Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started off just like any other night. I was stuck late finishing off my side work as the evening closer at one of my several jobs. Every Sunday night I would be there hours after close because the other servers would skip their side work and “forget” to restock before they clocked out. So I would get dumped with the majority of the work, and as the closer if something didn’t get done I would get blamed. Most people would grow apathetic of this shit and quit, but this restaurant was in the wealthy north side of Chicago, so the tips made the long commute and toxic work environment worth it. For the first time in my adult life, I was actually starting to put aside money, and maybe someday I might be able to take it easy and have the time to do all the things I’ve always wanted. So I try and stay optimistic. It’s the only way I’d be able to keep going.

It was so late it was almost early, but at least a couple of stars were able to peek through the city’s light-polluted sky. The dark new moon made the park I cut through significantly sketcher, but a least I had a few stars to watch over my commute. The stars always made me feel less alone.

As my bike raced down the path, I heard the growing beating of drums and the shrill scream of pipes. The noise sent a shiver down my spine and I peddled faster to get home. Chicago can be a rough city, and I had no intention of sticking my nose in weird shit. That’s how you get mugged, raped, and shanked. And I am not adding that to my series of unfortunate events.
But the faster I went the louder the sounds grew, until suddenly the dark park dissolved in a flash of blindly white light. My bike no longer on smooth pavement, hit a bump and sent me flying over my handlebars. I hit the ground hard before rolling a few feet.
My mind raced trying to piece together what happened. I must have been hit by a car. A car driven by a mad Scotsman in the middle of a park in the dead of night. I mentally checked myself over. I wasn’t dead, just bruised and covered with mild scraps, but nothing broken. Broken bones meant medical bills that would have completely wiped out my meager savings. I then took note of my surroundings. Readying myself to chew out the drunken asshole who must have hit me.

But I wasn’t in the park anymore. Let alone anywhere near Chicago. There was no car or drunk driver. The sun was bearing down high in the sky and I was surrounded by ren-fair rejects in a muddy plaza. Despite the fact they were all kneeling towards a platform in front of a piazza, all their heads were turned towards me in the center. The piazza was so silent you could hear a pin drop. The tension was broken by a bored woman seated lazily upon a throne.

“It appears I’m not the only one the High Father has thrown down today.”

Heads swiveled towards her. My own snapped up and I got my first real look at this woman. Despite her cold uninterested demeanor, she was the most beautiful and intimidating person I’ve ever seen. Her skin shone like a freshly minted penny, while black rivets of hair flowed down her shoulders. Her bored eyes cut across the courtyard and pierced my soul. My heart skipped a beat, my mouth grew dry. I knew at that moment I would do anything to make this somber woman smile.

I was so lost in drinking in her sight, that I almost didn’t process what she said. Not that any of it made a lick of sense to me. I brushed myself off, ran a hand through my sweaty hair, and tried to think quickly of something cool to say, but my awkward confusion won out.

“Huh. And um where has this High Father thrown us exactly? Cause we sure an’t in Chicago.” I threw in a dorky smile to top it off.

The scarily beautiful woman tilted her perfect head at me and those steel like eyes studied me in silence. I felt like a lab rat being dissected in front of a live audience. After a tense moment under her sharp gaze, she suddenly said

“You’re not from this web.”

I wasn’t sure if it was a statement or a question, so my dumb ass responded with a hard “Yep” popping the p.

The lady didn’t elaborate further, and the crowd of GOT extras stared up at me in fear. I figured this woman must be an empress or some kind of princess. Maybe even an evil queen. Evil queens are always pretty hot. I wondered if she’d feed me to a dragon for my lack of manners. For her, I’d die happily.

After an uncomfortably long moment, an old woman in long flowing robes prostrated at the woman’s feet anxiously spoke up. “My Lady, you said the Highfather has sent this woman here? Is she another deity?”

She rolled her yes and scoffed. “Her. A deity? That’s almost comical.”

I know I was scuffed up from my tumble, and I just gotten out of work after doing a double. But rude.

“Then is this strange woman to be your anchor?” the old woman asked still kneeling.

Her slender shoulders rolled in a lazy shrug. Too un-bothered to answer that with words. My scraped knees stung, my head ached, and my irritation only grew alongside my confusion. I pinched the bridge of my nose and huffed, dragons be damned.

“Can anyone tell me where exactly I am and what’s going on? I don’t have time for this.”

The crowd gasped at my response. The older woman finally stood up and addressed me. “You are in Rastana, and stand before the Aspect of Tadekha, Goddess of Magic.” Her voice carried authority and a taste of disapproval.

