Woo! After months of not having my pretty eyes because the creator doesn't update anymore, I found a program to fix old, unupdated eyes! I'm so happy! I've missed them so much...
“How could you do it again!?” Seneca’s voice shot through the open window. Gloria could hear him even outside. She thought she would get some peace out here, but apparently she wasn’t far enough away from the house.
“I blocked you at the corner, you aren't supposed to be able to get me!” he continued to yell.
Meditating wasn't getting her anywhere. She couldn’t focus enough to feel anything with Seneca screeching like a banshee. She hadn’t been able to feel much of anything, but she thought for a moment two days ago that she had been able to feel a worm in the dirt for a second, but worms are so shifty to begin with that they weren’t easy to detect even before the equipment.
Standing up from her little stool, she brushed herself off and went to look at her little plants. They had only been here for four days, so her little plants weren’t more than little hopes. She took out her watering can and poured some water on them. “Grow, little buds, for the sun is shining. Bloom, little ones, for we wish to say hello.” she whispered softly over and over to herself. It was something that her mother had taught her as a small child, and later she would call her little bud once in a while. In that moment, Gloria missed her mom and hoped that she wasn’t worrying about her too much. Besides nearly dying, being beaten, and then nearly dying again, there was only so much grief a mother should have to know about, and Gloria hoped that she would never learn about any of it.
“Grow, little buds, for the sun is shining. Bloom, little ones, for we wish to say hello…” she mumbled.
Seneca slammed the door of the house as he left. He did this every time that Henry won a few matches of chess. “Perfect Henry…” he grumbled. He turned his attention to Gloria who was paying him no mind. He saw her lips moving and approached. “I hope you’re not enchanting the plants. How do they even grow on top of each other like that? Some sort of magic?” he jabbed.
“No, just water. When the plants on top don’t need the water I give them, the water falls to the next level. It uses less water this way.” Gloria answered plainly. Better to not make him suspicious or to provoke him, even if his presence wasn’t the most pleasant.
“And the words you were saying?” he asked. “You’re not poisoning them or- something, are you?” he asked.
“Why would I do that? I want to eat them too. I was simply encouraging them to grow. No magic included.” She said with a little smile.
He raised an eyebrow, and looked at the dirt that hadn’t sprouted much yet. “You’re wearing different clothes you didn’t have previously. Where did you get them?” he asked, skeptical.
“They were in storage. They were a bit big to start, but I altered them and made them fit.”
“That’s odd. I don’t recognise them. My mother wouldn’t be caught wearing them.” he said.
“Is your mother the only woman to have lived here in the past?” Gloria asked.
“She should be. Unless we had squatters.” he said.
“That’s probably the likely story. I must say though, I like having the range of motion again. And shorter skirts. Easier to do work.” She stretched.
Seneca’s nose turned a shade of red. “It’s rather indecent for a woman of your age to be wearing something like that. Only a child should be showing their legs at that length. I don’t see what’s wrong with wearing more appropriate clothing.” he said as he averted his eyes.
“Have you tried wearing stays, petticoats, boots, stockings, a chemise, a blouse, and an apron? It’s heavy, it’s hot, and I can’t touch the floor. Not good for gardening. Not the best for living, either, though the stays gave me wonderful back support.” she commented. “I’d like to see you try and wear a full outfit like that all day.”
“It’ll never, ever happen.” he emphasized. “I suppose that if a man can wear trousers, and there’s no one else around, then it doesn't matter much. It’s not like I didn’t pull you out of the river in your shift or anything. Gosh, that stuck to you like wet paper to flagstones.” he laughed, but Gloria also saw that he turned a deeper shade of red.
“If you would kindly try and forget that memory, that would be appreciated. Though I would like to once again thank you for saving my life twice. I would have been toast for sure if you hadn’t helped both times.”
“Despite my devilishly good looks, I’m no angel.” He wanted to say more, push her farther away and make her not like him. “I did it for purely selfish reasons.”
Gloria arched her eyebrow. “Oh? And what are those?”
He had to think quickly to cover his lie. “It’s not everyday I get to find the girl from my dreams jumping into a river. The figure of a woman jumping into a river in her night clothes made me quite… excited.” he let the last word roll out of his mouth to make her uncomfortable, but instead she stood her ground.
Her face hardened. “Well, that shouldn't be an issue now that you have another squeeze. I also know that you and Krista are quite, how to put it, entangled? How cramped was that carriage?” she asked.
She wasn’t sure at what point the conversation had become a fight, but she wasn’t going to lose to this freshly-not-a-virgin.
His face lost the color it had acquired. “That’s none of your business.” his mouth became a line. “But how did you know?”
“I- I woke up in the middle of the night, and I saw out the window. You two should be a bit more discrete, the carriage has wheels and springs. Quite a bit of bounce.” She tapped him on the shoulder as she walked past him. This island was big enough to practice her yoga somewhere else where she didn’t have to be in earshot of his whining and aggression.
The water here was cold and deep with a churning tide. It was no good for swimming, but Henry was able to catch some fish once in a while, which he cooked quite well. It was always a good dinner when there was fresh fish seasoned just right.
Gloria rolled out a towel to do her yoga on near the beach and as she got centered to start she heard footsteps coming nearer. She saw Henry coming with his fishing pole, and he seemed startled that she was there, as if he hadn’t been watching where he was going and only just noticed her.
She raised her eyebrow and he grimaced in embarrassment for a moment, then motioned that he would fish elsewhere. She rolled her eyes and went back to stretching her body. She hadn’t felt this free in a while, though the limit of her powers still felt odd. Could she do her stretches without her powers? She had never done them separately, but she didn’t see why her powers would affect her physical abilities.
She still felt like she was missing a part of herself. She used to use the exercises to channel her powers, but with them gone she felt like there was no use to do the exercise. She looked out at the water and wished to feel a sense of purpose. She knew that coming here was just a waiting game to keep her and Seneca safe, but did it have to feel so dull? Tomorrow she would search the storage again and see what she could find to entertain herself.
Evening rolled around and dinner was delicious. Henry had fried the fish to perfection and he had used some of the potatoes to make an appealing side. Gloria thought that she could hold onto Henry for her whole life if he cooked this good every night.
But then she thought of Blake. Her Blake. The Blake who was probably in prison somewhere and would be dead by the end of the month. And these people saw nothing wrong with that.
Seneca looked like his food had turned sour and he shoveled another mouthful of food in. Gloria finished up and stood to leave. It was late, and she was tired of a day of minimal activity. She would really need to find a way to spend her time more.
She walked up to her tiny room and got changed for bed, letting her hair down and getting into the cool cotton dress. She didn’t think it was originally meant for sleeping, but it was light and seemed a good mixture of the Islands and the Mainland; It was just scandalous enough to be from the islands, but decorated in a Mainland way.
She tried laying in bed, tried to stop thinking about Seneca and Blake and Henry. Why were there so many men? Where were all the women around here? Why did everyone want the ends to their own means and no one else's?
A book would be better company than her own thoughts. She set her feet on the cold floor and grabbed a lantern. There was a stack of books on the main floor that she could choose from, and she hoped that it wasn’t all political history.
The stairs creaked, but as the boys’ room was further away from them than hers, she hoped they wouldn’t be woken.
Though as she neared the bottom of the stairs, she found that she only needed to worry half the amount. Henry was sitting next to the fire with a book of his own, looking tired but content. He looked up at her, smiled a bit, then looked back at his book.
Gloria stood still for a moment, feeling like she was intruding. Gloria couldn’t really tell what book he was reading, the fire was casting light on the pages, not the cover. Was it a good one? What kind of books did he read?
She still wasn’t moving, and he looked up at her. “Did you need something?” he asked with a quiet, deep voice. It was tender, like the night four days ago when he told her to keep her head up. He had been kind to her, telling her that the whatever memories she had of her life on the Islands, they were real and her feelings then had been true, no matter the outcome. No matter the cost. A bittersweet assurement.
“I came down for a book. I can’t sleep.” she answered.
“There are a few good ones. I heard that you were reading like crazy when you were in… that room.” he called it. Because ‘cell’ had a connotation to it. Either he felt bad about her treatment, or he didn’t want her to associate him with it.
“Yeah, like one and a half each day. They were surprisingly good.” she smiled and approached him and the stack of books.
Seneca’s face came to her face and she realized she didn’t know what day in the lunar cycle they were in. It was cloudy on the Mainland more than it usually was on the Islands, making it hard to tell what she should expect.
“I- there’s something I want to talk to you about.” she addressed.
His eyes continued to scroll the page for a moment as he tilted his nose towards her. “Just a second…” he grabbed a scrap piece of paper and marked his page, then closed the book. “What’s on your mind?”
She sat down on the bench opposite him and exhaled. “I’m confused about Seneca. He doesn't make any sense. One conversation he can be repentant, emotional, sincere, and the next he acts like we’re enemies. He’ll be sensitive, then act like I’m a poisonous snake.”
Henry leaned back and looked at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts. “Seneca is unique in every way. He’s the heir to the throne, and he knows it. He has always known it. Since he could understand speech, his mother would walk around with him on her hip and say ‘My son, you are going to be king.’ His mother pushed him on it constantly.
“He was trained in everything but allowed to do nothing. We dueled, but I couldn’t use a sharp sword lest he be maimed. He was included in all of the politics, but not allowed to make any decisions. When he stood up for your life earlier this week, that was a rare occurrence. And to have the queen listen is even more of a surprise. She doesn’t relent once she’s set her mind, and you’ve seen how brutal she can be.”
He took a breath, and Gloria jumped in. “But the sudden change in attitude? He can be so… sharp. Abrasive.”
Henry rubbed his face, trying to erase the tiredness that had settled there. Gloria heard his stubble brush against his hands. He thought for four heartbeats, then tried his best to explain: “I always thought he was a selfish boy- until he jumped into that river to save you. He despises witches; the Church teaches that powers are unnatural and we’ve all been raised to respect the Church, so it’s no wonder he feels that way. But he saved you. Interrupting a trial is punishable, royalty or not, so he risked quite a bit by aiding you.
“And he continued, too. He bought you clothes, a comfortable bed, and while I know the equipment is uncomfortable and is restricting you, if you didn’t have it, people would be more afraid of you than they already are and you would be dead for sure.”
“I’d like to see them try…” she muttered.
“But he can’t care about you, or anyone that’s outside the resistance. He’s been lectured several times that attachment is leverageable, and so he doesn’t make bonds. He’s been taught to value his own life more than anyone else’s because he is the only one who could be king, he is the only one who matters.”
“But Lady Krista, he’s obviously entangled there. She’s his fiance.” Gloria observed.
“Lady Krista is one of the resistance’s prime allies. She isn’t that attached to Seneca, nor he to her. The queen and Krista keep it that way. It’s one of the reasons she only comes once a year. They figure that the two of them should have a relationship, but not have the emotions that come with it. Not yet.”
Gloria remembered why she actually woke up that night, laying on Seneca’s bed. As restricted as her powers were, she could feel the emotions from Seneca, emotions she hadn’t felt in a while, not since she was spending the night with Blake. Waking to those feelings, those urges, it felt like she was possessed and her feelings weren’t her own. Either that, or she had to stop sleeping in another man’s bed…
“Seneca, he’s different around you. Besides the possibility of Lady Krista, I didn’t think he would ever show kindness to anyone. You don’t need powers to do miracles, you’re breaking his armor.”
What does it matter? Blake is dead anyway. The thought popped into her head. You’ll never see him again.
“What’re you reading?” Gloria asked, trying to not let herself drown in the thoughts.
“The Man Who Slays Monsters, a rather straightforward title.” he raised his book as if it were a glass of fine wine.
“Would, would you read to me?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not very good for before bed, are you sure you want to hear it?”
“I want to get out of my head, and you have a nice voice.” she rested her head down on the bench.
“Very well.” he cracked open the book and the binding gave a satisfying crinkle that you get with old books with dry, well used spines.
