring the sight of her mistress being so thoroughly pleasured. The red leather of Berdine's glove contrasted sharply with Morgan's pale breasts, mimicking the dark beauty of blood on skin. Cara moaned as Morgan thrust more forcefully into her; she knew Morgan was close, and the part of her mind that was not clouded by lust noted with interest that aside from the wanton sounds of sex, Morgan had not managed a single word since ordering her onto the desk.
She had learned quickly that Morgan was very talkative during sex; she'd grown to appreciate the gasped-out demands for loyalty, the grunted orders for more or harder. Now it seemed as though Morgan was so absorbed in the sensations racking her body that she couldn't form words, instead relying on the thread of power connecting her to each of her devoted Mord-Sith.
Cara felt that thread tug at her, and she grinned wildly as she thrust particularly hard against the phallus. She knew what it was that Morgan wanted, and she wanted nothing more than to give it to her. Swiftly, Cara slid the fingers of her right hand between her own legs, working in fast, hard circles to bring herself to the edge.
“Lady Rahl!” Cara cried out as she tumbled over, clenching around the hard length inside of her.
Crazed with lust as she was, Morgan didn't know what it was that finally triggered her climax - whether it was the base of the phallus grinding against her clit, Raina's fingers twisting inside of her, Berdine's tongue in her mouth or hand at her breast, or whether it was Cara's fervent cry that did it, hoarse and wanton and sincere. Whatever it was, the orgasm that resulted was more powerful than anything she had ever felt before; she tore her mouth from Berdine's and quickly released Cara's hips, scrambling to brace herself against the edge of the desk as her knees threatened to give out on her.
Berdine's hands moved to Morgan's hips, holding firm to steady her as Raina slowly slid her fingers free. When she managed to catch her breath, Morgan slid the phallus out of Cara, stumbling over to her cot and collapsing onto the edge of it.
Raina held her gloved fingers out to Berdine, still glistening with Morgan's arousal. Aware that Morgan was watching, Berdine smiled seductively, pulling the fingers into her mouth and methodically cleaning the leather of Morgan's taste. Raina's eyes darkened further at the familiar sensation, and she tugged Berdine in for an ardent kiss, sharing the flavor on Berdine's tongue.
Morgan hummed appreciatively, and the couple instantly separated, bowing their heads to Morgan. It had been all too easy to forget who Morgan was, and that her pleasure was their only priority, not their own.
“Don't stop on my account,” Morgan said with a chuckle. “You have both done well. You may tend to one another.”
They needed little more excuse than that; almost immediately, they were back in each other's arms, tongues clashing and hands grasping at buckles and laces.
Cara observed for a few moments, recalling fond memories of similar situations - only back then, it had been Dahlia with them, not Morgan, and there had been no concern over whose pleasure took priority. For a moment her expression hardened. Would Dahlia come around, when she found out who Morgan was? Cara knew that she was Morgan's favored pet, but she didn't think the woman would begrudge her a pet of her own. Was it naive to hope that the strength of the feelings they once shared would be enough to make Dahlia accept the truth of the situation?
Morgan caught her eye then, cheeks flushed with satisfaction and renewed arousal, and Cara slid off of the desk, banishing all thoughts of anything but pleasing her mistress - her Lady Rahl.
Chapter Eight
Note: Okay, so who saw that coming? I tried to keep it vague and ~mysterious, but I don't know if I totally failed or still managed to catch some of you by surprise :P
Author: TheDawn
Pairing: Cara/Morgan, Berdine/Raina, Cara/Morgan/Berdina/Raina
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Mass amounts of exposition. Oh, and also an orgy.
Word Count: 2292
Disclaimer: Neither Legend of the Seeker or Camelot are mine - but you'll never convince me that this didn't happen.
Summary: Morgan Pendragon's life was turned upside down when her mother was killed to make room for her father's new wife. When a mysterious Sister arrives from across the sea in D'Hara, she enters a world she never could have imagined - and was always meant to know.
