bleeding heart (lenora)

[archibald louis weyland]

❝ archibald louis weyland with great power comes great responsibility. The marble floors had been slick with blood when all had been said and done - an image that Archie didn't think would ever leave his mind. Archie had been happy to attend the birthday extravaganza for Ivan Alucard - he didn't know much about the vampire, but the few interactions he had the pleasure of having had framed the man in a kind, albeit very gaudy light. Archie wasn't sure where anyone could store that much energy, particularly after six centuries on Earth. Archie was barely an adult, and he already felt inexplicably aged. He had wanted to ask Lenora to the ball, but refrained - he still wasn't sure where they sat, and she was still with Omar as far as he knew. It hurt to think about, the woman that he loved being with someone else - there wasn't a day that went by where it didn't. But, Archie knew that he had to live with his choices. He'd driven her away, into the arms of someone else. They could be friends - but, it was unlikely there would ever be anything more than that. Archie mingled about the party, finding solace in several of the Order members and Children of the Moon that he recognized. He was near the front of the room when Ivan had entered, a gleeful smile on his slightly intoxicated face. That smile faltered the moment the woman to his left, a werewolf from the Children, began to cough violently. When the room darkened, the rush of flames filling the air as the orchestra dramatically changed tune, Archie turned to help her. She was already dead, foaming at the mouth. Archie withdrew his wand, backing away from the front of the room. The Kindred now wore their masks, a blur of the wolf and the lamb. He dueled with one for a moment, the small stature hard to match. They went blow-for-blow, several feet away and firing curses at one another. Then, the windows blew out, and everything changed. A large shard of glass had hit his opponent from behind, and blood spurted from the wound. She fell forward, mask falling off of her face. Archie recoiled away from the body of Ysabel Zabini, dead on the floor - not by his hand, but by a freak accident. Or, rather, Death itself. Archie took several steps back as the entity appeared, demanding the death of those not loyal to it. He'd not yet seen Death before, though he'd heard plenty of stories. None compared to the horror in front of him, and it twisted his stomach with terror to witness it claiming the lives of whomever it touched. Archie attempted to Apparate, to no avail. Of course there would be wards. Ivan had meant this to be a slaughter. There had to be a way out. He hurried along the wall of the fight, past burning doors. The windows had been blown out by Death, and there were already people working their way through them - to little avail, it seemed, judging from the agonizing screams coming from outside. Instead, Archie moved to the back, hoping to find a different way out. He was attacked from behind, a vampire tearing into him. His throat was raw from screaming, and the rest was a blur. Chunks ripped from his flesh by teeth and talon, clawed across his face. The vampire stamped down on his left arm at the elbow and he felt bones shatter. Still, he kept fighting. With his wand in hand, he blasted the vampire off of him, into the waiting fire that consumed the exit. The creature wailed, a horrific sound that grated against his eardrums like nails on a chalkboard. He stood on shaky feet, blood flowing into his eyes from a gash on his head.  "Confringo!" Archie shouted, aiming at the wall beside the flames. The marble and concrete shattered, shaking the building. He didn't take the time to look back at the chaos of the party, to worry about anyone else - though, he heard plenty of screams and mournful wailings from people he was sure that he knew. There wasn't any time to evaluate - he needed to get out. Archie took off at a sprint, towards the woods. He was sure that they had the house surrounded, but if he was quick enough, if he got away from the wards... Many of the followers in Death's army had swarmed the manor at the windows, miraculously leaving a free line to the woods. It took him several tries to Apparate, stopping for only a moment to try. When it didnt' work, he ran several more feet, tried again. Finally, the familiar sensation of being yanked through a tube took hold. Archie landed ungracefully on the floor of Lenora's bedroom, tumbling forward. The full force of his body rolled and slammed into her giant chestnut armoire, nearly knocking it on top of him. He didn't have the time to feel guilty about staining her carpet with his blood - or anyone else's for that matter, Archie wasn't sure which was his and which wasn't. "Lenora..." he rasped, looking around the room for her. "Lenora!" (tagged)⏤ lenora cerise moreau (WORD COUNT)⏤ 857 words (notes)⏤ the babies <3

MADE BY MIZO

[lenora cerise moreau]

give me a reason to love you

❝

The Moreau family, given that its patriarch was a very noted halfbreed activist, had been invited to the masquerade. But, given Estelle’s paranoia and insistence that nothing was safe anymore, they had turned it down. Lenora hadn’t really felt like going anyways. She was still sorting out the mess of her own feelings. She had ended things with Omar when she realized she still had feelings for Archie, but beyond that…nothing really made sense.

