I love me some gen threads, especially funny or drama-filled ones, but I am also shamelessly here for shipping AUs. The general Liem-shipping vibe is "I want more than this, but I shouldn't & they can't possibly want me back," so if you're into that, I've got what you need. His default setting is very D&D-like high fantasy, but I'm comfortable playing him in modern fantasy settings as well. Pretty much any prompt can also accommodate Liem being a full vampire instead of a dhampir, if that's your thing.
Prompts for inspiration:
• Arranged Marriage: Liem's shady vampire family has arranged his marriage to you, but he seems a rather reluctant fiance.
• Bodyguard Shipping: It's Liem's duty to keep you safe and out of trouble, possibly despite your best efforts.
• Companion to Royalty: Reclusive vampire king Liem and YOU! Are you a gift from a local power? Sacrifice from the townsfolk? Or did you just stumble up the road to his castle during a storm?
• Enemies to Lovers: Maybe Liem is a foreign agent trying to sabotage your country or organization. Or maybe you're rebelling against the current regime and he's trying to take you in.
• Fake Dating/Fake Married: A relationship is your cover story while you're travelling for some secret reason. Gotta keep up appearances.
• Hunter & Hunted: Are you a hunter trying to track Liem down? Or a snack that proved more than he bargained for?
• Hurt (Comfort Optional): Whether he's hurt, sick, drugged, or just upset, two things remain constant: Liem needs help, and he doesn't want to accept it. But maybe you don't want to fix him anyway; maybe you want to make him worse.
• Living a Lie: Whether you're undercover on a mission, or you lied to cover something up and now you have to commit, you're stuck playing a role until you accomplish some secret objective — or until you can shake off your nosy company.
• Loss of Control: For whatever reason, one of you is struggling not to go berserk — or perhaps has already failed. If it's Liem, can you help him come back to himself, or are you the one pushing him over the edge?
• Out of the Frying Pan: The classic "tried to help someone in trouble, ended up with a new and possibly worse problem" situation. But at least you're in it together!
• Priest/Celibacy: Default here is that Liem is the priest, but it could go the other way. Smutty, or just laden with UST? You decide.
• Texting: Stupid TFLN-style text threads, my beloved...
• Random Scenario: For if none of the above tickle your fancy.
contact. ![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico) Sporelett | info. Link | permissions. Link
|
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
How like him, to seek meaning in what any vampire would simply view as an arbitrary — and rather stacked — challenge. In a way, this too is instructive to a man little versed in Faerie’s ways.]
Alas.
[Drawing his hand out from behind his back, Liem waggles one lonely index finger at his husband.]
The first round will be mine then. I shall take the even numbers, and you can take the odd.
no subject
As ever, my husband is merciless.
[ Not that Cardan has much mercy for Liem when it comes to winning games, or anything else, for that matter -- but that's beside the point. This is about Liem's cruelties, not Cardan's. Anyway, it doesn't matter; odd numbers suit Cardan better anyway.
The room holds a bouquet of blushing peonies set in a dainty little vase on a decorative table. Cardan plucks one to accessorize with, affixing it to his breast with a cunning golden pin. His circlet this night is similarly whimsical, with delicate golden branches and leaves that weave through his hair.
There is something else, too, beside the vase: a silken little box, which Cardan will pick up. ]
Before you start, I have something for you.
[ He makes it sound casual, like he's handing Liem a stack of papers to sign.
What's inside the box, actually, is much less mundane: it is a crown woven from flowers. Though winter has not extended its icy fingers to the isles, the flowers are largely seasonal: bright winterberries mix with somber grey hellebores and the vibrant wintery green of mistletoe. The purple roses are, admittedly, a self-indulgent addition, but surely Cardan can be forgiven for breaking his self-imposed theme. ]
no subject
He is distracted from his thoughts, however, when his husband lifts the silken box sitting nearby and casually hands it to him, like it was something of Liem’s he was about to forget to take with him when leaving the house. He takes it, bemused, and looks inside to regard the little wreath of (mostly) winter greenery with surprise.
Oh— Cardan got this for him? Or… made it? Does he know how to weave such things himself? Flower crowns are a Faerie enough subject matter that Liem truly doesn’t know which would be more plausible. He spends a long moment gazing at it, tilting the box this way and that, as a warm little smile dawns over his face.
It is a thoughtful and touchingly spousal gift. Though, with his mind still on the revel they are supposedly meant to be attending, he still cannot guess at why Cardan would suddenly give him such a thing. Liem finally raises his eyes from the wreath, which he has not made any move to lift from its box, to again find his husband’s face.]