A new chapter! This took longer to make myself write than I thought it would, but I think any progress is worth it. You may remember that back before Gloria came to the Mainland that I said I don’t like writing build up, and this is what I feel like this chunk of the story is. So I kinda have to wade through it. Gotta place the dominos before I can knock them all down.
As always, please comment if you feel the desire to, and stay healthy, happy, and inspired!
Bloopers!
I gave Gloria a cat, just because now that I'm in Brindleton Bay there are cats and dogs everywhere, and I figured a cat is less work than a dog. Hopefully. Her name is Taco, and she was adopted from one of the households that keeps spawning cats
Also, don't worry about shiny eyes anymore in the screenshots, some of them were taken before I figured out there was a way to update them and have them not be shiny. Oh, it feels so good to have my pretty eyes back again.
“I’m not going to be the one to tell him.” Rufus said as they walked through the capitol. “I may have been the one who went to get Blake from is posting, but the events after that are not going to get pinned on me.”
“Besides the fact that you’re the one who was charged with bringing him home?” Angus mentioned.
“And you two were just strolling in that part of the kingdom, were you? We were all tasked with bringing him home, and we’ve failed doubly.” Rufus whined.
“Blake chose to go on his own to find the heir, his choices are not our fault. We just need to get a boat to take us to the King’s island, and we’ll tell him everything we need to. If we don’t, he’ll start to wonder where we’ve gotten to. We’ve done nothing wrong.” Marco said, hoping it was true.
“Besides losing the heir to the templar. And she’s probably dead…” Angus muttered.
“That was not our fault!” Ruffus emphasised.
“Let’s get to the island, then we can start worrying.” Marco rolled his eyes,
~*~
“You’re sure we’re not lost?” Romeo asked. “I could swear I’ve seen that boulder before.”
“We’ve been walking straight, I think. Anwyn, what do you think?” Liam asked.
“Don’t ask me, you’re the one we’ve been following and can tell how far north we are by the angle of the shadows. I don’t know anything about directions.” she huffed, happy to not have to be wearing her disguise for the moment.
“The trees are too tall to be telling the directions. I wish we had a compass..” Liam said.
“I knew I was forgetting something when we left the Islands,” Romeo said with a smirk.
“We have to talk about something,” Anwyn addressed. Her face had become serious in the last few minutes. “What are we going to do once we get to the capitol?”
“We’ll go and kill the king, that’s what. Save Gloria, castrate Blake, kill the king.” Liam and Anwyn stared at Romeo with big eyes. “What, just me?”
“We’ll save Gloria, we know that for sure, but we can’t just kill the king. The place could be guarded to the teeth, it’ll be hard enough getting her out, much less splitting up and killing the king.” Liam said.
“How will we even get to the island? We’ll be seen approaching, and the closer we get to the capitol the more likely we’ll be recognized, disguised or not.” Anwyn said.
“You were already recognized, but Liam and I haven’t been. Maybe we should have you stay further outside of the capitol? At that nice inn we passed last week?” Romeo suggested half heartedly.
“We’re not splitting up!” Liam and Anwyn said to him in unison.
“Besides, what if Briella is walking around and recognises you? Or the Duchess? What then? You’ll be captured and questioned until the underworld freezes over.” Anwyn said while Liam blanched.
“So we enter the capitol, then what? How do we get to the island?” Romeo asked.
They thought for a second. “Do you think that Montoya is still the captain of the guard at the palace?” Anwyn asked.
“He would be old by now. He was already well into his forties when we knew him, and it’s been 18 years… He’d be… 64?” Liam said.
“He was pretty spry though, I think it’s a good chance. Unless the king figured out he helped aid us in our escape and didn’t try to stop us.” Romeo answered.
“Then we should send him a message. Now, if we’re as far away from the capitol as I think, we should be there in the next two days. We should think of what we want to say before we get there.”
~*~
Everstar had never seen Midshore this disturburbed.
“I can’t find her. I can’t find her. Why can’t I find her?” she kept muttering. “Something is coming... something is coming, and I... can’t tell her… I can’t find her... Where is she?”
Everstar touched her shoulder. “Midshore, what’s the matter? Please, tell me.”
Midshore acted as if she didn’t feel or hear her. “Where are you…” she asked.
“Midshore, you haven’t eaten in two days, you haven’t slept. The kids are starting to ask more questions…”
It had started two days ago. Midshore, who usually liked to meditate in the front yard, had furrowed her brow and went down to the ceremony room, adorning the priestess garb, and trying to meditate there to be closer to the spirits. She hadn’t said anything to Everstar as she did this, and she hadn’t come out of her meditation since.
Everstar knew that the spirits favored Midshore, and that Everstar wouldn’t ever have that sort of bond with them. Midshore was selfless in her faith; she would give everything for it, but Everstar wasn’t like that.
She was far more selfish.
She said a quiet prayer for forgiveness and shoved Midshore off balance, forcing her out of her trance.
She fell to the ground, sprawling out. “Why did you do that?!” she said, her voice rough from not drinking any water for the past two days.
“Why did I do that? Why did you do that? You’ve been meditating for the past two days, and you didn’t tell me anything before you did! Why did you do that?” she barked.
“It was two days?” She asked, looking confused. “It was that long?”
“Yes! Now what were you doing?” she asked.
Midshore straightened herself. “It’s Gloria. I can’t sense her anymore. It started- i guess two days ago. I’ve been able to feel her, and I’d check in on her every day or so, but when I went to try and sense her, I couldn’t find her. She was gone. That’s when I came down here.” she took a breath. “I contacted the spirits and started to look for her among the collective, fearing she had died, but I couldn't find her there. She was simply gone. And now, just recently, I feel a dark presence amassing and I can’t tell her that it’s coming. I can’t tell her her parents are coming, or that Blake is leading her to a trap. I can’t reach her!” Midshore cried.
“My love,” was all Everstar said as she wrapped her arms around her. “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”
~*~
Seneca was breathing heavily when he came out of the house, as if he were restraining from smashing something. Gloria eyed him suspiciously, but kept knitting. It was a skill she had learned some of as a kid, but she had let it go. However, knowing that if this is how cold the autumn is on the Mainland, the winters must be very cold. Thus, she was going to knit scarves and blankets. Anything that wasn’t very hard and could be square… Or at least that was the goal. Who knew how long she would be here.
“Can I ask?” she said to him.
He blew air out of his nose. “I lost again.” he stated.
“Mmmm.” Gloria said. “Maybe chess isn’t the game for you then. Have you played Don’t Wake the Tiger?”
“What’s a tiger?” he asked.
“It’s a really big cat that can eat a man. They have them a lot in jungles.” Gloria explained. She had learned about them when her mother had some refugees from the far south come and tell the class where they came from. However, looking at Seneca, she wasn't sure he even knew what a jungle was…
“It’s a game with a whole bunch of sticks, and there’s a little figurine at the top, usually in the shape of a tiger. The idea is to go around the table and draw sticks until the pile topples over and the figurine falls off of the stack, thus waking the tiger.” she continued.
“We have no tiger figurines.” he commented, as if he had nothing nice to say.
“We may not, but I found some wooden animals in storage, and I think those would work fine.” Gloria said.
“You found toy animals in storage! Those were mine!” he balked. “You don’t have a right to them.”
“Oh. They weren’t marked. Sorry if that was intrusive.” she answered.
“Just-” he took a short breath. “Just don’t keep looking around in storage.”
“Very well, but would you like to try the game? I guarantee you, it’s fun and based on skill, not too much on strategy. It’s more fun than chess by any means.”
He thought for a moment. “If it’s better than chess, I’d be willing to play anything. What do we need to play?”
“We need sticks, preferably straight, and all roughly the same size. And a figurine for the top.”
“Then I guess I’m helping you find sticks.”
After about an hour in the small woods they had on the island, they were able to find enough sticks to play the game.
“Now all we need is a figurine.” Gloria finished.
Seneca pulled a Llama out of his pocket. “I guess we’re playing Don’t Wake the Llama.” he said.
~*~
“I don’t want to harm anyone, but I do need to know some information, and I’m not leaving until I acquire it. The faster I know what I want to know, the sooner I’ll be moving on.” he said.
The woman shook in her chair. “I don’t know anything, I swear it!”
“There is some sort of Compound. People must know about it, and if you don’t, then tell me who does. Your answer could cost you or save your life.” he paused. “Speak!”
“I’ve only heard rumors of a Compound,” she shrunk away from him as far as she could. “I didn’t ask any questions, it’s not polite.”
“What did they say about it?” he pushed.
“They- they usually say they’re coming from the south, but that’s all I know. They talk about a woman, but never by name or title. Just whispers of a ‘she’ and ‘her’. I swear to you that’s all I know!”
Blake paced. “How long have you heard these whispers?” he asked. If it was recently, it could be a sign of Gloria’s survival, but if rumors had reached this far then she was in more danger than ever. Blake could name several people who would want her in their custody or dead. The king wasn’t popular with everyone.
“Oh, years now, lad. I can’t remember when I first started hearing about ‘her’.” the woman said.
“Years? There’s been a secret Compound in the south for years and I’m just now hearing about it?” he leaned in.
“Here in the south, the king’s rule stretches thin. The Church has a stronger hold- I would guess the Compound is being protected by the Church. But that’s only what I theorize, don’t take it as truth.” she offered.
“I know the further you get from the capitol, the… looser… the rule seems to get, but let me assure you that there’s nothing loose about his grip. As soon as I get back to the capitol, I’ll be sure to tell him how things have been slipping around here. But if you want me to leave, I need you to tell me how to get to my target. How,” he turned to face the woman, “do I reach the Compound?”
~*~
As the moon rose over the horizon, Seneca sighed as he saw it in its entirety. After the transition to being in hiding, he had nearly forgotten where the moon was in its cycle, but the moon didn’t. Tonight he would sleep, and tomorrow he would wake up in agony.
He entered the house where Gloria was knitting by the fire and Henry was reading out loud. The two of them eyed him, but kept on with their activities. Gloria kept her eyes on her knitting, and Seneca raised his hand in hopes to get Henry’s attention.
He noticed and nodded. “‘And as he drew out his blade from the creature, he let out a breath of exhaustion.’” He put the scrap of paper in the book to hold his place. “I think Seneca wants to talk to me about something, I’ll be right back.” he put the book on the table and stood to follow Seneca out of the front door.
“What is it?” he asked him.
“It’s the full moon tonight. I’ll be sick tomorrow. I figured you should know ahead of time.” Seneca told him, looking a bit jittery.
“I know, I‘ve set water aside for you, and I’ll be sleeping on the bench tonight. Am I missing anything?” he asked.
Seneca looked at him, surprised. “No, water is just about the only thing I can handle in the morning.”
He eyed the moon, something that he was always on guard from. This time he knew that Gloria was a real person, that he didn’t have to think of her as a magical being. He may not even see her in his dreams tonight if she was wearing the equipment. It was unprecedented.
“Good luck, my friend.” Henry said as he turned to go back into the house.
I need to use my wider cast more often! Look at all the plot I can dig up when I do!
And look at that, It's 11:40 at night again !
I took a few blooper pictures, so please enjoy!
I'm heavily thinking of making this my profile picture. My baby knitting. I love knitting irl.
It started snowing! So pretty.
I thought this was just a nice picture.
The kitchen gets pretty close.
Fun story, this woodsy scene is brought to you by the island of Brindleton Bay, so Liam and Anwyn got to visit their daughter. I like how nice this picture is, a daughter looking at her father.
I had to age up Midshore and Everstar's babies, so now they have a child son and a toddler daughter, but being spellcasters makes them have the possibility of special eyes.
I aged them up in cas, so they lost their special eyes, but I intend to apply them if possible when they get older. May or may not be possible? It's not important.
Get yourself a partner that looks at you the way Everstar looks at Midshore .
I like how Romeo just casually mentions doing "it" to Blake
And something dark is coming. I wonder if it's more supernatural...or political in nature?