Archie had broken up with her, she reminded herself time and time again. He had wanted to grow and move on. He had seemed to, Lenora thought. She thought she had, too, but seeing him again made her realize that those deep feelings lingered. It was normal for love to do that, she knew. She’d spoken with Elise about it several times. But the way that they lingered is what made her ultimately end her relationship with Omar. It was fair to neither of them to continue dating when her own feelings were too tangled to decipher.

But she knew that in the center of those feelings, it was Archie in her heart, not Omar.

She thought of him often that night. It was Christmas Eve, and the London Moreau Estate was decorated accordingly. She was going to have a small gathering the following day, but had otherwise just returned from a quick journey to France to be with her family for dinner. It had been a wonderful Christmas party, full of spiced wine and delectable food, but something had just felt like it was missing, so Lenora had excused herself early.

Now, she sat all curled up in her chair by a fire that roared and crackled in the hearth. A glass of wine in hand, her heels scattered on the floor, and a book in her lap that was mostly forgotten, the brunette stared at the massive Christmas tree. She wondered how so much had changed in a year.

Christmas last year, Archie had gotten attacked. She had saved him, had pushed her father into making sure he had the best possible care and recovery. And then, a few weeks later, their relationship had ended. Lenora didn’t hold the timing of it all against him, but she wished she had perhaps supported him more.

Then, she had left Hogwarts, started dating Omar, and he…well, it wasn’t her business what exactly he had gotten up to.

But she couldn’t help the wistful fantasy of decorating this massive tree with Archie. Hanging the ornaments together, him lifting her up so that she could put the angel atop it all, exchanging presents and kisses. It was what she wanted, Lenora knew. But there was a small ache because it was something that just didn’t seem to be. Fate was fickle like that.

Moving on would be hard. It would take time. She knew she could do it, but she didn’t know where to start.

A series of thumps from upstairs made her heart lurch into her throat. She stilled, straining her ears to listen.

Lenora…Lenora!

Her name. Archie’s voice. What was he doing here?

Before she really knew anything else, Lenora had bolted to her feet, holding her hand out to the staff member that had come to check on her with the noise. Barefoot, the young woman flew across the parlor to the stairs, climbing them as quickly as she could. She burst through her bedroom door and paused there. Her hair was now wild and slipping loose from the careful, curled style she had it put in earlier that evening, but that was the least of her concerns.

There was blood on her carpet. Archie’s blood, she feared. He was struggling to get up, but immediately, she raced to him. Her hands settled on his shoulders, easing him back, then patted along his abdomen, his left arm was limply hanging at his side. There was blood pouring from his face, and immediately, her fingers started wiping at it away, trying to look in his eyes.

“I’m here,” she managed to say frantically, her voice shaking. In fact, everything was shaking. Her hands, her body. “I’m here.”

Her fingertips were now slick with his blood, and there was no sign of it stopping. She pulled his body into her lap, not caring that her silver dress was now getting stained scarlet.

“Mariah!” She screamed, calling for the servant she had known had seen her go up the stairs, the one who had heard the noise, too. “I need a healer! Call someone, anyone. One of Papa’s friends, get someone! Anyone!” Her voice became desperate, near a sob before she crouched down to hold Archie’s cheeks, to look down at him.

“Stay alive,” she begged him, tears dripping from her face onto his, startling her. She wasn’t exactly sure when she had started to cry. “Please, Archie, stay alive.”