This is lovely — but what is the occasion?
no subject
Perhaps it's just a thing that's gauche to bring up until someone else does, but Cardan doubts it; it is much more like his husband to forget about a day meant to celebrate himself above all others.
So he doesn't miss a beat when Liem asks about the occasion, though his own smile is a little secretive. ]
You are going to a wild place, and so I figured you could use a bit of the same.
[ Let his husband think that his secret is about the party. He's not lying -- they are going to a wild place; it just won't be the place he had talked about when he'd described the revel. ]
And I thought it would look handsome on you.
[ Since Liem isn't reaching into the box, Cardan will, curling careful fingers around the wreath. Still, he doesn't immediately plunk it down onto Liem's head. ]
May I?
no subject
But his husband acquired it for him, and he clearly wishes to see him wear it, so Liem has little real choice but to trust him when he says he thinks it would look handsome on him. As the one who spends much of his nights looking at Liem, Cardan must certainly be the most qualified to make such judgments.]
Please do.
[Liem lets the box in his hands sink down as Cardan lifts the crown out, cradling the delicate-looking construction. Whatever secrets Cardan is still keeping about their outing, and whatever whims guide him, Liem is content to entertain his wishes.
Besides, it is romantic, and he is not inclined to scorn romance from his own spouse.]
I would not know how best to wear it, myself.
no subject
Besides, it pleases him to see Liem with a touch of Faerie about him. In his time abroad, Cardan had willingly taken to Ironside fashions, swapping his velvet doublets and breeches for of sharply cut suits and silk cravats. It is only meet for Liem to take on a touch of whimsy now, when he is in Cardan’s homeland, about to be spirited away to an adventure of Cardan’s making. Is it so strange that the flowers in Liem’s hair make Cardan all the more possessive of his husband, who is otherwise irritatingly resistant to any mark Cardan endeavours to leave on his skin?
Surely not. And if he takes the indulgence of stealing another kiss from his spouse, then that is only natural too.
Afterward, Cardan will step back to eye him, his mouth in a satisfied curl. ]
You look like one of us.
[ But then, Liem always has, with his gently pointed ears and otherworldly elegance. The flowers resting in his hair lend him the flavour of an in-between creature, half magical hero and half stern accountant, and what could possibly be more Faerie than that?
Cardan will offer his hand, his fingers unfurling in invitation. ]
Come. We are just in time.
no subject
Covetousness steals over him in the quiet of that moment, urging him to cling to this fragile thing between them as long as he can, with fang and claw if he must. Truly the jealous one between them is him, for him to wish beyond any logic or sense simply to keep this man all for himself. The expense may well be too costly to bear.
But he would much rather subside into his husband's kiss than think about such things.
And he does feel a little like he belongs in a faerie story, when Cardan looks at him like that and offers him his hand. Though he cannot run off into the forest with a faerie prince, never to be seen again, he can pretend that he might just for a little while, as he places his fingers in Cardan's warm ones.]
Let us go catch your twilight, then, husband.
no subject
Still, with Dain having approached Liem directly, the need for distance between them had been more pertinent than ever, and so he had pushed the feeling down, declared it unreasonable, and moved on with the pretense.
But tonight is different. Tonight, Cardan does not care and can convince himself of no reason why he should. He threads his fingers through his husband's and keeps hold of them as he leads them out of the palace. The sun has just passed the horizon; the sky is black and starry, except for orange and pink clouds in the west, vibrant as coals. Their horses have been readied for them: Cardan releases Liem only to mount a handsome dappled steed.
And then they ride.
The revel is being held at Insweal, the Isle of Woe. Ordinarily, this would mean a boat trip. Still, when the tide is low, it is possible to get there on horseback, so long as the horse can navigate the slippery pathway of stones between the two islands -- which the silver-shod Faerie steeds naturally are. Cardan had explained as much to Liem, and so it should be no surprise when he sets off north at a stiff pace. Soon, the Crooked Forest is on them, its trees leaning permanently, as grass stalks in the wind. Unlike the Milkwood, which always appears to make Cardan a little nervous, he is at ease here; he even allows their pace to slow a little, so that they may enjoy the fragrant breezes and nighttime songs. ]
I had hoped I would have time to show you the islands before now, [ he admits, with a half-smile towards Liem. ] But I suppose we were otherwise occupied.
[ If not with other revels, then certainly with each other. And though the beauty of Elfhame is incomparable, he is hard-pressed to regret any of their time in their rooms, with naught but their secrets between them. ]
no subject
But he cannot deny the pleased warmth that nestles in his breast as they make their way up and outside.