“Okay.” I replied as if that clarified a single thing.

“Did the High Father send you here and are you willing?” The grouchy crone inquired.

“Uh sure, I guess.” My head pounded with confusion. I was beyond exhausted and gave up trying to understand a damn thing. I gave in to my aching head and decided to just play along with whatever the fuck was happening.

“Then come forth” the crone commanded.

I limped up to the platform, trying to hide my wincing with each step, desperate to get whatever was going on over with. Once I made it up, the “goddess” lazily stuck out her hand in what was undoubtedly the worst handshake I’d ever seen. I swallowed my irritation and reached for her hand, planning to give her the firmest squeeze I could muster purely out of spite. But the second our fingertips touched I felt a ripple of power rip through me. I felt as though my body turned inside out and back again as a wave of nausea sent me to my knees. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was throwing up on the goddess’s bare feet.

Chapter Text

When I came to, the air was cooler and the sky was the soft blue hue of the evening. I must have been out for hours. I realized with horror underneath the soft linen sheets I was freshly washed and completely naked. I snapped up, clutching the sheet to my chest, looking around the room frantically. Beside me, a started woman jumped out of her seat.

“My lady, you’re awake! How do you feel?”

“Where the fuck am I and where are my clothes? Am I dead or something?”

“Oh no, my lady. After you bonded with Tadekha, you fell sick and passed out. We had to clean your body of your illness, but I can assure you, you are safe here. Your clothes were torn and filthy. So we have prepared the finest clothing in the city for you instead. I can help you dress if you please.”

“I think I can manage myself, thanks. May I have some privacy, please?"

“Of course, I’ll be just outside the door if you require any assistance.”

As soon as the door clicked shut, I let out a breath and pinched my nose. What the fuck happened? This morning’s events could easily have been a bad concussion-induced fever dream, but somehow it’s still going. It was definitely the middle of the night when I was riding my bike home, and I was most certainly in Chicago. Wherever I ended up couldn’t be more different.

Had any time passed in my world yet? Did I miss my next shift? I let out a puff of frustration. I couldn’t afford to get fired, otherwise, I’d never make rent for my shitty cracker-box of an apartment. The bedroom I was in was three times the size and significantly nicer. And that’s when it hit me, why should I try to go back? I didn’t have anybody or any pets depending on me. I didn’t own a single thing of value. And I had no family after my parents disowned me for being gay. I wondered if anyone would care enough to notice I was gone, and actually bother to fill out a missing persons report. It’s not like I had the time to make any real friends or even think about dating.

I decided to think of this as an extended vacation. Here I had a very comfortable bed, a huge room all to myself, a servant, and of course, there was Her. They said she was a goddess. I wondered if she really was or if it was just a title or something. She was certainly beautiful enough to pass as one, even if she was kind of bitchy. I wasn’t sure yet what a deity’s anchor required, maybe it was a type of servant. I hoped I could spend more time with her.

So with that, I found the motivation to climb out of bed and try to dress myself. The laces on the back proved too difficult, and I had to call the maid back in after all. Through a little awkward small talk, we exchanged names. I learned the servant’s name was Emaline, and that Tadekha was just down the hall.

“You must be hungry my Lady, would you like to break your fast here or in the dining room?” Emaline asked.

I thought it over, as much as I would love to lounge in that incredible suite all day or explore a real fucking castle, the first place that came to mind was wherever Tadekha was. Appreciating the local architecture just wasn’t on my Gay Agenda.

“If she’ll allow my presence I’ll eat with Tadekha. Could you bring my meal there please?”

“Of course, my lady, but- Tadekha might not be in the mood for company. You mustn’t take it too personally.”

“Don’t worry I’m sure I’ll win her over, you see I have a way with women.” And with that, I flashed her a brilliant smile and a wink and left the poor maid blushing in my bedroom.

I wandered down the hall to the next room. The door to it was 15 feet tall of solid wood, with delicately detailed carvings engraved throughout the length of it. I took a deep breath to build up a moment of courage, and then I knocked.

I held my breath as I waited for any sort of reply, but was met by only silence. Maybe she was sleeping? Do goddesses sleep? It wasn’t that late in the evening, but then again I only just woke up.

I thought about turning back, but I decided to enter anyway under the guise of seeing if she needed anything. I am her Anchor after all. Whatever that means.