Author's Notes: So, I really wasn't sure about this bit? But the idea was there, and I actually think it makes sense in the context of the story, so I did it. This is one of those bits that may seem gratuitous, though - fair warning;) Also, it's been ages since I've read the Sword of Truth books, so I'm hoping I managed to do Berdine and Raina justice. See Chapter One for full Author's Notes.
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Birthright - Part I (7/10)
The sight that greeted the two Mord-Sith when they arrived at Morgan's chambers was one neither would ever have expected to see: Mistress Cara, willingly on her knees for another Mord-Sith. Morgan had been stripped of her uniform, naked save for the leather harness slung over her hips, fitted with a long, thick phallus. Cara's gloved hands were braced against Morgan's bare hips as she took the phallus into her mouth, looking up at Morgan all the while with a more submissive expression than either of the newcomers had ever witnessed on her face - and they had known Cara for quite some time.
“Sorry for interrupting,” Berdine said as she and Raina stepped into the room. Her tone was anything but apologetic, and her blue eyes glittered with interest. Raina elbowed her in the ribs, shooting her a stern look, and Berdine swallowed her amusement, straightening her expression.
Morgan was not quite as amused; her head shot up, her eyes shifting from Cara's to pierce Berdine with a glare. “What are you doing here?” She asked, the desire in her voice tinged with irritation at being interrupted.
Berdine felt a tug in her chest, a foreign power invading her mind and compelling her to answer. She almost laughed. “You don't need to command me to speak,” she said with a smirk. “Ask Raina; you'll have a harder time getting me to stop.”
Her dark-haired companion nodded in confirmation, a wry smile touching her lips. She glanced over at Berdine, taking note of the triumphant glint in the woman's eyes. Raina knew that look - it was the one Berdine got whenever she was right about something.
Morgan eyed Berdine with interest; she had used her power on countless Mord-Sith, and never before had she seen one respond by looking almost happy about it. It caught her off-guard, and her hand loosened around the base of Cara's braid as she considered Berdine's reaction.
Cara released the phallus with a wet pop, turning to fix Berdine with an impatient glare. “Berdine,” she growled, with the slightest tilt of her head. “You didn't answer the question.”
“Lord Rahl ordered us to spy on you,” Berdine replied casually.
Rising to her feet, Cara positioned herself slightly in front of Morgan, her hand resting on her agiel.
Berdine ignored Raina's questioning look, too busy studying Morgan curiously. “You were taken from Britain, weren't you?”
Morgan's lips parted as she blinked in surprise. “How do you know that?”
“You could say it's my job to know things,” Berdine offered, smiling at the confirmation. “Most Mord-Sith serve in the temples, because that is where their skills are best utilized; my skills, however, serve Lord Rahl best in the area of research.”
“She pretty much lives in the library,” Raina clarified.
“And Lord Rahl instructed you to research me?” Morgan asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“In a manner of speaking,” Berdine replied. “His father, Panis Rahl, did a lot of business with Britain. Lord Rahl wanted me to look into what records there are of it - I assume to keep himself apprised of potential enemies.”
“Where does Morgan fit into this?” Cara asked, her gaze flicking between her mistress and the bookish Mord-Sith. She didn't think she'd be forced to defend Morgan, but she was still incredibly confused as to what was going on.
Excitement filled Berdine's voice. “Recently, I came across some old letters that refer to Panis Rahl's younger sister, Karena.”
“Karena was my mother's name,” Morgan interjected, her mind racing.
Berdine grinned. “I suspected as much. You see, Panis had no use for a sister - he was far more concerned with developing his own magical powers, and securing his hold over D'Hara. The letters I spoke of are correspondence between him and a warlord in Britain - who, as it happens, was on the lookout for a bride.”
A grim smile touched Morgan's lips. “Uther.”
“Uther Pendragon,” Berdine confirmed. “It was the perfect deal: Uther wanted a wife to bear him a son, and Panis wanted to ensure that he had no rivals for the throne of D'Hara. By sending Karena to Britain to marry Uther, Panis not only got what he wanted, but he also gained a powerful ally. Should the need arise to defend D'Hara with force, Uther's armies would be a formidable asset.”