It also seems like something special happens to Seneca during a full moon. I suppose it follows naturally from Gloria seeing him in her dreams, but I think this was the first time it was explicitly addressed
Everstar and Midshore 🥰
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
@icmnfrsh I can't remember the exact chapter number, but before Gloria left the Islands and we were getting to know our cast, Seneca wakes up feeling awful and sick. I'm going to look up the chapter number...
Liam stretched his arm out while laying in bed, feeling for Anwyn . He turned and noticed she wasn’t where he thought she should be, so he opened his eyes to see her silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed.
“What’s bothering you?” he asked. He thought of the countless nights he had sat up in bed reliving the agony he had been through at the mercy of the King, and she had helped calm him and call his mind to reason. She was always so strong for him, he was ready to return the favor if need be.
“We shouldn't have done that.” she whispered.
Liam drew his eyebrows together. “Done what?” he asked.
“That. It.” she empathised.
“Anwyn, we’ve been married for 18 years, I think we can talk candidly about our love life.” he chuckled a bit.
“We shouldn’t have done it. What if I get pregnant? We can’t have a baby now, while we’re on the road. And if I did bear a child, what would we do? We can’t spare the time to go all the way back to the coast to get on a boat, sail the week to get to the Islands, and then hope we’re not arrested and detained when we get there. It’s just not... We shouldn’t have done that.” she said.
Liam got up from the bed, exhaled, and walked over to her side of the bed. The floor squeaked with every shift of his weight as he walked, and the floor gave a particular shudder as he sat down on the bed. It was the cheapest two rooms they could rent until they heard from Montoya, so they didn’t expect anything less.
“Annie, I’m sorry. We should have thought of that before we got ahead of ourselves, but we hadn’t, and now we know that we won’t again. Not until we get home and are safe. And we don’t have to worry about our neighbors hearing our… activities.” he said it quietly, not wanting to possibly bother whoever shared the walls anymore than they already had, but it was said with a smirk.
Anwyn took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. “But what if it’s already too late? There was one time- I got lucky once, in not bearing a child, but I don’t know if that luck will work this time.”
She had never breathed a word of her and Romeo’s affair to anyone before. She desperately didn’t want Liam to pull on that thread, to leave it alone and think of the looming possibility of pregnancy instead of her infidelity.
She felt his hands go still and heard his breathing go shallow. “Weh-” he started. “We’ll handle that if it happens. I promise.” in the dark, he squeezed her hands and kissed the top of her head. He picked up his feet and rolled to the other side of the bed, crawling back under the covers.
Anwyn breathed a sigh of relief, shaking from the chill and from her nerves. She nestled into the sheets as well, closing her eyes to the decrepit room.
“Annie,” Liam’s voice came very gently, and without anger. “When did you want to miss a pregnancy?”
She bit her chapped lip. “Before I knew you were alive. I never loved anyone else after that, it hurt too much.” she whispered.
“I love you.” he said, as he pulled her closer. “I will never not love you.”
“Through this life to the next,” she said, closing her eyes and worrying a bit less.
~*~
Seneca opened his eyes to the relentless sight of the greenhouse. He always woke up in the same spot. The air was a comfy warm with a noticeable humidity, but it felt like a breath of summer air, or stepping into a well watered greenhouse.
Swinging his legs out of the bed, he noticed he was wearing different clothes than he normally wore. Since he had started growing facial hair, he had always worn the same clothes, so a change was nice. The jacket was a fashionable grey with odd glittering fibers at the bottom. It reminded him of the dress that Gloria wore that was threaded through with glittering silver, and he wondered if she was here or if the equipment prohibited it.
Oddly, he was almost happy to be back here if only for the temperature. He liked the different seasons that his portion of the world had, but the settling cold was always a shock. The warmth here was… delightful.
It was quiet, as it always was. He started to walk around the area, seeing the unchanging rocks, trees, and flowers. If he picked one of the flowers now, it would be fully regrown and identical the next time he was here. He picked a flower just in case he saw Gloria.
Why? he thought to himself. Why do I want to give her a flower?
His pause of self reflection was interrupted by the playing of an instrument, and he felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he had been looking forward to having the space all to himself, but he was also overwhelmingly happy that Gloria had found her box and could play more music. He hadn’t heard anything as beautiful as it in the three years since he had seen her last.
First she played the individual strings, seeing if they were in tune, then she started to produce more melodic notes. They were sad, played in long phrases, as if mourning something long lost.
He followed the sound and blushed. The bodice of her dress was practically sheer with only embroidery to cover her. He quickly turned his back.
She laughed, finished the song, ending on a bright note, and setting the instrument down.
“What is it now?” she pondered.
“Your dress, it’s most immodest.”
“And the last one wasn’t? I had a bare waist the last time and a much deeper neckline. At least this time I have sleeves so you won’t see my scandalous arms!” she teased. “Truly, though, I am fully clothed, you don’t need to worry about seeing something you shouldn’t.”
Seneca turned around, trying to keep his eyes up and not let them drift. He looked at the ground instead.
“What was that song you were playing? I haven’t heard anything like it.” he asked.
“It’s called ‘Hymn to the Sea’. I learned it back on the Islands; it’s a requiem for all the refugees who don’t make it to the Islands.” Gloria explained.
“It’s beautiful. I hope you get back there one day.” he said honestly. “You have no part in this, none of this is your fault. It’s a pity you have to bear the weight of a crime you haven’t committed. But one day, when we’re in control of the capitol, you’ll be able to go home.”
He looked her over. “You don’t have the bracelet and necklace here. Do you know if you can do magic?”
“I had noticed that too, but I haven’t tried.” she took a breath. “Do you want to see me light something on fire?” she asked.
“You can do that?” Seneca’s eyes grew wide.
“Yes.” she smiled. “Those weren’t empty threats when I said I would burn you all to the ground, I can start fires. It’s rather easy for me, actually.”
“Then yes!” he was a bit more giddy than he should have been at the thought of spontaneous fire, but he wasn’t worried about what emotions he was showing now.
Gloria held out her hand and rolled her wrist. Sparks fizzed and a few yards away a fire blazed to life.
“That’s amazing! I’ve heard some witches can light candles with concentration, but a blazing fire, that’s real skill!” he marveled.
“I can teleport, clean messes, and a handful of other things. I have a few spells that can sway the moods of people too.” she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
Seneca held his stomach. He wasn’t always sick when he dreamt, but every so often shooting pains would emanate from his stomach.
Gloria flinched as he did. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, concerned.
“It’s nothing, it’ll pass in a moment.” he waved her off, breathing as some color drained from his face. Another wave of pain came and Gloria recoiled as well.
“Let me help you,” she offered. She held up her hand to charm him, and after a few motions he felt a warm fuzz come over him and he felt better.
“What did you do?” he asked her, incredulous that she had helped him.
“I gave you a healing charm. It’ll aid in fixing what ails you, though I don’t know what’s wrong.” her brows knit together.
“I remember once, years ago, you did the same thing. But no matter what you do now, you still don’t want to see me in the morning.” he said
“Why, are you a monster? Do you grow huge wings and a beak and screech like a monkey?” she asked.
Seneca laid down on the ground, looking up at the swirling sky. “No,” he exhaled. “I’m ill every morning after I dream of this place. I become nauseous, fevered, I can’t hold any food down, and it hurts to move. It lasts most of the day, and no one thought that I was telling the truth for years. Now I know that you’re real, and somehow that makes me feel like my illness is real too.”
Gloria looked down at him for a moment, then joined him. “I feel like Henry would believe you.” she said.
“Henry would believe anything. He once believed me that I had tamed a goose for his birthday because I told him I had.” he chuckled.
“You lied to him? That’s not very nice. He was probably hurt.” Gloria said, sympathising.
“Yeah, but you should have seen his face.” he grinned. Gloria looked over at him with a disapproving look. “But yeah- that was probably a mean thing to do.”
“So you’ve really gotten to know Henry, haven’t you?” he continued.
“We get along ok. He reads very well, and his choice in books is good, but he doesn't talk much. He doesn’t ask many questions-”
“Unlike you-” Seneca cut in.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s nice company, and that’s nice to have when there aren’t many people around, but I can’t say he’s the most intriguing person I’ve ever met.”
They gazed up at the sky for a few breaths, relaxed.
“Who would you say is the most intriguing person you’ve met?” he asked passively.
She thought for a minute, and he could hear her shoulder brush against the ground as she shrugged. “That’s a tough question.” she said. “I’ve met so many interesting people, very few of them are dull. Everyone on the Islands has a story, a life, a culture. I suppose Midshore is one of the most intriguing people I’ve met, but I’ve known her since I was small. I think she was there when I was born.’ she added. “There are so many different types of people at the islands, but when Blake came, I felt he was different. He was smart, kind, desperate to change who he had been.”
She rolled her head over to face him. “But I’ve got to say, the most intriguing person I’ve met is you. The mystery boy.”
Seneca felt like he was starting to wake up and the world started to fade away as he lifted his hand to reach for hers. He woke up to the cold room of the cabin, letting out a whimper of agony. He had almost been there. Almost been close enough to feel wanted.
~*~
Gloria paced outside on the landing, trying to make up her mind. She couldn’t help Seneca if she had the equipment on, but the queen had been clear that she was to never take it off. But then, who was to know if she did?
She heard a groan from inside the room and that made up her mind. She walked down the stairs and saw Henry sleeping on the bench. Swiftly walking over to him, she nudged his shoulder. “Henry, Henry, I need your help.”
He opened his eyes groggily. “Gloria, what time is it?” he asked.
“Shortly after dawn. Henry, I need you to take the equipment off of me.” she said directly.
He eyed her suspiciously. “The queen specifically said not to do that. Why all of the sudden do you want it off?”
“I can help Seneca. But I can’t do it with this on.” she gestured to the bracelet. “I need it to come off.”
He narrowed his eyes further. “You can help Seneca? No one can help Seneca. He’s always like this.”
“I can.” she said through gritted teeth. “Now please, help me take it off. I promise not to burn the house to the ground.”
He took her hand in his and gently took off the bracelet and attached rings, and then untied the complicated knot on the back of her neck where the necklace was secured. She rolled her head, enjoying the feeling of not having the leather and metal on her neck, and then walked up the stairs. She knocked on the door, then turned the knob.
The mass in the bed that shifted slightly. “I don’t need anything, Henry. Please, Leave me alone.” he choked on the last word.
Gloria walked around to him without hesitation, muttering to herself as she did, conjuring sparks. “Silly boy, I’m a bit more refreshing than a glass of water in this matter.”
She swirled her hands, forming light, and casting the light over him.
His short, shuddering breaths were traded for deep, relaxed ones. He smiled for a moment, then sat up in the bed.
“Why did you do that?” he asked. “You didn’t have to.”
“I don’t like seeing people in pain.” she said. “We’ll have breakfast soon.”
She turned her head as she left the room, afraid that if she said anymore she would say something else. She felt his relief, his reserved gratitude. His admiration.
Ah! Another chapter! The day before Halloween, was there enough magic for you? No? Me either, I want more!
I got a really nice picture of Anwyn and Gloria. What's awesome is that I didn't edit Gloria hardly at all, she was born in game like this. Same with Seneca. I got REALLY lucky.
Sorry, no chapter today, but I am writing one now.
I've been thinking. It's been a while since I played sims as sims, and I really want to do a bachelor/ette challenge eventually, and I think the next generation will be the generation I use for that. Once this story wraps up (which may be quite a while, I have no idea), I'd like to play a challenge.
But here's the fun twist: the contestants would be developed sims from your own games/stories. Most challenges start off with sims with no skills or age, but what if they did? There would be a max amount of skill points you could have, like 15 or something. Their job would carry over, their skills, maybe their celebrity status.
Well, I'll be following along either way. It's fun!