I gave the large door a good push, and it groaned open with a loud creak. I stepped inside and muttered “Man, this castle could use a little WD-40.” before closing the door behind me. The doors shut with a resounding thud, and for the first time, I really took in the space. I thought my suite was luxurious, but this one blew it out of the water! The ornament wasn’t limited to just the entryway. The entire space was decked out from floor to ceiling, and gilded with gold and jewels. The ceiling sparkled like a sea of stars. I was so taken aback I almost didn’t notice in the center of the room was a large canopy bed, and in the middle of that was a godly lump of blankets.

“Tadekha? Are you awake? It’s me, Hope, you’re uh anchor thing.” I called out in a whispered voice. An undignified grunt was the sole response.

I couldn’t help the chuckle that came out, as I walked over, and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. She rolled over onto her back with a huff.

“I’m sorry did I wake you?” I asked softly.

“No. Gods do not sleep.” She uttered in a matter-of-fact monotone.

“Ah of course, then what were you doing in bed if not sleeping?” I teased back.

She rolled those grey eyes, before narrowing in on me and dryly asked “And what else should I be doing during The Anticipation?”

She said that last word like it was supposed to mean something, as if that question implied an answer. A heavy one at that.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have a shot in hell. So I replied, “Admiring the local architecture?”

She snorted and shook her head, a mix of exasperation and begrudging amusement. She looked at me long and hard, and once again I felt more exposed than I ever had in my life. I felt like she could see my soul and read my DNA like a book. And after a breath that felt like a lifetime, she broke the silence and said with weighted certainty “You really are not from this web.”

I smacked my lips and nodded. “Truthfully I have no idea what that means, but I’m definitely not from around here.”

“So you know nothing of this world.” Again she said that was such certainty I couldn’t tell if she was asking or declaring.

“That is correct,” I said.

Tadekha groaned. “In all my years you must be the worst anchor I have ever had.”

“Oh. Well, I’m a fast learner, a die-hard optimist, and I have a great sense of humor. I’m sure we’ll make this work…whatever this is.”

Tadekha rubbed her face and signed. “I hope we die soon, I just want this pointless affair over with already. The High Father squanders my time with this nonsense.”

“Well okay Eeyore, I much prefer staying alive though, so how about you give me the rundown on all of this.”

She stared at me hard. “I’m not familiar with that word. What did you call me?”

I laughed “That makes two of us that don't understand a damn thing. Eeyore is a character in a series of children's stories. He’s kind of depressing, but his friends Pooh Bear and Tigger are always there trying to cheer him up on their adventures.”

“Why is he friends with ursine excrement?” she most seriously asked.

I howled with laughter at that. In between my pained cackles, I tried to explain that Winnie the Pooh was just a silly old bear, but at I think she just gave up any hope of understanding.

It was then a knock came at the door and Emaline entered with a cart of food and drinks. She looked bewildered and anxious, but I didn’t get a chance to ask what was the matter before she politely excused herself and scurried back out.

I didn’t dwell long on her strange behavior and dug into the food she delivered. A platter of sweet fruits, cheeses, warm breads, and savory meats adorned the silver tray. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until then. I had never been so hungry in my entire life, and as soon as I started eating I couldn’t stop. It wasn’t until I finished every last crumb I realized I never offered any to Tadekha. My stomach dropped and my face flushed, God I felt like such an asshole. I had no idea what had come over me.

“Oh Tadekha I’m so sorry I’ve never done that before. Would you like something, I’ll go ask Emaline to bring more. Again, I’m so sorry.” I rambled in shame.

I started to get up when I felt her hand grab my wrist. That electric current ran up my arm from the touch, but not as intensely as before. This time it was more of a pleasant ripple than a total shock wave.

“There’s no need for that. Gods don’t eat. But Anchors do. You’re eating for two after all.”

My jaw dropped, and my mind raced. If someone had taken my picture in that moment they could have photo-shopped math equations over my face. I was doing all sorts of mental gymnastics trying to figure out when, where, and how Tadekha could have knocked me up. Is that what being an anchor means?

“I’m pregnant?!?” I sputtered, completely flabbergasted.

Tadekha actually chucked a little, sat up, and pinched her nose. “No. High Father above, you are more clueless than a newborn fawn.” She signed.

“Okay, well then can you please explain what is going on? I can’t “serve” you properly if I have no idea what we’re supposed to be doing.”

“Fine. Get comfortable, and pay attention. I don’t like to repeat myself and it will be a lot of information. Where do I even begin with you?”

“How about whatever an anchor is?” I suggested.

“No. We’ll need to go back further. I will start with the High Father.”