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[archibald louis weyland]

❝ archibald louis weyland with great power comes great responsibility. With the amount of times he'd been near-death, Archie felt surprisingly invincible. Everything hurt like white hot flames, incinerating both his insides and his outsides... but, this was not the way he was going to die.  Not with Lenora rushing into the room. He lifted his head the best he could off of the floor as the door flung open and she appeared, silver dress catching what little light was in the room. Sweet Lenora, whose face was painted with concern. Kind Lenora, who likely had dropped what she was doing to rush to his aid. Beautiful Lenora, with worried lines creasing her forehead. Lenora was kneeling next to him in a heartbeat, cradling him. He let out an involuntary groan as her fingers desperately swept away the blood soaking his face, wincing. "I'm here. I'm here." He peered up at her as best he could through it all, watching the panic on her face. Archie tried to reach out to her, to hold her face in his hand, but searing pain shot down the arm he'd attempted to move - the broken one, evidently. Lenora didn't notice, head tilting towards the door to shout instructions to one of the household help. "Mariah! I need a healer! Call someone, anyone. One of Papa’s friends, get someone! Anyone!" Whether Mariah had heard her, Archie wasn't sure. Lenora cradled him closer, weeping over him. "Stay alive. Please, Archie, stay alive." "Lenora," Archie murmured. He moved the non-broken arm this time, willing it to move upwards. His hand cupped her face, thumb brushing tears from her cheeks. "I'm okay. I'll be okay. I promise." (tagged)⏤ lenora cerise moreau (WORD COUNT)⏤ 271 words (notes)⏤ <3

MADE BY MIZO

[lenora cerise moreau]

give me a reason to love you

❝

It felt like every pivotal moment in her relationship with Archie involved him dying in her arms. As she watched him, groaning in her arms, she had a vision of the last time she’d found him in a similar state. She’d sobbed then, and she was sobbing now, overwhelmed by both memory and reality.

How many times would she be forced to watch him suffer? This man that she loved, even if their relationship was…only friendly at the moment. Lenora was filled with gut-wrenching desperation. She couldn’t lose him. Not again. Not like this. The terror she had felt before, it was stronger now. The air had been sucked from her lungs and she choked on her tears as the gasps did nothing to give her starved body the oxygen she was trying to suck in.

His hand cradled her face, and it was the contact that released the pressure on her body. Not all at once, but the stroking motion of his thumb relieved more and more of the tension as time passed. Her head nuzzled into the touch.

Lenora. I’m okay. I’ll be okay, I promise.

“I’m supposed to be comforting you,” she sniffed, her slight smile only making her cry harder for a moment. But hearing him speak, hearing his voice was a greater relief than anything. He sounded like he was in pain, but not weakening. Not being pulled from her. Slowly, with that reassurance, her tears ceased.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” she whispered through a laugh as the last of the sobs subsided and she ran her fingers through his hair. She was left shivering, breathing shakily. “Or I’ll have to call you my damsel in distress.”

Indeed, every time she was forced to watch him, hurt or dying or both, it ripped a piece of her heart away. How many times would she be terrified of losing him? How many more times would she have to see her darling Archie fight to stay alive in her arms?

“Can you…can you move?” She asked. “I sent for help, and it should be coming soon, but the staff can tend to minor wounds in the kitchen.”

Lenora was too terrified to ask what happened, didn’t even know if she wanted to know. But she was faced with the horrified realization that it was probably a miracle that he had escaped whatever had left him so bloody and splayed across her rug.

“I–,” she started, but broke off as fear clutched her, the memory of his body in Honeyduke’s transfixed in her mind and the same terror and uncertainty had overwhelmed her then. “Were you attacked again?”

archibald louis weyland ● it hurts ● 439

MADE BY MIZO

[archibald louis weyland]