It's also crazy to think that your Selection (or was it Bachelorette?) was over a year ago, and that this story has been running since. We've come so far, and I'm glad you're still continuing it.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
It took me entirely too long to realize that the hazard tape from Get Famous is an actual barrier and not just a line. Why didn't I know this until now! It would have helped contain my sims so much more! Game changer.
Angus, Marco, and Rufus stood in the king’s office. It hadn’t changed much over the years, but there was another portrait of the king and queen Anwyn and the king. It was a replica of the one painted from when they got married.
The king then had dark hair streaked with grey, now he had grey hair and more lines in his face, but the same unsmiling face.
“Sir, we have news.” Marcus said. They had decided that he spoke the best and would be able to make it sound the best. There was a lot to say, and some of it wasn’t in their best interest.
“I’d hope so, I sent the three of you out to get Lucian back from his posting. Where is he? Why is he not with you?” the king said gruffly.
Rufus stepped forward. “I went to get Lucian from the Islands, as assigned. I found him, told him that it was time for him to come home, and he told me that he had found his target. My grace, he found your heir.”
The king’s eyes lit up. “Where is my child? What about my queen? Is she alive?” he asked in quick succession.
“Your heir is a young woman now, in love with Lucian. He almost didn’t convince her to leave the islands, and she couldn’t bring her whole family. The queen has had three other children, sire.” Marco said. “Lucian, your heir, Gloria, and Rufus left the islands and sailed for our shore. That’s where Angus and I met them.”
“Yes, but where are they!?” interrupted the king.
“They landed in the south, which is under Templar occupation. We were set upon by Templars in the night and- they took your heir and threw her into a river, drowning her.” Marco decided it was best if he didn’t say now that the heir was a witch.
“They will pay for this!” the king pounded on the desk. “But what of Lucian?”
“We were captured by the Templars as well, but we managed to escape. We overheard that there was news of the heir being alive, but being held at a compound. The templars were not forthcoming on where the compound was located, and Lucian slew them all. He decided to depart from us and find where she is, and rescue her.”
The king leaned back in his chair. “My queen is alive. My heir is alive. We are saved. But why did you all come here? Surely only one of you was necessary to come and tell me?”
They looked at each other. “Uh, Lucian told us we would slow him down. So he sent all of us to go ahead.” Angus said.
“Sounds like my boy.” the king smiled.
~*~
Montoya, now going grey, looked at the letter on his desk. It had been a very different 18 years since Anwyn, Romeo, and Liam had left the palace and while he was happy to hear from them, he had hoped he would never have to hear from them again.
They wanted to know how to get to the palace without being seen or detected. He would have to think about it for a while as there wasn’t an obvious answer to their problem.
The thing was, they would be recognized immediately and turned in if anyone else but him took them to the island. They couldn’t have changed that much in 18 years to not be recognized, and if they arrived to save their daughter security would be even higher than it was before. They would have to arrive on the island before the princess, otherwise the king would reject any extra people on the island.
They could stay in one of the staff houses. There was an empty one down a ways from the palace, and the king never went to visit them. He hardly went outside. Montoya could say that they were family insisting on coming to visit him. He could start talking about them now, build up character, then have them arrive. He could even keep the boat at the island for them to leave when the princess arrived.
Or, if they were caught, Liam and Romeo would be killed in front of the princess and Anwyn, the queen would have to live with the king for the rest of her life, and her child would have to rule the kingdom and marry Lucian Blake.
There had always been something a bit off about him. He was willing to do anything asked of him, no matter how… brutal. How a child of the loving Anwyn and Liam could have trusted him was beyond Montoya’s understanding, and he didn’t have all of the information to make a judgment on it.
~*~
Gloria shivered as she put her feet into her slippers. It was freezing now, and she wrapped herself in a thick sweater. She would have to go around her room and make sure that it wasn’t leaking heat rather soon. Even with the ability to make fire at will, she still couldn’t keep the place warm.
She shuffled down the stairs where Seneca for once was in the kitchen making breakfast. Henry wasn’t far away, making sure he could assist if he had to, and Seneca was grumbling to himself about things burning, but he gave Gloria a weak smile when she walked past.
She hurried to sit over by the fire, adding a few more sparks to the blaze to get it to burn hotter.
“Good morning, Gloria. How’d you sleep?” Henry asked. He asked this most mornings, and it was an easy way to start conversation.
“I slept fine, but waking up I was freezing! My toes went numb sometime last night. I need to add more stuffing to the cracks and windows. Light more candles, that sort of thing.” she shivered even as her face started to feel a bit tighter from the heat. She sat back a bit from the flames.
“Our candle supply is running a bit low, no matter how many you make out in the yard. I think I’ll have to make a supply trip. Get more spices, some more food, and definitely more candles.” he smiled. “I’m thinking I’ll leave tonight and be back later this week.”
“Leaving so soon?” Gloria asked. “I wasn’t aware we could leave.”
“He’s been thinking about this.” Seneca interrupted from the kitchen. “And it’s not like we sunk the boat, it’s just sitting out on the dock. We’re here for safety. But Henry isn’t in any danger, so he can leave.”
“You’ll hardly miss me, I’m sure. And I can let the queen know that we're all still alive and doing well. Making friends, even.” he smiled in Seneca’s direction.
“No, don’t do that. She’ll be- you know how my mother will be-” he stammered.
“Relax, it was a joke. If she asks about the two of you, I’ll say you’ve hardly spoken to each other. I doubt she’ll question that.”
Seneca rolled his eyes and focused on not burning the food further.
As Henry left that night, Gloria and Seneca looked out over the water to the mainland. It had been two weeks since the full moon, so there was no chance they would be having shared dreams tonight.
It was unseasonably warm, and the stars shone beautifully. It had been a while since she had stopped to look at them, so she found a grassy spot and laid down.
“The moon settles… in a dusty sky…. The gentle eyes of the north star rest upon your sleeping face.” she quietly sang to herself.
Seneca walked over to her. “Why is it that I’m always asking you to tell me what you’re up to?” he asked with a grin.
“It’s a song my mother sang to me as a girl.” she smiled. “It’s about a child not being from this earth but instead from the stars.” she rolled her head to him. “It always gave me great comfort.”
“Another song about a refugee?” he asked as he settled onto the ground. The sky wasn’t as dizzying as it was in dreams, but looking up into the dark and unknown scared him.
“It’s not about refugees.” she paused, “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” she said.
“We’ve got time if you want to enlighten me. I have nowhere to be.” he said snidely but interested.
“The king isn’t my real father.” she started.
“I know that.” he replied bluntly.
“But what you don’t know is that my mother was shot as she was fleeing from the king’s men and died on the way to the Islands.” Gloria said as Seneca eyed her suspiciously. “She was pregnant with me at the time, but we arrived at the Islands and were restored by a priestess and her wife. I have been special since birth, and there’s never been an explanation as to why. So I am my mother’s ‘celestial child’ she’s always afraid will leave her and rejoin the stars.” She waved her hands at the sky dramatically. “I even had a prophecy told when I was born.”
“Really?” he asked, intrigued. “Do you remember what it is?”
“I wasn’t even told about it, I found it while looking for a book one day. I must have been fifteen at the time or so, I think I had just met Blake a few months prior.
“It goes: There will come a soldier, who carries a mighty sword. He will tear down your doors but you will be happy when he comes.
There will come a poet, whose weapon is his word. He will slay you with his tongue, a trickster to be sure.
There will come a ruler whose brow is laid with thorns. He will be your rival and greatest danger in this world. I assume that the soldier is my father, who joined us at the Islands. He was a guard in the King’s Palace, so soldier isn’t that far off. But I don’t know who the poet and ruler are. The ruler can’t be the king, he’s hardly my rival.”
Seneca picked pebbles off the ground and threw them towards his feet. “Lucian Blake is a smooth talker, from what I’ve heard. Krista has met him on a few occasions, years ago. She said his eyes were like those of a shark, cold and unshifting, but that he had a silver tongue. Maybe he’s your poet. He’s certainly tricked you.”
“Blake didn’t trick me, I loved him.” Gloria said softly. “I loved him without thought.”
A shooting star caught them both by surprise, streaking fast and beautiful across the sky like a distant spark, but then they lay in silence.
“I haven’t been loved by anyone.” Seneca said quietly.
“That can’t be true.” Gloria assured half heartedly. She had seen the people he lived with, how they used him for his bloodline but didn’t care about him otherwise.
“It is. No one has ever loved me. Henry gets along with me, my mother treats me like an ornament, a key to be kept behind glass that can’t be used until the crucial moment. Barnabus has always been hard to me, and his wife is too busy to care for me. I barely know anyone else. Krista hardly knows me, she can’t truly love me, but she wants me to share her bed. And I can’t stop myself.”
Gloria reached out for his hand, trying to calm him down. He pushed it away, continuing. “I want to please everyone, but I don’t want to be their puppet. I want to love, but I can't get attached. I want to feel wanted, but no one wants me, and as soon as Krista does I fall over myself trying to make her happy.
“So when I met you in my dreams, I had a new outlet. Someone to build an entirely new personality around and I blew it! I tangled you into my reality and you’re caught in my mother’s strings like the rest of her puppets. She says I was born to rule the kingdom, what kingdom? Welcome to my empire of dirt, Gloria! There’s nothing here to be proud of.” he voice caught.
Gloria took his hand and stood up, pulling him up with her and wrapping him in a tight hug. His breathing was uneven and his eyes were turning a bit pink. “Seneca, my mystery boy, you are worth loving. You are more than your mother gives you credit for. You are more than Barnabus can shape, and you are no less than Henry.”
He stayed in her embrace for a while. He couldn't recall ever feeling this supported. The warmth he felt from her not only physically but emotionally was immense. He leaned against her, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“You’re the most enchanting person I’ve ever met, Gloria. Thank you.” he said into her shoulder, pulling away. “I’m going to make dinner, I’m hungry.”
“We already ate dinner.” she said, confused.
“But I’m hungry.” he responded.
“Well let me cook, you’re awful at it!” she said, jogging to the door.
“Not if I get there first!” Seneca shot off running towards the door, laughing.
Who wants some Bloopers?!
I hadn't visited the Palace for a while, and with the sun coming through the window, this shot was just asking to be taken.
I didn't know that there were northern lights! I don't know if this is a island specific thing, but I had never noticed it before!
A pretty 'through the window' shot.
We have a cabin full of beds, a bench, all the luxury of glamping, and you choose to take a nap on a piece of tree? You wild child.
A picture of Gloria and taco. Taco is appropriately dressed in a taco costume.
Seneca could be her greatest rival. Or maybe it's a character who has yet to be introduced, but I feel like it would be too late to introduce someone so significant to this arc.
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Also, Gloria must be that naive if after all this time she still thinks Blake is whom he says he is. Doesn't it tip her off that people refer to him by a name that he never told her about at all on the islands?
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Also, Gloria must be that naive if after all this time she still thinks Blake is whom he says he is. Doesn't it tip her off that people refer to him by a name that he never told her about at all on the islands?
Gloria is very naive. Her parents never told her what happened on the Mainland, or about the king, or even about her own prophecy. She had no reason not to trust Blake, and when people tell you something bad about someone you love you don't want to believe it.
And Blake did tell her his name was Blake, but not the Lucian part. He goes by his last name most of the time. Kinda like when you have three Jacob's in your grade at school and you make up names for each of them so that you can tell them apart in conversation and you call one of them by their last name but you can't do that in front of Jacob's parents because then it's weird? It's like that. Rufus, Marco, and Angus only use his first name because the king does.
Also, Gloria must be that naive if after all this time she still thinks Blake is whom he says he is. Doesn't it tip her off that people refer to him by a name that he never told her about at all on the islands?
Gloria is very naive. Her parents never told her what happened on the Mainland, or about the king, or even about her own prophecy. She had no reason not to trust Blake, and when people tell you something bad about someone you love you don't want to believe it.
