A/N: Saturday was easily the most torturous shift I've ever had at Amazon, just thinking about it makes me infuriated and frustrated. Time to move on with the story here, this chapter will mostly contain some smutty goodness and fluff before things go from 0 to 100 in the next chapter.

(Normal pov)

Zephyr Haddock was within her chambers within the massive tower in the center of the Haddock Empire, the young princess was dressed in a simple night shift, her auburn hair which was usually braided was flowing down her shoulders, and she was seated on her bed while reading a few chapters of the Red Maw saga, it was a book that told of all of the Red Maw's wars starting back when Hiccup brought the Vikings of Norway together and ravaged England and to their latest conflict which was not long ago. If there was one thing that Zephyr was known for, it was for her creative mind; she had invented many traps to help catch wild game lurking within the forests, she's artistic and carries around a notepad and charcoal stick wherever she goes to sketch the world around her and beyond.

The day today was mostly uneventful, she and her bonded dragon Dart patrolled the city from above and reached out to the capital city's outer defense outposts. Dart, who is, in fact, one of Toothless's brood is a crossbreed between Night Fury and Light Fury, a species of dragon Hiccup and his dragon sympathizers stumbled across in a secret haven for dragons, the Hidden World. Not only did she do patrols around her home, but there was the pressure of being married to a man within the empire and carry on the Haddock bloodline. Zephyr did want to fall in love, she envied the love between her mother and father because it seemed so... perfect. She was both eager and nervous to marry a man of significance within the empire, but her father also told her to follow her heart as well; if there was a man of common blood that she favored, she had her father's permission to bring this commoner before the Haddock family and see whether or not he's worthy of being wedded off to royalty.

Suddenly, knocking pulled Zephyr out of her thoughts of love and away from the chapter she was reading and she then looked to the door of her chambers and spoke. "Come in!" The door opened, revealing her older sister Ingrid. "Sister," Zephyr said in greetings, "please, come in." She said while placing a bookmark in the form of a feather on the chapter she was reading. Ingrid entered her sister's room, closed the door, made her way to the bed, and sat beside her half-sister. "I have good news," Ingrid said with a beaming grin, "I'm pregnant." Zephyr's eyes widened and a joyful laugh escaped her lips. "That's wonderful! Avery's seed has finally taken hold inside of your womb?" Ingrid nodded in confirmation, Zephyr then pulled Ingrid in a warm embrace and murmured congratulations in her ear.

After sharing a warm embrace, the two half-sisters broke off and Ingrid then caressed Zephyr's auburn hair. "Hmmm, one day my dear sister, you're going to meet a man and make him the luckiest man in all of Midgard," she said with genuine truth, "have you any interest in any men within the city and throughout Norway?" Biting her lower lip, Zephyr spoke her mind. "Well... there is this one man who is twenty winters old, like me. He's very handsome, he's a common blacksmith who works alongside Gobber and his other apprentices," she then spoke with admiration, "he's tall, lean and wiry like our father, stunning blue eyes that you could easily drown in, and had dirty blond hair done in a man bun fade."

"And do you care to tell me what name this man carries?" Ingrid inquired with a teasing smirk.

"His name is Leif the Commoner," Zephyr said, "both his parents died in earlier wars our father waged against foreign kingdoms and empires that rivaled our own. He lives within the city, but he has forsaken the call to become famous like most Vikings, all he desires is to live his life in service to our father and the gods."

"A noble path," Ingrid said, "and do you favor this man?"

"We've been friends for quite some time now," Zephyr confessed, "I believe he feels... intimidated by my station in this life, or perhaps he believes he's unworthy of associating himself with me for too long." Ingrid hummed in understanding and wrapped one of her arms around Zephyr's shoulder and pulled her close. "Has Leif's gaze upon you lingered on occasion?" She inquired, Zephyr nodded in confirmation, causing Ingrid to chuckle lightly. "The man harbors an interest in you," she then continued, "yet if he believes he is unworthy of you, prove him wrong and reassure him."

Zephyr took her sister's words into consideration and knew that she was right, she needed to break words with Leif before the entire empire was plunged into war.

(Nuffink's pov)

The moon hung high and shone its elegant light upon the capital city, and it bathed Katerina who was fast asleep in our bed. Her flawless, naked body glowed in the moonlight, her hair splayed out along the furs, and the silk sheets of our bed clung to her in such an erotic way. She was a goddess in the flesh, and she was all mine.

Mine, and mine alone.

Katerina and I have declared our love to each other throughout the capital city, some celebrated that I had taken Katerina as my woman, but many more saw this as an act of treason; betraying my father and the empire and creating a war that will lead us all to ruin. Many, like Gudmundr, demanded that I be punished most severely for this act of betrayal, but Hiccup ignored those who wished to see me bloodied or worse and reassured them that he would deal with me personally. Many of those who harbored great anger for my actions feared my father's hands would be too soft to deliver such punishment upon me, for even suggesting my father was weak, he had these people beaten to within a mere inch of their lives and dared them to call him weak again, they did not utter a word and nearly met their ends at the hands of my father.