("What's this?" he leans in to murmur as they emerge to the sight of the two silver-shod faerie horses waiting for them. "A handsome matched pair of steeds, ready to bear us away?" He sounds a little coy about it, but of course they already passed any number of pairs on their way here, and the night is only just beginning.)
He readily welcomes the brisk pace of their twilight ride. With all the time they have spent in carriages and decorated palace rooms, the feel of the night air whistling about him is refreshingly freeing, especially as they leave the chatter of the other gentry behind them. Soon the only voices they hear are carried on the breeze, and the stooped shapes of the Crooked Forest's trees draw near to swallow them up.]
To think I entertained the notion that we might be less busy away from home. [He lifts one eyebrow as he meets Cardan's half-smile. He could only call some of their days here busy in as much as they have been busily pursuing private indulgence, but he considers the time well-spent even so.] There never seems to be enough time for everything we might wish to pursue.
no subject
He does not attempt a counter immediately; it seems like he might have forgotten about the game entirely as they ride through the woods. Now and then, Cardan raises his face to the sky, searching the slant of moonlight. Evidently, he was serious about the early hour's deadline. ]
We have forever, [ he counters, his easy tone belying just how much optimism the statement demands from them both. They have forever, assuming Dain doesn't murder them both -- and even forever is fleeting before an assassin's blade.
But Cardan wishes not to consider such things, so he doesn't. Instead, he urges his horse forward, ahead of Liem's, and then-- sharply left, into what appears to be nothing but greenery at first glance. In fact, it is a needle-thin, winding path, its mouth entirely concealed by bushes heavy with violet berries. The woods around them rustle as crepuscular creatures flee, startled by the sudden intrusion into their domain. ]
no subject
He had not expected that sentiment from a man who seemed to scorn patience and planning in favour of wringing whatever satisfaction he could from his days. Delayed gratification did not seem to be something he particularly enjoyed. But perhaps that is just the kind of person Cardan is, with no bearing on his expectations for the future. And, after all, assuming they are successful in their plot, his husband has every reason to suppose their time together will last just as long as he wishes it to.
His thoughts occupy him so thoroughly that it isn't until they have already turned onto the winding trail through the trees that a frown steals over Liem's face, aimed at their surroundings and then at his husband's well-attired back as they ride. This seems an odd way for them to be going, for two men supposedly heading for the crossing to Insweal.]
Where are you taking me, husband?
no subject
What do you mean? [ he asks, innocent to the core. ] Surely you cannot have forgotten.
[ Liem hasn't, of course, because Cardan never told him. Oh, he had explained all about the revel, that they had been invited, and how to get there. He'd talked about how exciting it would be. But he had never once said that they were heading to the Isle of Woe this night, even if any reasonable person would surmise as much. Neither fey nor mortals -- nor vampires -- are immune from making unwise assumptions, as it turns out.
Cardan isn't looking to trap Liem in an inopportune deal, of course -- he only wants to surprise him, to show him something unexpected and hopefully pleasant. He's never had a chance to plan a birthday party for anyone; it seems only reasonable that he do his best.
And they are almost there, anyway; the path is turning narrower, the tree cover more dense. Up ahead, the path appears to end entirely -- blocked by a massive rock wall covered in vines. ]
no subject
I must have, [Liem says dryly, being not at all constrained to the literal truth as his deceitful husband is.] Since I cannot recall any plans for our night that involved…
[Where has Cardan brought them, really? They are somewhere deep within the forest, certainly, but the trees crowding the path make discerning anything around them difficult even for a man whose eyes cut through the dark with perfect ease. When he leans a little to one side in an attempt to peer further up the path, all he glimpses is an overgrown wall of rock. It seems to be a dead end — but it has belatedly occurred to him that he should be doubting how things seem for this outing.
Well—] … Mm. Detours to out-of-the-way parts of the Crooked Forest.
no subject
[ Cardan's tone is mildly questioning, like he's never considered this take on their outing before -- though a soft note of amusement creeps into his voice as they continue. ]
This is not a detour.
[ He says it so reasonably, even as his horse stops before the solid stone wall, unwilling to go further. Nonplussed, Cardan will dismount. He approaches the wall with odd, silent steps, as if he were a ghost traversing the forest rather than a man. But he is real, after all -- when he pulls the riding glove off his right hand and reaches out, the ivy parts for his bare palm, letting him touch the cool stone.
Then he turns his face to the moonlit sky, expectant of... something. ]
no subject
In retrospect, it does lend his restless energy rather more of a mischievous air.]
Then you were in quite a rush to get us to the middle of the woods in a timely manner.