And Blake did tell her his name was Blake, but not the Lucian part. He goes by his last name most of the time. Kinda like when you have three Jacob's in your grade at school and you make up names for each of them so that you can tell them apart in conversation and you call one of them by their last name but you can't do that in front of Jacob's parents because then it's weird? It's like that. Rufus, Marco, and Angus only use his first name because the king does.
When people refer to him as Lucian, which is a name he never told Gloria about, it kind of gives off this feeling of living a double life.
I suppose he could've excused it by saying that he was distancing himself from his past, but why use Blake and hide Lucian? I guess it's true that when you're wearing rose-colored glasses, the red flags only look like flags. I think she's in for a very harsh lesson on trust
Don't manhandle the urchin. He's not for sale. FIND YOUR OWN! - Xenon the Antiquarian, Dragon Age II
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Comments
Here's the link for anyone interested: https://modthesims.info/d/643164/ts4-default-replacement-fixer-v2-2-8-4-2020-fixes-default-eyes-eyebrows-and-makeup-broken-by-the-june-3-patch.html
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 49
“I blocked you at the corner, you aren't supposed to be able to get me!” he continued to yell.
Meditating wasn't getting her anywhere. She couldn’t focus enough to feel anything with Seneca screeching like a banshee. She hadn’t been able to feel much of anything, but she thought for a moment two days ago that she had been able to feel a worm in the dirt for a second, but worms are so shifty to begin with that they weren’t easy to detect even before the equipment.
Standing up from her little stool, she brushed herself off and went to look at her little plants. They had only been here for four days, so her little plants weren’t more than little hopes. She took out her watering can and poured some water on them. “Grow, little buds, for the sun is shining. Bloom, little ones, for we wish to say hello.” she whispered softly over and over to herself. It was something that her mother had taught her as a small child, and later she would call her little bud once in a while. In that moment, Gloria missed her mom and hoped that she wasn’t worrying about her too much. Besides nearly dying, being beaten, and then nearly dying again, there was only so much grief a mother should have to know about, and Gloria hoped that she would never learn about any of it.
“Grow, little buds, for the sun is shining. Bloom, little ones, for we wish to say hello…” she mumbled.
Seneca slammed the door of the house as he left. He did this every time that Henry won a few matches of chess. “Perfect Henry…” he grumbled. He turned his attention to Gloria who was paying him no mind. He saw her lips moving and approached. “I hope you’re not enchanting the plants. How do they even grow on top of each other like that? Some sort of magic?” he jabbed.
“No, just water. When the plants on top don’t need the water I give them, the water falls to the next level. It uses less water this way.” Gloria answered plainly. Better to not make him suspicious or to provoke him, even if his presence wasn’t the most pleasant.
“And the words you were saying?” he asked. “You’re not poisoning them or- something, are you?” he asked.
“Why would I do that? I want to eat them too. I was simply encouraging them to grow. No magic included.” She said with a little smile.
He raised an eyebrow, and looked at the dirt that hadn’t sprouted much yet. “You’re wearing different clothes you didn’t have previously. Where did you get them?” he asked, skeptical.
“They were in storage. They were a bit big to start, but I altered them and made them fit.”
“That’s odd. I don’t recognise them. My mother wouldn’t be caught wearing them.” he said.
“Is your mother the only woman to have lived here in the past?” Gloria asked.
“She should be. Unless we had squatters.” he said.
“That’s probably the likely story. I must say though, I like having the range of motion again. And shorter skirts. Easier to do work.” She stretched.
Seneca’s nose turned a shade of red. “It’s rather indecent for a woman of your age to be wearing something like that. Only a child should be showing their legs at that length. I don’t see what’s wrong with wearing more appropriate clothing.” he said as he averted his eyes.
“Have you tried wearing stays, petticoats, boots, stockings, a chemise, a blouse, and an apron? It’s heavy, it’s hot, and I can’t touch the floor. Not good for gardening. Not the best for living, either, though the stays gave me wonderful back support.” she commented. “I’d like to see you try and wear a full outfit like that all day.”
“It’ll never, ever happen.” he emphasized. “I suppose that if a man can wear trousers, and there’s no one else around, then it doesn't matter much. It’s not like I didn’t pull you out of the river in your shift or anything. Gosh, that stuck to you like wet paper to flagstones.” he laughed, but Gloria also saw that he turned a deeper shade of red.
“If you would kindly try and forget that memory, that would be appreciated. Though I would like to once again thank you for saving my life twice. I would have been toast for sure if you hadn’t helped both times.”
“Despite my devilishly good looks, I’m no angel.” He wanted to say more, push her farther away and make her not like him. “I did it for purely selfish reasons.”
Gloria arched her eyebrow. “Oh? And what are those?”
He had to think quickly to cover his lie. “It’s not everyday I get to find the girl from my dreams jumping into a river. The figure of a woman jumping into a river in her night clothes made me quite… excited.” he let the last word roll out of his mouth to make her uncomfortable, but instead she stood her ground.
Her face hardened. “Well, that shouldn't be an issue now that you have another squeeze. I also know that you and Krista are quite, how to put it, entangled? How cramped was that carriage?” she asked.
She wasn’t sure at what point the conversation had become a fight, but she wasn’t going to lose to this freshly-not-a-virgin.
His face lost the color it had acquired. “That’s none of your business.” his mouth became a line. “But how did you know?”
“I- I woke up in the middle of the night, and I saw out the window. You two should be a bit more discrete, the carriage has wheels and springs. Quite a bit of bounce.” She tapped him on the shoulder as she walked past him. This island was big enough to practice her yoga somewhere else where she didn’t have to be in earshot of his whining and aggression.
The water here was cold and deep with a churning tide. It was no good for swimming, but Henry was able to catch some fish once in a while, which he cooked quite well. It was always a good dinner when there was fresh fish seasoned just right.
Gloria rolled out a towel to do her yoga on near the beach and as she got centered to start she heard footsteps coming nearer. She saw Henry coming with his fishing pole, and he seemed startled that she was there, as if he hadn’t been watching where he was going and only just noticed her.
She raised her eyebrow and he grimaced in embarrassment for a moment, then motioned that he would fish elsewhere. She rolled her eyes and went back to stretching her body. She hadn’t felt this free in a while, though the limit of her powers still felt odd. Could she do her stretches without her powers? She had never done them separately, but she didn’t see why her powers would affect her physical abilities.
She still felt like she was missing a part of herself. She used to use the exercises to channel her powers, but with them gone she felt like there was no use to do the exercise. She looked out at the water and wished to feel a sense of purpose. She knew that coming here was just a waiting game to keep her and Seneca safe, but did it have to feel so dull? Tomorrow she would search the storage again and see what she could find to entertain herself.
Evening rolled around and dinner was delicious. Henry had fried the fish to perfection and he had used some of the potatoes to make an appealing side. Gloria thought that she could hold onto Henry for her whole life if he cooked this good every night.
But then she thought of Blake. Her Blake. The Blake who was probably in prison somewhere and would be dead by the end of the month. And these people saw nothing wrong with that.
Seneca looked like his food had turned sour and he shoveled another mouthful of food in. Gloria finished up and stood to leave. It was late, and she was tired of a day of minimal activity. She would really need to find a way to spend her time more.
She walked up to her tiny room and got changed for bed, letting her hair down and getting into the cool cotton dress. She didn’t think it was originally meant for sleeping, but it was light and seemed a good mixture of the Islands and the Mainland; It was just scandalous enough to be from the islands, but decorated in a Mainland way.
She tried laying in bed, tried to stop thinking about Seneca and Blake and Henry. Why were there so many men? Where were all the women around here? Why did everyone want the ends to their own means and no one else's?
A book would be better company than her own thoughts. She set her feet on the cold floor and grabbed a lantern. There was a stack of books on the main floor that she could choose from, and she hoped that it wasn’t all political history.
The stairs creaked, but as the boys’ room was further away from them than hers, she hoped they wouldn’t be woken.
Though as she neared the bottom of the stairs, she found that she only needed to worry half the amount. Henry was sitting next to the fire with a book of his own, looking tired but content. He looked up at her, smiled a bit, then looked back at his book.
Gloria stood still for a moment, feeling like she was intruding. Gloria couldn’t really tell what book he was reading, the fire was casting light on the pages, not the cover. Was it a good one? What kind of books did he read?
She still wasn’t moving, and he looked up at her. “Did you need something?” he asked with a quiet, deep voice. It was tender, like the night four days ago when he told her to keep her head up. He had been kind to her, telling her that the whatever memories she had of her life on the Islands, they were real and her feelings then had been true, no matter the outcome. No matter the cost. A bittersweet assurement.
“I came down for a book. I can’t sleep.” she answered.
“There are a few good ones. I heard that you were reading like crazy when you were in… that room.” he called it. Because ‘cell’ had a connotation to it. Either he felt bad about her treatment, or he didn’t want her to associate him with it.
“Yeah, like one and a half each day. They were surprisingly good.” she smiled and approached him and the stack of books.
Seneca’s face came to her face and she realized she didn’t know what day in the lunar cycle they were in. It was cloudy on the Mainland more than it usually was on the Islands, making it hard to tell what she should expect.
“I- there’s something I want to talk to you about.” she addressed.
His eyes continued to scroll the page for a moment as he tilted his nose towards her. “Just a second…” he grabbed a scrap piece of paper and marked his page, then closed the book. “What’s on your mind?”
She sat down on the bench opposite him and exhaled. “I’m confused about Seneca. He doesn't make any sense. One conversation he can be repentant, emotional, sincere, and the next he acts like we’re enemies. He’ll be sensitive, then act like I’m a poisonous snake.”
Henry leaned back and looked at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts. “Seneca is unique in every way. He’s the heir to the throne, and he knows it. He has always known it. Since he could understand speech, his mother would walk around with him on her hip and say ‘My son, you are going to be king.’ His mother pushed him on it constantly.
“He was trained in everything but allowed to do nothing. We dueled, but I couldn’t use a sharp sword lest he be maimed. He was included in all of the politics, but not allowed to make any decisions. When he stood up for your life earlier this week, that was a rare occurrence. And to have the queen listen is even more of a surprise. She doesn’t relent once she’s set her mind, and you’ve seen how brutal she can be.”
He took a breath, and Gloria jumped in. “But the sudden change in attitude? He can be so… sharp. Abrasive.”
Henry rubbed his face, trying to erase the tiredness that had settled there. Gloria heard his stubble brush against his hands. He thought for four heartbeats, then tried his best to explain: “I always thought he was a selfish boy- until he jumped into that river to save you. He despises witches; the Church teaches that powers are unnatural and we’ve all been raised to respect the Church, so it’s no wonder he feels that way. But he saved you. Interrupting a trial is punishable, royalty or not, so he risked quite a bit by aiding you.
“And he continued, too. He bought you clothes, a comfortable bed, and while I know the equipment is uncomfortable and is restricting you, if you didn’t have it, people would be more afraid of you than they already are and you would be dead for sure.”
“I’d like to see them try…” she muttered.
“But he can’t care about you, or anyone that’s outside the resistance. He’s been lectured several times that attachment is leverageable, and so he doesn’t make bonds. He’s been taught to value his own life more than anyone else’s because he is the only one who could be king, he is the only one who matters.”
“But Lady Krista, he’s obviously entangled there. She’s his fiance.” Gloria observed.
“Lady Krista is one of the resistance’s prime allies. She isn’t that attached to Seneca, nor he to her. The queen and Krista keep it that way. It’s one of the reasons she only comes once a year. They figure that the two of them should have a relationship, but not have the emotions that come with it. Not yet.”
Gloria remembered why she actually woke up that night, laying on Seneca’s bed. As restricted as her powers were, she could feel the emotions from Seneca, emotions she hadn’t felt in a while, not since she was spending the night with Blake. Waking to those feelings, those urges, it felt like she was possessed and her feelings weren’t her own. Either that, or she had to stop sleeping in another man’s bed…
“Seneca, he’s different around you. Besides the possibility of Lady Krista, I didn’t think he would ever show kindness to anyone. You don’t need powers to do miracles, you’re breaking his armor.”