Cara cocked her head as she processed the information. “So you're saying that Morgan is a Rahl.”
Berdine's smile widened. “I'm saying more than that,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement as she turned to address the woman in question. “From what I've seen and felt here, I'm almost certain that you possess the Rahl bond.”
Morgan's brow furrowed as she glanced at Cara, seeing her own confusion mirrored there. “What bond?”
“There are texts in the libraries of the People's Palace that speak of a magical bond that Lord Rahl possesses, that compels his subjects to obey him,” Berdine explained. “The bond is strengthened and maintained by twice-daily devotions. When I first read of the bond, I thought it was a myth. I had never felt the kind of compulsion described in the texts when Darken Rahl gave me orders. Now I know why - you hold the bond. You are the Lady Rahl.”
Morgan was silent for a long moment as the implications of what Berdine was saying became clear. Suddenly a lot of things made more sense. “That's why the devotions affect me so powerfully,” she mused. “They are meant for me.”
Cara stared at her mistress in wonder as the pieces fell into place. This was why she hadn't been able to repel Morgan's magic, why she had inevitably succumbed. She hadn't been weak - she had been finally doing her duty as a Mord-Sith. Her eyes gleamed with vindication as she slowly knelt at Morgan's feet.
“Mistress Rahl, guide us,” Cara began, holding Morgan's gaze rather than pressing her forehead to the floor. Her voice held reverence, but it quickly grew thick with desire. “Mistress Rahl, teach us.”
Raina sank down to her knees as well, followed shortly by Berdine. “Mistress Rahl, protect us. In your light we thrive. In your mercy we are sheltered. In your wisdom we are humbled. We live only to serve. Our lives are yours.”
Morgan's eyes slammed shut as she breathed in the surge of power flooding her body. By the time they reached the end of the second repetition, she was trembling with the force of the arousal pulsing through her veins. Forcing her eyes open, she held up a hand to stop the Mord-Sith from starting another round.
“Stand,” she directed, her voice rough with need.
Cara rose to her feet, her eyes smoldering as they stayed locked on Morgan's own. “How may I serve you, Mistress?”
“Remove your leathers,” Morgan said with a great deal of effort. Looking behind Cara, she directed her next words to Berdine and Raina. “Assist her.”
Neck-guard, corset, belt, agiel - they all collected in a pile on the floor, quickly joined by Cara's leathers and boots. Morgan's eyes raked appreciatively over Cara's golden skin, lingering at her breasts and between her legs, before her impatience got the better of her.
Morgan stepped in close, reaching for Cara's neck to pull her into a fervent kiss. She pressed herself tightly against Cara, and the movement jerked at the phallus between her legs as it was forced up between their abdomens. The base of it ground against Morgan's clit, and she moaned hungrily into Cara's mouth before tearing herself away.
“Get on the desk,” she ordered roughly.
Cara rushed to obey, striding over to the desk and pulling herself up onto it just in time for Morgan to press her thighs apart and thrust deep into her with the phallus. Cara groaned as Morgan filled her; they had done this before, but there was something different about it now, something intangible but there. Cara was not submitting to a fellow sister of the agiel, to an equal - she was serving her Lady Rahl.
Berdine and Raina shared a heated glance as Morgan began to fuck Cara in earnest. It had been a long time since they had indulged in anyone but each other; the situation at the People's Palace had been tense ever since Denna had let the Seeker slip through her fingers, which left little time for the more enjoyable aspects of sisterhood. Berdine quirked an eyebrow, a silent question clear in her expression. Her dark-eyed lover grinned hungrily in response.
Morgan grunted appreciatively as the buckles of Raina's belt dug sharply into her ass, and leather-sheathed hands slid up her sides, moving around to tease at her full breasts. Then Raina's touch fell away, sliding down Morgan's back to stroke her ass as Berdine stepped up next to them, reaching up to cup Morgan's jaw. Morgan turned to claim Berdine's mouth with her own, teeth and tongues colliding as Berdine reached up to tug at hardened nipples.