[His tone is still a little dry, a little puzzled as Cardan dismounts and moves over to the stone wall. What hurry could there have been, to get them both out here before twilight’s colours fully receded from the deepening night sky? He can hardly see the sky for all the trees, anyway, though, noting his husband’s expectant attention towards it, he finds himself suddenly curious to see what he’s looking for. Liem cannot help but glance again skyward, and then back to his spouse, his pale eyes reflecting the sky’s fading light as he looks between them.]
no subject
Darker still, all around them, as a cloud passes over the moon.
This, evidently, is what Cardan was waiting for. He pushes against the rock, and it parts like a doorway, moving with a fluid silence no rock formation ought to possess. Beyond is only darkness, and of such an unnatural velvet-soft quality that not even Liem's eyes will be able to pierce it. ]
Come, [ says Cardan, having finally regained some urgency. He steps inside the black beyond the door, pulling his horse along. The possibility of Liem's refusal to follow does not seem to occur to him at all -- there is no time for that, anyway. And surely his husband trusts him at least this much.
It is two, three steps in complete darkness, and then an exit into a different world entirely.
Rather -- it is still a wood, and likely the same wood they just came from -- certainly the same stars twinkle up above them, and the same moon is peeking out from the same cloud. Cardan steps out of the stone entrance -- a grotto, really, with moss-covered walls and a number of skittish lizards -- and onto a ground carpeted with clover.
The ample space he has led them to is enclosed in steep vine-covered stone walls on all three sides. The trees here are tall and thin, stretched in their yearning to reach the sun, with one exception: the giant wisteria that fills the center of the hidden place, its languid violet flowers swaying gently in the night's breeze. Sprites and lightning bugs flit through its branches, their twinkle like so many festive lights. Tucked away towards the right, built right into the stone itself, is what appears to be a very overgrown greenhouse, its wrought metalwork still exquisite even though some of the glass panels are cracked.
Cardan steps out into all this-- and then turns with a smile, to point to an arrangement of longleaf pines huddled together as if for comfort. ]
Ah. How obliging for the three of them to be here, still.
[ Well, they are still playing. ]
no subject
But the silence with which the door appears is still uncanny, and the way Cardan disappears wholly into the darkness within makes Liem all but leap from his horse to lead it hurriedly after him. He mislikes how easily his husband has simply vanished — and when he steps into the doorway in his wake, he freezes for a brief moment at the foreign realization that he cannot see a single thing. It is as if his eyes had been plucked from his head.
Then he hastens forward again, very nearly colliding with the rump of Cardan's steed as he emerges back into moonlight, frowning warily as he breaks out of the darkness of the grotto. His eyes find Cardan like twin magnets snapping to iron. For a moment he does not even see the garden.
But then he looks, because Cardan points — and he sees the pines, and the wisteria, and the greenhouse, and all the rest. His expression softens to curiosity.]
What is this place?
no subject
Cardan twists to look at the greenhouse as if evaluating it for the first time. ]
Someone's sanctuary, once upon a time. It was long abandoned by the time I'd made it mine.
[ Abandoned by all but the sprites and the wildlife, at least -- and all the better for it. He steps closer, reaching for Liem's hand with his still-bare one, so that he may lift it to his lips. ]
You must forgive me for deceiving you; I was told it would be imperative.
[ For the tradition of birthday surprises, naturally, which he has been educated on by a few of the younger and more excitable of the serving staff.
And if he can't help the grin that curves over his mouth, well-- he's never quite escaped his tendency of smiling when he's nervous, and he is a little nervous now. ]
no subject
Were you? By whom?
[He allows a puzzled little smile to creep onto his face. Who would possibly have given Cardan advice like that — and more to the point, whom would he have actually taken it from? Surely no one in Elfhame would have any commentary about their marriage that would be worth listening to. Besides, there is no reason why Liem would object to accompanying Cardan to an abandoned forest garden, or why he would need to trick him to get him here.
And he had been convinced, by Cardan's behaviour earlier in the evening, that there was some sort of… special…
…
… … …]
What night is it?
[Puzzlement turns to dawning suspicion. His birth anniversary is tomorrow, right? It's not tonight, is it?]
no subject
Hopefully, that also means he will be pleased. ]
A night for romance under the stars, don't you think? [ he answers smoothly, somehow unperturbed to be saying such a ridiculous thing. ]
...But if you require a concrete answer, [ as, of course, Liem is wont to do, ] it is the twenty-first of January, per Ironside's calendars.
A date which my husband has not mentioned to me whatsoever.