What does it matter? Blake is dead anyway. The thought popped into her head. You’ll never see him again.
“What’re you reading?” Gloria asked, trying to not let herself drown in the thoughts.
“The Man Who Slays Monsters, a rather straightforward title.” he raised his book as if it were a glass of fine wine.
“Would, would you read to me?” she asked.
He raised an eyebrow. “It’s not very good for before bed, are you sure you want to hear it?”
“I want to get out of my head, and you have a nice voice.” she rested her head down on the bench.
“Very well.” he cracked open the book and the binding gave a satisfying crinkle that you get with old books with dry, well used spines.
A new chapter! This took longer to make myself write than I thought it would, but I think any progress is worth it. You may remember that back before Gloria came to the Mainland that I said I don’t like writing build up, and this is what I feel like this chunk of the story is. So I kinda have to wade through it. Gotta place the dominos before I can knock them all down.
As always, please comment if you feel the desire to, and stay healthy, happy, and inspired!
Bloopers!
I gave Gloria a cat, just because now that I'm in Brindleton Bay there are cats and dogs everywhere, and I figured a cat is less work than a dog. Hopefully. Her name is Taco, and she was adopted from one of the households that keeps spawning cats
Also, don't worry about shiny eyes anymore in the screenshots, some of them were taken before I figured out there was a way to update them and have them not be shiny. Oh, it feels so good to have my pretty eyes back again.
I also got a kitten about two weeks ago, so that's something Gloria and I have in common
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 50
“I’m not going to be the one to tell him.” Rufus said as they walked through the capitol. “I may have been the one who went to get Blake from is posting, but the events after that are not going to get pinned on me.”
“Besides the fact that you’re the one who was charged with bringing him home?” Angus mentioned.
“And you two were just strolling in that part of the kingdom, were you? We were all tasked with bringing him home, and we’ve failed doubly.” Rufus whined.
“Blake chose to go on his own to find the heir, his choices are not our fault. We just need to get a boat to take us to the King’s island, and we’ll tell him everything we need to. If we don’t, he’ll start to wonder where we’ve gotten to. We’ve done nothing wrong.” Marco said, hoping it was true.
“Besides losing the heir to the templar. And she’s probably dead…” Angus muttered.
“That was not our fault!” Ruffus emphasised.
“Let’s get to the island, then we can start worrying.” Marco rolled his eyes,
~*~
“You’re sure we’re not lost?” Romeo asked. “I could swear I’ve seen that boulder before.”
“We’ve been walking straight, I think. Anwyn, what do you think?” Liam asked.
“Don’t ask me, you’re the one we’ve been following and can tell how far north we are by the angle of the shadows. I don’t know anything about directions.” she huffed, happy to not have to be wearing her disguise for the moment.
“The trees are too tall to be telling the directions. I wish we had a compass..” Liam said.
“I knew I was forgetting something when we left the Islands,” Romeo said with a smirk.
“We have to talk about something,” Anwyn addressed. Her face had become serious in the last few minutes. “What are we going to do once we get to the capitol?”
“We’ll go and kill the king, that’s what. Save Gloria, castrate Blake, kill the king.” Liam and Anwyn stared at Romeo with big eyes. “What, just me?”
“We’ll save Gloria, we know that for sure, but we can’t just kill the king. The place could be guarded to the teeth, it’ll be hard enough getting her out, much less splitting up and killing the king.” Liam said.
“How will we even get to the island? We’ll be seen approaching, and the closer we get to the capitol the more likely we’ll be recognized, disguised or not.” Anwyn said.
“You were already recognized, but Liam and I haven’t been. Maybe we should have you stay further outside of the capitol? At that nice inn we passed last week?” Romeo suggested half heartedly.
“We’re not splitting up!” Liam and Anwyn said to him in unison.
“Besides, what if Briella is walking around and recognises you? Or the Duchess? What then? You’ll be captured and questioned until the underworld freezes over.” Anwyn said while Liam blanched.
“So we enter the capitol, then what? How do we get to the island?” Romeo asked.
They thought for a second. “Do you think that Montoya is still the captain of the guard at the palace?” Anwyn asked.
“He would be old by now. He was already well into his forties when we knew him, and it’s been 18 years… He’d be… 64?” Liam said.
“He was pretty spry though, I think it’s a good chance. Unless the king figured out he helped aid us in our escape and didn’t try to stop us.” Romeo answered.
“Then we should send him a message. Now, if we’re as far away from the capitol as I think, we should be there in the next two days. We should think of what we want to say before we get there.”
~*~
Everstar had never seen Midshore this disturburbed.
“I can’t find her. I can’t find her. Why can’t I find her?” she kept muttering. “Something is coming... something is coming, and I... can’t tell her… I can’t find her... Where is she?”
Everstar touched her shoulder. “Midshore, what’s the matter? Please, tell me.”
Midshore acted as if she didn’t feel or hear her. “Where are you…” she asked.
“Midshore, you haven’t eaten in two days, you haven’t slept. The kids are starting to ask more questions…”
It had started two days ago. Midshore, who usually liked to meditate in the front yard, had furrowed her brow and went down to the ceremony room, adorning the priestess garb, and trying to meditate there to be closer to the spirits. She hadn’t said anything to Everstar as she did this, and she hadn’t come out of her meditation since.
Everstar knew that the spirits favored Midshore, and that Everstar wouldn’t ever have that sort of bond with them. Midshore was selfless in her faith; she would give everything for it, but Everstar wasn’t like that.
She was far more selfish.
She said a quiet prayer for forgiveness and shoved Midshore off balance, forcing her out of her trance.
She fell to the ground, sprawling out. “Why did you do that?!” she said, her voice rough from not drinking any water for the past two days.
“Why did I do that? Why did you do that? You’ve been meditating for the past two days, and you didn’t tell me anything before you did! Why did you do that?” she barked.
“It was two days?” She asked, looking confused. “It was that long?”
“Yes! Now what were you doing?” she asked.
Midshore straightened herself. “It’s Gloria. I can’t sense her anymore. It started- i guess two days ago. I’ve been able to feel her, and I’d check in on her every day or so, but when I went to try and sense her, I couldn’t find her. She was gone. That’s when I came down here.” she took a breath. “I contacted the spirits and started to look for her among the collective, fearing she had died, but I couldn't find her there. She was simply gone. And now, just recently, I feel a dark presence amassing and I can’t tell her that it’s coming. I can’t tell her her parents are coming, or that Blake is leading her to a trap. I can’t reach her!” Midshore cried.
“My love,” was all Everstar said as she wrapped her arms around her. “It’s not your fault. It’s not your fault.”
~*~
Seneca was breathing heavily when he came out of the house, as if he were restraining from smashing something. Gloria eyed him suspiciously, but kept knitting. It was a skill she had learned some of as a kid, but she had let it go. However, knowing that if this is how cold the autumn is on the Mainland, the winters must be very cold. Thus, she was going to knit scarves and blankets. Anything that wasn’t very hard and could be square… Or at least that was the goal. Who knew how long she would be here.
“Can I ask?” she said to him.
He blew air out of his nose. “I lost again.” he stated.
“Mmmm.” Gloria said. “Maybe chess isn’t the game for you then. Have you played Don’t Wake the Tiger?”
“What’s a tiger?” he asked.
“It’s a really big cat that can eat a man. They have them a lot in jungles.” Gloria explained. She had learned about them when her mother had some refugees from the far south come and tell the class where they came from. However, looking at Seneca, she wasn't sure he even knew what a jungle was…
“It’s a game with a whole bunch of sticks, and there’s a little figurine at the top, usually in the shape of a tiger. The idea is to go around the table and draw sticks until the pile topples over and the figurine falls off of the stack, thus waking the tiger.” she continued.
“We have no tiger figurines.” he commented, as if he had nothing nice to say.
“We may not, but I found some wooden animals in storage, and I think those would work fine.” Gloria said.
“You found toy animals in storage! Those were mine!” he balked. “You don’t have a right to them.”
“Oh. They weren’t marked. Sorry if that was intrusive.” she answered.
“Just-” he took a short breath. “Just don’t keep looking around in storage.”
“Very well, but would you like to try the game? I guarantee you, it’s fun and based on skill, not too much on strategy. It’s more fun than chess by any means.”
He thought for a moment. “If it’s better than chess, I’d be willing to play anything. What do we need to play?”
“We need sticks, preferably straight, and all roughly the same size. And a figurine for the top.”
“Then I guess I’m helping you find sticks.”
After about an hour in the small woods they had on the island, they were able to find enough sticks to play the game.
“Now all we need is a figurine.” Gloria finished.
Seneca pulled a Llama out of his pocket. “I guess we’re playing Don’t Wake the Llama.” he said.
~*~
“I don’t want to harm anyone, but I do need to know some information, and I’m not leaving until I acquire it. The faster I know what I want to know, the sooner I’ll be moving on.” he said.
The woman shook in her chair. “I don’t know anything, I swear it!”
“There is some sort of Compound. People must know about it, and if you don’t, then tell me who does. Your answer could cost you or save your life.” he paused. “Speak!”
“I’ve only heard rumors of a Compound,” she shrunk away from him as far as she could. “I didn’t ask any questions, it’s not polite.”
“What did they say about it?” he pushed.
“They- they usually say they’re coming from the south, but that’s all I know. They talk about a woman, but never by name or title. Just whispers of a ‘she’ and ‘her’. I swear to you that’s all I know!”
Blake paced. “How long have you heard these whispers?” he asked. If it was recently, it could be a sign of Gloria’s survival, but if rumors had reached this far then she was in more danger than ever. Blake could name several people who would want her in their custody or dead. The king wasn’t popular with everyone.
“Oh, years now, lad. I can’t remember when I first started hearing about ‘her’.” the woman said.
“Years? There’s been a secret Compound in the south for years and I’m just now hearing about it?” he leaned in.
“Here in the south, the king’s rule stretches thin. The Church has a stronger hold- I would guess the Compound is being protected by the Church. But that’s only what I theorize, don’t take it as truth.” she offered.
“I know the further you get from the capitol, the… looser… the rule seems to get, but let me assure you that there’s nothing loose about his grip. As soon as I get back to the capitol, I’ll be sure to tell him how things have been slipping around here. But if you want me to leave, I need you to tell me how to get to my target. How,” he turned to face the woman, “do I reach the Compound?”
~*~
As the moon rose over the horizon, Seneca sighed as he saw it in its entirety. After the transition to being in hiding, he had nearly forgotten where the moon was in its cycle, but the moon didn’t. Tonight he would sleep, and tomorrow he would wake up in agony.
He entered the house where Gloria was knitting by the fire and Henry was reading out loud. The two of them eyed him, but kept on with their activities. Gloria kept her eyes on her knitting, and Seneca raised his hand in hopes to get Henry’s attention.
He noticed and nodded. “‘And as he drew out his blade from the creature, he let out a breath of exhaustion.’” He put the scrap of paper in the book to hold his place. “I think Seneca wants to talk to me about something, I’ll be right back.” he put the book on the table and stood to follow Seneca out of the front door.
“What is it?” he asked him.
“It’s the full moon tonight. I’ll be sick tomorrow. I figured you should know ahead of time.” Seneca told him, looking a bit jittery.
“I know, I‘ve set water aside for you, and I’ll be sleeping on the bench tonight. Am I missing anything?” he asked.
Seneca looked at him, surprised. “No, water is just about the only thing I can handle in the morning.”
He eyed the moon, something that he was always on guard from. This time he knew that Gloria was a real person, that he didn’t have to think of her as a magical being. He may not even see her in his dreams tonight if she was wearing the equipment. It was unprecedented.
“Good luck, my friend.” Henry said as he turned to go back into the house.
I need to use my wider cast more often! Look at all the plot I can dig up when I do!
