Archive of Our Own ^beta

Out of nowhere you came
Needing someone to reach out,
But no one came to take you home.

So I took you in and made you my own...
Only to find troubles abound.
You were... unexpected...
So we were not prepared...
When we found you were mute,
Both of us grew frustrated...
Combine these two with your eager curiosity...
Made our first days quite
Imperfect and unsatisfactory.

Somehow, all these imperfections...
...only made you more Perfect.
...
How I wonder why
He didn't see that...

Cover is UP!
Thank you for reading. I wish you a blessed Easter wherever you are.

SCRIPT:
In the bottomost of Hallownest, there lies the White Palace,
Where within ruled the Pale King, shinning and wise.
I served this most glorious king, my son, as his Watcher.
As his servant, I gave him everything.
My service's reward was the entrusting of duties, treasures, and secrets.
A reward only given to Her Majesty the Queen.

One day, His Majesty called me aside, desiring to share his secrets.
O my son, I had no fantom of the darkness he would share. The only thought in my mind was how I could serve. After all, my liege lord needed all the help he could gather to defeat the Blazing Light.

His majesty was so eager, I recall, to share his secrets.
I expected the project to be a grand scheme, a mighty warrior, or a secret weapon.
But the last thing I expected to see...was you.
A you that was cold, stiff, and lifeless while still drawing breath.
Speechless, I observed this test that was required.
Clueless, for I left you at our Spire.

What kind of test was this?
Whose loyalty was tested? The father or the son?
The only reward one could hope to earn was the approval of one's liege lord...

Somehow, the test was passed...but what His Majesty said and did surprised me more.
"This 'construct', so capable, will be the vessel to seal away the Blazing Light."
"YOU need not be so horrified at such a small thing." The king assured me.

I was horrified, my king not at What...but FOR WHO.

SCRIPT:
I have no clue how I left the Palace free,
when I was shaking in my knees.

I hurried home, silently begging that my worst fears were not true.
Certain members of our household would have preferred I was not so silent.

There, in all your imperfections and bedhair, you were perfectly fine. But Nothing was Perfectly Fine.

BEFORE I move on to the script, I must inform you all of an interesting development. Somehow, DeviantArt got to see my OC Maria before all my Ao3 readers did. Who is Maria, my newcomers ask? She is my OC who I created to be the wife to Lurien's butler, Ian Watson. Lurien actually introduced the two to each other while readers got to hear of their honeymoon in my fanfic "How to (NOT) Invade the City of Tears". As I had her pass away before events in game, I never showed her in my fanfics...till now. 😄
I look forward to writing her in my WatcherDad!AU as both Maria and Ian are Fortis' godparents. I must make fun of how she is taller than her husband. 🤣

SCRIPT:
Nothing was the same after that meeting in the White Palace.

I told no one, of course, of what the king told me.

Yet that did little to prevent our household from putting facts together that someone threatened the Spire...and you.

You, my son, never noticed the threats. You were so full of excitement from your godmother and all the squires spending all their "free" time with you.

No, not free from duty, for they made loving you their duty.

While our household prepared for what could be, I turned my gaze to what had been...and what to do now.

A choice no one consulted me about.

SCRIPT:
His Majesty told me of his plans;
Of how there were no costs too great...and not to fret for HE would pay them.
Pay them with the sweat and blood of his own child.
A vessel wearing a dead shell-ha!
What a lie to mask the faces of living children!

Despite the clear gravity of what His Majesty did and was doing...
Dust clouds obscured the best path forward.

On One Hand, I stand up to the King, Fight for the King's child, Speak out against this plan.
Slighting the Pale King's Dignity and Opening the kingdom to rot.
In other words, TREASON.

On the Other Hand, I say nothing, do Nothing so that the citizens of the kingdom are saved. Dooming the Princeling to chains and Daming the Pale King to Hell.

In conclusion, also TREASON.

Strike the Body to save the Soul.
Dam the Soul to Save the Body.
Any action taken now will be TREASON.

Treason, treason, TREASON, TREASON!!!

*Soft Footsteps are heard*

"?"

"Meep! Meep!"

I cannot begin to thank you, my son, for bringing me out of that storm.
And for the realization of what loyalty I ought to hold most true.