fflewddur
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Jerusalem had fallen. Now, on top of the indignity of having to walk - walk! - to Alexandria to avoid getting shot out of the sky, Yusuf al-Kaysani has the double misfortune of being saddled with a filthy, empty-headed, exasperating Frank who doesn't even seem to know what his wings are for.
But after an explosion of temper reveals something about his enemy that Yusuf could never have fathomed in a thousand years, Yusuf finds himself looking at his companion in a whole new light. Suddenly tasked with helping Nicolo achieve a dream, an unexpected spark of compassion is born, that leads to forgiveness, to friendship, to all and more.
Every love story is a kind of dance.
Or - Yusuf and Nicolo live in a world where everyone has wings. It changes a lot about their world, and nothing about them.
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Bookmarked by fflewddur
07 Aug 2025
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“We cannot let anyone see us die. We cannot let them see us heal. We must get out of this city, away from them. If they catch you, they will kill you. If they see what you are…it will go as badly for you as it would for me. Neither of us is safe with them, you understand? You need me to help you get past them, away from this place. I need you to help me out there, in the desert, until we reach a port. Do you understand? We are the same. We must get out.”
He stopped; he was not sure how to make himself any clearer, and the Saracen was not evidently interested in conveying anything other than his loathing. Nicolò waited, and after a long, uncomfortable moment, the Saracen finally responded. He spat an incomprehensible sentence in Arabic, heavy with disdain, and thrust his bound hands forward. A demand to be released? That would make sense. Nicolò hesitated.
“Do you understand me?” he pressed, repeating his gestures. “We are the same. We go together? Away from here? Both of us?”
The Saracen repeated also; his Arabic phrase, and the twisting of his wrists against their bindings. Nicolò nodded, and crouched before him.“I am going to free you,” he said. “Please help me.”
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Bookmarked by fflewddur
29 Dec 2024
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Nicolò’s path has always been clear. As the third son he would become a monk and dedicate his life to the service of God. Nicolò has come to accept that, but when a mysterious stranger is washed up on shore and placed into his care, Nicolò has to fight with the temptation of everything he never knew he could want: companionship, friendship and maybe even more.
- Language:
- English
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- Chapters:
- 9/9
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- 1
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Bookmarked by fflewddur
21 Apr 2024
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“Beauregard – you said she is outside?” Essek half-turns in the direction of the front door. “Should we invite her in?”
It feels like there is something stuck in his throat. “In a moment. She is, ah – giving us some space.”
Essek turns back to stare at him. Repeats quietly, dangerously, “Space.”
Caleb forces himself to swallow. “Yes.”
Essek’s attention is a palpable thing now, sharp like a knife’s edge against his cheek. “Explain.”
One moment makes all the difference during the battle at Blumenthal. In the aftermath, the Nein grapple with what comes next.
Bookmarked by fflewddur
27 Feb 2024
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Historical AU set during the Fall of Carthage (2nd century BCE). When Carthaginian merchant Yusuf first met Nicolò in Rome, he thought him simply a pleasant night's distraction from the looming threat of war between their respective homelands. He did not expect to meet him again in battle outside the walls of Carthage—or, well…anything else that followed, really.
Bookmarked by fflewddur
10 Sep 2023