And look at that, It's 11:40 at night again
I took a few blooper pictures, so please enjoy!
I'm heavily thinking of making this my profile picture. My baby knitting. I love knitting irl.
It started snowing! So pretty.
I thought this was just a nice picture.
The kitchen gets pretty close.
Fun story, this woodsy scene is brought to you by the island of Brindleton Bay, so Liam and Anwyn got to visit their daughter. I like how nice this picture is, a daughter looking at her father.
I had to age up Midshore and Everstar's babies, so now they have a child son and a toddler daughter, but being spellcasters makes them have the possibility of special eyes.
I aged them up in cas, so they lost their special eyes, but I intend to apply them if possible when they get older. May or may not be possible? It's not important.
Get yourself a partner that looks at you the way Everstar looks at Midshore
And something dark is coming.
It also seems like something special happens to Seneca during a full moon. I suppose it follows naturally from Gloria seeing him in her dreams, but I think this was the first time it was explicitly addressed
Everstar and Midshore 🥰
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 37.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 51
Liam stretched his arm out while laying in bed, feeling for Anwyn . He turned and noticed she wasn’t where he thought she should be, so he opened his eyes to see her silhouette sitting on the edge of the bed.
“What’s bothering you?” he asked. He thought of the countless nights he had sat up in bed reliving the agony he had been through at the mercy of the King, and she had helped calm him and call his mind to reason. She was always so strong for him, he was ready to return the favor if need be.
“We shouldn't have done that.” she whispered.
Liam drew his eyebrows together. “Done what?” he asked.
“That. It.” she empathised.
“Anwyn, we’ve been married for 18 years, I think we can talk candidly about our love life.” he chuckled a bit.
“We shouldn’t have done it. What if I get pregnant? We can’t have a baby now, while we’re on the road. And if I did bear a child, what would we do? We can’t spare the time to go all the way back to the coast to get on a boat, sail the week to get to the Islands, and then hope we’re not arrested and detained when we get there. It’s just not... We shouldn’t have done that.” she said.
Liam got up from the bed, exhaled, and walked over to her side of the bed. The floor squeaked with every shift of his weight as he walked, and the floor gave a particular shudder as he sat down on the bed. It was the cheapest two rooms they could rent until they heard from Montoya, so they didn’t expect anything less.
“Annie, I’m sorry. We should have thought of that before we got ahead of ourselves, but we hadn’t, and now we know that we won’t again. Not until we get home and are safe. And we don’t have to worry about our neighbors hearing our… activities.” he said it quietly, not wanting to possibly bother whoever shared the walls anymore than they already had, but it was said with a smirk.
Anwyn took his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. “But what if it’s already too late? There was one time- I got lucky once, in not bearing a child, but I don’t know if that luck will work this time.”
She had never breathed a word of her and Romeo’s affair to anyone before. She desperately didn’t want Liam to pull on that thread, to leave it alone and think of the looming possibility of pregnancy instead of her infidelity.
She felt his hands go still and heard his breathing go shallow. “Weh-” he started. “We’ll handle that if it happens. I promise.” in the dark, he squeezed her hands and kissed the top of her head. He picked up his feet and rolled to the other side of the bed, crawling back under the covers.
Anwyn breathed a sigh of relief, shaking from the chill and from her nerves. She nestled into the sheets as well, closing her eyes to the decrepit room.
“Annie,” Liam’s voice came very gently, and without anger. “When did you want to miss a pregnancy?”
She bit her chapped lip. “Before I knew you were alive. I never loved anyone else after that, it hurt too much.” she whispered.
“I love you.” he said, as he pulled her closer. “I will never not love you.”
“Through this life to the next,” she said, closing her eyes and worrying a bit less.
~*~
Seneca opened his eyes to the relentless sight of the greenhouse. He always woke up in the same spot. The air was a comfy warm with a noticeable humidity, but it felt like a breath of summer air, or stepping into a well watered greenhouse.
Swinging his legs out of the bed, he noticed he was wearing different clothes than he normally wore. Since he had started growing facial hair, he had always worn the same clothes, so a change was nice. The jacket was a fashionable grey with odd glittering fibers at the bottom. It reminded him of the dress that Gloria wore that was threaded through with glittering silver, and he wondered if she was here or if the equipment prohibited it.
Oddly, he was almost happy to be back here if only for the temperature. He liked the different seasons that his portion of the world had, but the settling cold was always a shock. The warmth here was… delightful.
It was quiet, as it always was. He started to walk around the area, seeing the unchanging rocks, trees, and flowers. If he picked one of the flowers now, it would be fully regrown and identical the next time he was here. He picked a flower just in case he saw Gloria.
Why? he thought to himself. Why do I want to give her a flower?
His pause of self reflection was interrupted by the playing of an instrument, and he felt a mix of emotions. On one hand, he had been looking forward to having the space all to himself, but he was also overwhelmingly happy that Gloria had found her box and could play more music. He hadn’t heard anything as beautiful as it in the three years since he had seen her last.
First she played the individual strings, seeing if they were in tune, then she started to produce more melodic notes. They were sad, played in long phrases, as if mourning something long lost.
He followed the sound and blushed. The bodice of her dress was practically sheer with only embroidery to cover her. He quickly turned his back.
She laughed, finished the song, ending on a bright note, and setting the instrument down.
“What is it now?” she pondered.
“Your dress, it’s most immodest.”
“And the last one wasn’t? I had a bare waist the last time and a much deeper neckline. At least this time I have sleeves so you won’t see my scandalous arms!” she teased. “Truly, though, I am fully clothed, you don’t need to worry about seeing something you shouldn’t.”
Seneca turned around, trying to keep his eyes up and not let them drift. He looked at the ground instead.
“What was that song you were playing? I haven’t heard anything like it.” he asked.
“It’s called ‘Hymn to the Sea’. I learned it back on the Islands; it’s a requiem for all the refugees who don’t make it to the Islands.” Gloria explained.
“It’s beautiful. I hope you get back there one day.” he said honestly. “You have no part in this, none of this is your fault. It’s a pity you have to bear the weight of a crime you haven’t committed. But one day, when we’re in control of the capitol, you’ll be able to go home.”
He looked her over. “You don’t have the bracelet and necklace here. Do you know if you can do magic?”
“I had noticed that too, but I haven’t tried.” she took a breath. “Do you want to see me light something on fire?” she asked.
“You can do that?” Seneca’s eyes grew wide.
“Yes.” she smiled. “Those weren’t empty threats when I said I would burn you all to the ground, I can start fires. It’s rather easy for me, actually.”
“Then yes!” he was a bit more giddy than he should have been at the thought of spontaneous fire, but he wasn’t worried about what emotions he was showing now.
Gloria held out her hand and rolled her wrist. Sparks fizzed and a few yards away a fire blazed to life.
“That’s amazing! I’ve heard some witches can light candles with concentration, but a blazing fire, that’s real skill!” he marveled.
“I can teleport, clean messes, and a handful of other things. I have a few spells that can sway the moods of people too.” she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
Seneca held his stomach. He wasn’t always sick when he dreamt, but every so often shooting pains would emanate from his stomach.
Gloria flinched as he did. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, concerned.
“It’s nothing, it’ll pass in a moment.” he waved her off, breathing as some color drained from his face. Another wave of pain came and Gloria recoiled as well.
“Let me help you,” she offered. She held up her hand to charm him, and after a few motions he felt a warm fuzz come over him and he felt better.
“What did you do?” he asked her, incredulous that she had helped him.
“I gave you a healing charm. It’ll aid in fixing what ails you, though I don’t know what’s wrong.” her brows knit together.
“I remember once, years ago, you did the same thing. But no matter what you do now, you still don’t want to see me in the morning.” he said
“Why, are you a monster? Do you grow huge wings and a beak and screech like a monkey?” she asked.
Seneca laid down on the ground, looking up at the swirling sky. “No,” he exhaled. “I’m ill every morning after I dream of this place. I become nauseous, fevered, I can’t hold any food down, and it hurts to move. It lasts most of the day, and no one thought that I was telling the truth for years. Now I know that you’re real, and somehow that makes me feel like my illness is real too.”
Gloria looked down at him for a moment, then joined him. “I feel like Henry would believe you.” she said.
“Henry would believe anything. He once believed me that I had tamed a goose for his birthday because I told him I had.” he chuckled.
“You lied to him? That’s not very nice. He was probably hurt.” Gloria said, sympathising.
“Yeah, but you should have seen his face.” he grinned. Gloria looked over at him with a disapproving look. “But yeah- that was probably a mean thing to do.”
“So you’ve really gotten to know Henry, haven’t you?” he continued.
“We get along ok. He reads very well, and his choice in books is good, but he doesn't talk much. He doesn’t ask many questions-”
“Unlike you-” Seneca cut in.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s nice company, and that’s nice to have when there aren’t many people around, but I can’t say he’s the most intriguing person I’ve ever met.”
They gazed up at the sky for a few breaths, relaxed.
“Who would you say is the most intriguing person you’ve met?” he asked passively.
She thought for a minute, and he could hear her shoulder brush against the ground as she shrugged. “That’s a tough question.” she said. “I’ve met so many interesting people, very few of them are dull. Everyone on the Islands has a story, a life, a culture. I suppose Midshore is one of the most intriguing people I’ve met, but I’ve known her since I was small. I think she was there when I was born.’ she added. “There are so many different types of people at the islands, but when Blake came, I felt he was different. He was smart, kind, desperate to change who he had been.”
She rolled her head over to face him. “But I’ve got to say, the most intriguing person I’ve met is you. The mystery boy.”
Seneca felt like he was starting to wake up and the world started to fade away as he lifted his hand to reach for hers. He woke up to the cold room of the cabin, letting out a whimper of agony. He had almost been there. Almost been close enough to feel wanted.
~*~
Gloria paced outside on the landing, trying to make up her mind. She couldn’t help Seneca if she had the equipment on, but the queen had been clear that she was to never take it off. But then, who was to know if she did?
She heard a groan from inside the room and that made up her mind. She walked down the stairs and saw Henry sleeping on the bench. Swiftly walking over to him, she nudged his shoulder. “Henry, Henry, I need your help.”
He opened his eyes groggily. “Gloria, what time is it?” he asked.
“Shortly after dawn. Henry, I need you to take the equipment off of me.” she said directly.
He eyed her suspiciously. “The queen specifically said not to do that. Why all of the sudden do you want it off?”
“I can help Seneca. But I can’t do it with this on.” she gestured to the bracelet. “I need it to come off.”
He narrowed his eyes further. “You can help Seneca? No one can help Seneca. He’s always like this.”
“I can.” she said through gritted teeth. “Now please, help me take it off. I promise not to burn the house to the ground.”
He took her hand in his and gently took off the bracelet and attached rings, and then untied the complicated knot on the back of her neck where the necklace was secured. She rolled her head, enjoying the feeling of not having the leather and metal on her neck, and then walked up the stairs. She knocked on the door, then turned the knob.
The mass in the bed that shifted slightly. “I don’t need anything, Henry. Please, Leave me alone.” he choked on the last word.
Gloria walked around to him without hesitation, muttering to herself as she did, conjuring sparks. “Silly boy, I’m a bit more refreshing than a glass of water in this matter.”
She swirled her hands, forming light, and casting the light over him.
His short, shuddering breaths were traded for deep, relaxed ones. He smiled for a moment, then sat up in the bed.
“Why did you do that?” he asked. “You didn’t have to.”
“I don’t like seeing people in pain.” she said. “We’ll have breakfast soon.”
She turned her head as she left the room, afraid that if she said anymore she would say something else. She felt his relief, his reserved gratitude. His admiration.
Ah! Another chapter! The day before Halloween, was there enough magic for you? No? Me either, I want more!
There will be much more.
Somehow this made me chuckle.
I think there were different kinds of magic in that chapter
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
I've been thinking. It's been a while since I played sims as sims, and I really want to do a bachelor/ette challenge eventually, and I think the next generation will be the generation I use for that. Once this story wraps up (which may be quite a while, I have no idea), I'd like to play a challenge.