Morgan's rhythm faltered, but she never ceased her thrusts, her own fingers digging into Cara's hips as Raina's fingers slid down between the straps of the harness to sink knuckle deep into her sex. She lost herself in the steady back and forth - thrust hard into Cara, back against Raina's fingers, all the while arching into Berdine's hand at her breasts. The physical sensations coupled with the power she now recognized for what it was overwhelmed her, and she felt her release rapidly approaching.
Cara leaned back on her hands as she jerked her hips to meet Morgan's thrusts, her eyes hungrily devouring the sight of her mistress being so thoroughly pleasured. The red leather of Berdine's glove contrasted sharply with Morgan's pale breasts, mimicking the dark beauty of blood on skin. Cara moaned as Morgan thrust more forcefully into her; she knew Morgan was close, and the part of her mind that was not clouded by lust noted with interest that aside from the wanton sounds of sex, Morgan had not managed a single word since ordering her onto the desk.
She had learned quickly that Morgan was very talkative during sex; she'd grown to appreciate the gasped-out demands for loyalty, the grunted orders for more or harder. Now it seemed as though Morgan was so absorbed in the sensations racking her body that she couldn't form words, instead relying on the thread of power connecting her to each of her devoted Mord-Sith.
Cara felt that thread tug at her, and she grinned wildly as she thrust particularly hard against the phallus. She knew what it was that Morgan wanted, and she wanted nothing more than to give it to her. Swiftly, Cara slid the fingers of her right hand between her own legs, working in fast, hard circles to bring herself to the edge.
“Lady Rahl!” Cara cried out as she tumbled over, clenching around the hard length inside of her.
Crazed with lust as she was, Morgan didn't know what it was that finally triggered her climax - whether it was the base of the phallus grinding against her clit, Raina's fingers twisting inside of her, Berdine's tongue in her mouth or hand at her breast, or whether it was Cara's fervent cry that did it, hoarse and wanton and sincere. Whatever it was, the orgasm that resulted was more powerful than anything she had ever felt before; she tore her mouth from Berdine's and quickly released Cara's hips, scrambling to brace herself against the edge of the desk as her knees threatened to give out on her.
Berdine's hands moved to Morgan's hips, holding firm to steady her as Raina slowly slid her fingers free. When she managed to catch her breath, Morgan slid the phallus out of Cara, stumbling over to her cot and collapsing onto the edge of it.
Raina held her gloved fingers out to Berdine, still glistening with Morgan's arousal. Aware that Morgan was watching, Berdine smiled seductively, pulling the fingers into her mouth and methodically cleaning the leather of Morgan's taste. Raina's eyes darkened further at the familiar sensation, and she tugged Berdine in for an ardent kiss, sharing the flavor on Berdine's tongue.
Morgan hummed appreciatively, and the couple instantly separated, bowing their heads to Morgan. It had been all too easy to forget who Morgan was, and that her pleasure was their only priority, not their own.
“Don't stop on my account,” Morgan said with a chuckle. “You have both done well. You may tend to one another.”
They needed little more excuse than that; almost immediately, they were back in each other's arms, tongues clashing and hands grasping at buckles and laces.
Cara observed for a few moments, recalling fond memories of similar situations - only back then, it had been Dahlia with them, not Morgan, and there had been no concern over whose pleasure took priority. For a moment her expression hardened. Would Dahlia come around, when she found out who Morgan was? Cara knew that she was Morgan's favored pet, but she didn't think the woman would begrudge her a pet of her own. Was it naive to hope that the strength of the feelings they once shared would be enough to make Dahlia accept the truth of the situation?
Morgan caught her eye then, cheeks flushed with satisfaction and renewed arousal, and Cara slid off of the desk, banishing all thoughts of anything but pleasing her mistress - her Lady Rahl.
Chapter Eight
Note: Okay, so who saw that coming? I tried to keep it vague and ~mysterious, but I don't know if I totally failed or still managed to catch some of you by surprise :P