❝ archibald louis weyland with great power comes great responsibility. They'd been here more times than Archie wanted to count... but, there was a reason that his brain had instinctively come to her. She was safe, she was home, whether they were actually together or not. And he loved her endlessly for it. When his hand touched her cheek, Lenora melted into him, and all the pain he was feeling washed away... or, most of it did, anyway. It was easy not to focus on anything other than the beautiful woman holding him to her, smiling down on him with tears in her eyes. "I’m supposed to be comforting you." Archie couldn't help but laugh, which quickly turned into a cough. He winced in pain, but the small smile that had found its way onto his face didn't disappear. "We have to stop meeting like this. Or I’ll have to call you my damsel in distress.” It was Archie's turn to lean into her touch, his eyes closing contentedly as she raked her fingers gently through his hair. Her touch was as soothing as any healing brew or spell - in fact, Archie would've wagered that it was even better. There wasn't another soul on the planet that could make him feel like that - no one but Lenora. Merlin, he'd been so stupid to push her away. "I've been called worse," Archie replied with a smile. "Can you…can you move? I sent for help, and it should be coming soon, but the staff can tend to minor wounds in the kitchen.” "I can try," he replied. The adrenaline that had pushed him out of the masquerade and into the surrounding woods was subsiding, and he wasn't sure whether he'd be able to muster up the energy to even sit up. But, he'd have to try. "I– Were you attacked again?" Archie's smile evaporated, eyes opening to take in the concern on Lenora's face. Of course she'd want to know the details, but it was so much worse than she likely was assuming. Archie himself could barely believe what had happened, what betrayal had occurred. "It was an ambush," he replied, voice measured in hopes of not panicking her... but, how could she not get panicked, with what he was about to tell her? "We were betrayed, and Death showed up... I don't know if we're safe, if any of us are safe. It wants to burn down London, to take control of the world." (tagged)⏤ lenora cerise moreau (WORD COUNT)⏤ 405 words (notes)⏤ <3

MADE BY MIZO

[lenora cerise moreau]

give me a reason to love you

❝

The circumstances aside, having Archie here, with her, it felt so right. Lenora had returned to London out of her own wandering spirit, her own restlessness, feeling something pulling her back. In the months since she had settled back in, she still felt like that, and she didn’t know what it was that she sought. Now, with him beside her, in her arms, that feeling was replaced by one of calm. Sorrow, yes, at seeing his pain, but a sense of peace rooted itself deep in her core. He was here, with her, and he would be safe now.

Archie was the missing piece. Lenora should have figured that out much, much sooner.

He laughed, then coughed, and she could not help tensing, alarm making her on edge. But, as he promised, he was okay. Or at least, he would be. He was not dying. The look on his face, despite his apparent pain, seemed to be happy.

I’ve been called worse.

Though Archie smiled, Lenora’s heart broke a little more. She’d always been sympathetic to halfbreeds and their struggles, and her father’s career had been rooted in halfbreed activism. He did not deserve the insults and slander that was piled on him so often. And she knew that he had, indeed, been called far worse…

I can try.

Pushing away from him slightly, she nodded and scooped her arms under him to help. He’d made it to safety, at least, from whatever it was. That was all she could ask for. Even if she did not know what it was that had hurt him so badly.

His joy disappeared in an instant. Whatever happened, he was lucky to get out alive. She could tell as much by reading his features. Her breath caught in her lungs, and the calm, the peace she had found in the sanctuary of his presence dissolved.

It was an ambush.

Dread coiled in her stomach.

We were betrayed, and Death showed up.

A cry escaped Lenora’s throat, and she involuntarily held him closer, tighter. Archie had survived Death, and he had come to her.

I don’t know if we’re safe, if any of us are safe. It wants to burn down London, to take control of the world.

Instantly, the breath felt like it was vacuumed from her lungs. Lenora thought of her family. Her parents, her sister, and her niece, still in France. Thinking they were safe. When Estelle found out, she was going to insist that Lenora leave London again immediately.

Mindless of the blood that was now slick on her fingertips, she raised a hand to her face, horrified. Death, seeking world domination. It sounded like something out of a film, or a story. It was highly fantastical, something she’d revel in reading in, delighting in the ending and feeling comforted by the fact that it was merely fiction.

This was reality…and it was more macabre than any story.

All over again, she felt like crying. Archie had escaped literal Death in getting back to her. To find her, of all people. After everything. Whatever would come, they would face it together. She wasn’t going to let him go again.

Lenora was overwhelmed by several emotions, and she truly didn’t know what to say. After she managed to help Archie get upright, she pulled him back into her arms. He was real, alive and breathing in her arms. She felt his heartbeat, and the rhythm soothed her. There were no words for what had happened, or the fear that they would now live with. But there were words for what she was feeling.

“I love you,” she whispered in the silence of their embrace, scared the words would shatter this slice of safety, however fleeting it was.

archibald louis weyland ● dress ● 628

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