But here's the fun twist: the contestants would be developed sims from your own games/stories. Most challenges start off with sims with no skills or age, but what if they did? There would be a max amount of skill points you could have, like 15 or something. Their job would carry over, their skills, maybe their celebrity status.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
It's also crazy to think that your Selection (or was it Bachelorette?) was over a year ago, and that this story has been running since. We've come so far, and I'm glad you're still continuing it.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Chapter 52
Angus, Marco, and Rufus stood in the king’s office. It hadn’t changed much over the years, but there was another portrait of the king and queen Anwyn and the king. It was a replica of the one painted from when they got married.
The king then had dark hair streaked with grey, now he had grey hair and more lines in his face, but the same unsmiling face.
“Sir, we have news.” Marcus said. They had decided that he spoke the best and would be able to make it sound the best. There was a lot to say, and some of it wasn’t in their best interest.
“I’d hope so, I sent the three of you out to get Lucian back from his posting. Where is he? Why is he not with you?” the king said gruffly.
Rufus stepped forward. “I went to get Lucian from the Islands, as assigned. I found him, told him that it was time for him to come home, and he told me that he had found his target. My grace, he found your heir.”
The king’s eyes lit up. “Where is my child? What about my queen? Is she alive?” he asked in quick succession.
“Your heir is a young woman now, in love with Lucian. He almost didn’t convince her to leave the islands, and she couldn’t bring her whole family. The queen has had three other children, sire.” Marco said. “Lucian, your heir, Gloria, and Rufus left the islands and sailed for our shore. That’s where Angus and I met them.”
“Yes, but where are they!?” interrupted the king.
“They landed in the south, which is under Templar occupation. We were set upon by Templars in the night and- they took your heir and threw her into a river, drowning her.” Marco decided it was best if he didn’t say now that the heir was a witch.
“They will pay for this!” the king pounded on the desk. “But what of Lucian?”
“We were captured by the Templars as well, but we managed to escape. We overheard that there was news of the heir being alive, but being held at a compound. The templars were not forthcoming on where the compound was located, and Lucian slew them all. He decided to depart from us and find where she is, and rescue her.”
The king leaned back in his chair. “My queen is alive. My heir is alive. We are saved. But why did you all come here? Surely only one of you was necessary to come and tell me?”
They looked at each other. “Uh, Lucian told us we would slow him down. So he sent all of us to go ahead.” Angus said.
“Sounds like my boy.” the king smiled.
~*~
Montoya, now going grey, looked at the letter on his desk. It had been a very different 18 years since Anwyn, Romeo, and Liam had left the palace and while he was happy to hear from them, he had hoped he would never have to hear from them again.
They wanted to know how to get to the palace without being seen or detected. He would have to think about it for a while as there wasn’t an obvious answer to their problem.
The thing was, they would be recognized immediately and turned in if anyone else but him took them to the island. They couldn’t have changed that much in 18 years to not be recognized, and if they arrived to save their daughter security would be even higher than it was before. They would have to arrive on the island before the princess, otherwise the king would reject any extra people on the island.
They could stay in one of the staff houses. There was an empty one down a ways from the palace, and the king never went to visit them. He hardly went outside. Montoya could say that they were family insisting on coming to visit him. He could start talking about them now, build up character, then have them arrive. He could even keep the boat at the island for them to leave when the princess arrived.
Or, if they were caught, Liam and Romeo would be killed in front of the princess and Anwyn, the queen would have to live with the king for the rest of her life, and her child would have to rule the kingdom and marry Lucian Blake.
There had always been something a bit off about him. He was willing to do anything asked of him, no matter how… brutal. How a child of the loving Anwyn and Liam could have trusted him was beyond Montoya’s understanding, and he didn’t have all of the information to make a judgment on it.
~*~
Gloria shivered as she put her feet into her slippers. It was freezing now, and she wrapped herself in a thick sweater. She would have to go around her room and make sure that it wasn’t leaking heat rather soon. Even with the ability to make fire at will, she still couldn’t keep the place warm.
She shuffled down the stairs where Seneca for once was in the kitchen making breakfast. Henry wasn’t far away, making sure he could assist if he had to, and Seneca was grumbling to himself about things burning, but he gave Gloria a weak smile when she walked past.
She hurried to sit over by the fire, adding a few more sparks to the blaze to get it to burn hotter.
“Good morning, Gloria. How’d you sleep?” Henry asked. He asked this most mornings, and it was an easy way to start conversation.
“I slept fine, but waking up I was freezing! My toes went numb sometime last night. I need to add more stuffing to the cracks and windows. Light more candles, that sort of thing.” she shivered even as her face started to feel a bit tighter from the heat. She sat back a bit from the flames.
“Our candle supply is running a bit low, no matter how many you make out in the yard. I think I’ll have to make a supply trip. Get more spices, some more food, and definitely more candles.” he smiled. “I’m thinking I’ll leave tonight and be back later this week.”
“Leaving so soon?” Gloria asked. “I wasn’t aware we could leave.”
“He’s been thinking about this.” Seneca interrupted from the kitchen. “And it’s not like we sunk the boat, it’s just sitting out on the dock. We’re here for safety. But Henry isn’t in any danger, so he can leave.”
“You’ll hardly miss me, I’m sure. And I can let the queen know that we're all still alive and doing well. Making friends, even.” he smiled in Seneca’s direction.
“No, don’t do that. She’ll be- you know how my mother will be-” he stammered.
“Relax, it was a joke. If she asks about the two of you, I’ll say you’ve hardly spoken to each other. I doubt she’ll question that.”
Seneca rolled his eyes and focused on not burning the food further.
As Henry left that night, Gloria and Seneca looked out over the water to the mainland. It had been two weeks since the full moon, so there was no chance they would be having shared dreams tonight.
It was unseasonably warm, and the stars shone beautifully. It had been a while since she had stopped to look at them, so she found a grassy spot and laid down.
“The moon settles… in a dusty sky…. The gentle eyes of the north star rest upon your sleeping face.” she quietly sang to herself.
Seneca walked over to her. “Why is it that I’m always asking you to tell me what you’re up to?” he asked with a grin.
“It’s a song my mother sang to me as a girl.” she smiled. “It’s about a child not being from this earth but instead from the stars.” she rolled her head to him. “It always gave me great comfort.”
“Another song about a refugee?” he asked as he settled onto the ground. The sky wasn’t as dizzying as it was in dreams, but looking up into the dark and unknown scared him.
“It’s not about refugees.” she paused, “There’s a lot about me you don’t know.” she said.
“We’ve got time if you want to enlighten me. I have nowhere to be.” he said snidely but interested.
“The king isn’t my real father.” she started.
“I know that.” he replied bluntly.
“But what you don’t know is that my mother was shot as she was fleeing from the king’s men and died on the way to the Islands.” Gloria said as Seneca eyed her suspiciously. “She was pregnant with me at the time, but we arrived at the Islands and were restored by a priestess and her wife. I have been special since birth, and there’s never been an explanation as to why. So I am my mother’s ‘celestial child’ she’s always afraid will leave her and rejoin the stars.” She waved her hands at the sky dramatically. “I even had a prophecy told when I was born.”
“Really?” he asked, intrigued. “Do you remember what it is?”
“I wasn’t even told about it, I found it while looking for a book one day. I must have been fifteen at the time or so, I think I had just met Blake a few months prior.
“It goes: There will come a soldier, who carries a mighty sword. He will tear down your doors but you will be happy when he comes.
There will come a poet, whose weapon is his word. He will slay you with his tongue, a trickster to be sure.
There will come a ruler whose brow is laid with thorns. He will be your rival and greatest danger in this world. I assume that the soldier is my father, who joined us at the Islands. He was a guard in the King’s Palace, so soldier isn’t that far off. But I don’t know who the poet and ruler are. The ruler can’t be the king, he’s hardly my rival.”
Seneca picked pebbles off the ground and threw them towards his feet. “Lucian Blake is a smooth talker, from what I’ve heard. Krista has met him on a few occasions, years ago. She said his eyes were like those of a shark, cold and unshifting, but that he had a silver tongue. Maybe he’s your poet. He’s certainly tricked you.”
“Blake didn’t trick me, I loved him.” Gloria said softly. “I loved him without thought.”
A shooting star caught them both by surprise, streaking fast and beautiful across the sky like a distant spark, but then they lay in silence.
“I haven’t been loved by anyone.” Seneca said quietly.
“That can’t be true.” Gloria assured half heartedly. She had seen the people he lived with, how they used him for his bloodline but didn’t care about him otherwise.
“It is. No one has ever loved me. Henry gets along with me, my mother treats me like an ornament, a key to be kept behind glass that can’t be used until the crucial moment. Barnabus has always been hard to me, and his wife is too busy to care for me. I barely know anyone else. Krista hardly knows me, she can’t truly love me, but she wants me to share her bed. And I can’t stop myself.”
Gloria reached out for his hand, trying to calm him down. He pushed it away, continuing. “I want to please everyone, but I don’t want to be their puppet. I want to love, but I can't get attached. I want to feel wanted, but no one wants me, and as soon as Krista does I fall over myself trying to make her happy.
“So when I met you in my dreams, I had a new outlet. Someone to build an entirely new personality around and I blew it! I tangled you into my reality and you’re caught in my mother’s strings like the rest of her puppets. She says I was born to rule the kingdom, what kingdom? Welcome to my empire of dirt, Gloria! There’s nothing here to be proud of.” he voice caught.
Gloria took his hand and stood up, pulling him up with her and wrapping him in a tight hug. His breathing was uneven and his eyes were turning a bit pink. “Seneca, my mystery boy, you are worth loving. You are more than your mother gives you credit for. You are more than Barnabus can shape, and you are no less than Henry.”
He stayed in her embrace for a while. He couldn't recall ever feeling this supported. The warmth he felt from her not only physically but emotionally was immense. He leaned against her, and he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
“You’re the most enchanting person I’ve ever met, Gloria. Thank you.” he said into her shoulder, pulling away. “I’m going to make dinner, I’m hungry.”
“We already ate dinner.” she said, confused.
“But I’m hungry.” he responded.
“Well let me cook, you’re awful at it!” she said, jogging to the door.
“Not if I get there first!” Seneca shot off running towards the door, laughing.
Who wants some Bloopers?!
I hadn't visited the Palace for a while, and with the sun coming through the window, this shot was just asking to be taken.
I didn't know that there were northern lights! I don't know if this is a island specific thing, but I had never noticed it before!
A pretty 'through the window' shot.
We have a cabin full of beds, a bench, all the luxury of glamping, and you choose to take a nap on a piece of tree? You wild child.
A picture of Gloria and taco. Taco is appropriately dressed in a taco costume.
Partners in crime right here.
Seneca could be her greatest rival. Or maybe it's a character who has yet to be introduced, but I feel like it would be too late to introduce someone so significant to this arc.
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?
Gloria is very naive. Her parents never told her what happened on the Mainland, or about the king, or even about her own prophecy. She had no reason not to trust Blake, and when people tell you something bad about someone you love you don't want to believe it.
And Blake did tell her his name was Blake, but not the Lucian part. He goes by his last name most of the time. Kinda like when you have three Jacob's in your grade at school and you make up names for each of them so that you can tell them apart in conversation and you call one of them by their last name but you can't do that in front of Jacob's parents because then it's weird? It's like that. Rufus, Marco, and Angus only use his first name because the king does.
When people refer to him as Lucian, which is a name he never told Gloria about, it kind of gives off this feeling of living a double life.
I suppose he could've excused it by saying that he was distancing himself from his past, but why use Blake and hide Lucian? I guess it's true that when you're wearing rose-colored glasses, the red flags only look like flags. I think she's in for a very harsh lesson on trust
Race Against the Clock: Can your elder sim turn back the clock before their time runs out?