[ And if he sounds a little accusatory, it is definitely on purpose. It is, of course, perfectly in Liem's character to have neglected to share such a thing, given he has kept much bigger and more important secrets -- and still, Cardan cannot help but feel displeasure at the idea that Liem thought he would not care to celebrate with him. ]
no subject
The urge to reply you didn’t ask floats up to tickle the back of his throat, but it occurs to Liem immediately that this would be unkind. He knew even before they’d been married a full two months that Cardan would have celebrated him in some way for his birthday, even if only just because being caught unawares would make him look thoughtless and inattentive. He really should have brought it to his attention.
Only, they’d been in the thick of travel plans by the time the year turned and the thought occurred to him. And he had thought it wouldn’t matter in any case, if the date passed while they were abroad, with no one else around to notice.]
Ah— But someone else did, clearly.
[One of his servants, perhaps? It might have been Iago, he supposes, though he wouldn’t have thought his father would suggest a surprise outing even if he’d thought to mention the date. Ultimately, it matters little where Cardan heard it.]
It is not a night to which I assign much importance. But, I see I was remiss not to tell you of it.
no subject
[ His surprise is entirely put on. To say that he is unsurprised to find that Liem thinks the day of his birth inconsequential is an understatement. Even Cardan, whose birthdays have never been celebrated by anyone, likely assigns more importance to his.
But that's neither here nor there. He cocks his head and then steps in closer, slipping his free hand over Liem's hip. ]
I was led to believe it was an important event. [ His mouth curls against Liem's fingers, undeterred. ] Was I lied to, Liem? Shall we pack up and head to the revel?
[ He has no intention of doing so, of course. Liem might surmise as much from the possessive grasp of his hands or the mischief sparking in Cardan's eyes. He had not prepared all this -- leaving their comfortable bed way too early, timing their arrival just right so the cave would open, not to mention all the sneaking around he'd had to do prior -- to abandon it in favour of a party where they would barely have time to speak to one another.
(And since when had he become so desperate to spend time alone with Liem, even here, among friends whom he has not seen in months? It's strange -- but now is a poor time to meditate on the oddity of his feelings.) ]
no subject
He had not considered that Cardan might have already heard about the date from someone else, and he had not imagined that his husband would lure him to a private hideaway to celebrate the night with him alone.
He had never celebrated his birthday in such a way, even when he still had close companions. His birth date had always been an excuse to host yet another party at Iago’s home, an opportunity for socializing and politics — and then, when there was no one he still wished to invite to such things, it simply became an occasion when he could set his work aside for a little while.
But now that he has it, he is not inclined to scorn the chance to have Cardan’s company all to himself.]
And let all your scheming go to waste?
[He sways readily into his husband’s grasp, his free hand skating up his chest to curl over the side of his neck, thumb just brushing the edge of his jaw. No, his tone says. Surely not.]
But now I’m curious to know your plans for me.
no subject
[ He hadn't expected Liem to refuse, but he's nonetheless pleased to be right. It's pleasing to stand for a moment under the starry sky, without noisy courtiers or political maneuvers interrupting their peace. He likes the way Liem feels in his hands, likes the way he looks in his casual attire, his hair tousled from the ride and crowned with flowers. It makes something strange flutter in the pit of his stomach -- a tender, fleeting thing for which he has no name. ]
I have cakes and wine [ the driest and headiest wine he could source ] and mischief aplenty to inflict upon you.
...But I thought I ought to give you the chance of choosing your own, for once. [ Certainly Liem has not had much liberty with his itinerary during their visit in Faerie, and for all that he sets his own schedule back home, the demands on his time hardly allow for whimsy. ]
We need not even stay. There is plenty of night, and many places we could go. Much as I would rue not commandeering your lap for my pillow once more.
[ B... because that's what one does with the birthday boy, right -- use him to satisfy one's urge for romantic stargazing.
Still, the flash of Cardan's smile is unapologetically bright. ]
So, husband, tell me: is there aught you would like above all?
no subject
He has no particular need for cakes, or wine, or crowns, or visits to secret hideaways, but the fact that Cardan has prepared these things for him brings a smile to his face, warm as candleglow.]
Let us sit, [he decides.] You may commandeer my lap if you like.
[The clover makes for a tempting enough seat, and it has been a long time indeed — too long, by his reckoning — since he and Cardan looked at the stars. Though the prospect of being shown other parts of the island does intrigue him, and though he would surely enjoy a long ride with just his spouse for company, he thinks their night would be better spent here, at least for the time being.
Tipping his face up toward Cardan's, he brushes a kiss against his jaw before stepping back to survey the surrounds for the ideal spot.]
And you can enlighten me, while you do, of other places you would like to take me.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)