My father even beat me, not to the point where I was at death's door, but to the point to show me that actions have consequences and that the father needed to discipline their children. Although my father struck me numerous times, I could see the regret in his eyes and he even tried voicing apologies for his abusive behavior towards me when I indulged in whoring and partaking in substances that greatly dulled my intellect. Every time my father attempt to balm grievous injuries he inflicted upon me, we were interrupted by matters of the empire that required my father's immediate attention.

With this war rapidly approaching at our doorstep, I hope there will be time for us to break those words and that my father could see that I did this for love. Katerina is the woman I was fated to be with, and I will never let her go without a fight, Igor will wish to kill me for robbing him of his wife, but he is undeserving of such an amazing woman like Katerina. When Igor and the Rus' arrive, I will be ready to face the Kievan prince and fight to protect Katerina.

And if I must, die for her as well. As long as she's far from Igor's abusive grasp, I am grateful.

(Elsewhere within the tower)

Halvor and his wife Brenna were within their chambers and watching over their son who slept soundly in his bed. They had finished telling him stories of battle, honor, and glory they had earned on the field of battle during the numerous campaigns they both fought in with the vast hordes of Red Maw Vikings and dragons. Despite Kåre's youthful excitement and determination to stay up and listen to his parent's tales of battle, he succumbed to the warm embrace of slumber and dreamt of future conflicts he'd partake in when he was of a proper age to partake in battle.

After placing a kiss on his forehead, both Halvor and Brenna left their son to sleep and they made their way to the living room of their chambers to savor each other's company while all was still calm. Seating himself in a chair, Halvor ran a hand through his shaggy hair and looked to see Brenna preparing two mugs of freshly brewed ale. "Speak your mind Halvor," Brenna said while approaching her husband with the two mugs of ale in hand, "you've been very silent ever since you and Nuffink returned home."

"Nuffink's actions have given me time to reflect on the future of our home and all that inhabit it," Halvor confessed, "Boleslav and his son are known for their ruthlessness on the field of battle, and after the offense that Nuffink had inflicted upon the Kievan rulers, they will unleash that ruthless nature upon us all." Seating herself beside Halvor, Brenna handed her husband one of the mugs of ale. "Is that all that bothers you?" She inquired, Halvor shook his head and growled out. "Nuffink justifies that his actions were in the name of love, but if he truly knew about love, he would never have endangered us all by thinking with his cock rather than his head," he continued to vent out his frustration towards his younger half brother, "as long as Katerina is here, we're all in danger, and Nuffink is treating this situation with little to no concern."

"We Vikings to tend to follow our hearts desires," Brenna stated with a light chuckle, "it's no secret Nuffink has embraced this trait of ours by tangling with whores in the past. But now that he has Katerina, I've seen the way they both look at each other, they're in love." Halvor however, scoffs. "Either way, Nuffink's actions spell doom for us all," he then continued to voice his concerns, "what comes next will change the course of our nation's history forever."

"We will not go down without a fight," Brenna said firmly, "our enemies may have vast numbers of foreigners aiding them, but we will fight tooth and nail to defend our homeland." Cupping her husband's cheeks, Brenna looked into Halvor's eyes and reassured him. "Trust in the gods and your father, my love. Together, with our leader and the power the Æsir blesses us with will lead us to victory and deliver a crippling blow to this vast foreign army that approaches our shores," she continued, "what's done is done, savor the present while you still can my love." Halvor always admired how his wife's words seemed to relieve him whenever he felt the crushing weight of anger, frustration, and even fear that gnawed at him.

Halvor smiled lightly at his wife, took one of her hands, and kissed her knuckles. "Thank you for your words, Brenna," he said with genuine gratitude, "they always bring me much comfort and relief in dark times." She smiled warmly and leaned in to press a kiss to Halvor's lips, he savored the taste of his wife's lips and returned her kiss eagerly. After breaking their kiss, Halvor looked into his wife's sable brown eyes and caressed her equally brown hair with tenderness. "I thank the gods that you're my wife and that we are blessed with a son," he then leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers, "the thought of losing you and Kåre is unbearable—"

"You will not lose us," Brenna reassured him with a firm tone, "I promise you."

"No, I promise you," Halvor said with an equally firm tone, "the foreigners will have to tear me to pieces if they want to rip you and our son from my arms." Both Halvor and Brenna cupped each other's cheeks while pressing their foreheads together and murmuring reassurances to each other; simply soaking in the intimacy of this simple act before all of Norway would be plunged into a colossal conflict.

(Astrid's pov)

If I was told that I was fated to be married to Hiccup Haddock when I was a younger woman, I'd laugh in disbelief and force the prospect from my mind. But ever since I abandoned Berk and those I knew there in favor of Hiccup, my life has never been the same, and I don't regret anything. My fate was to be Hiccup's loving wife, Blood Queen of Norway, and a mother to my two beautiful children— Zephyr and Nuffink. In the past, the prospect of having children frightened me, because I thought I would make a terrible mother due to me having thin patience and a ferocious temper. But after giving birth to Zephyr and Nuffink and watching them grow from childhood to adulthood, they constantly thanked the gods that I was their mother and even showering me with affection to show me their gratitude for raising them to be strong, brave, and fearless.

Zephyr and Nuffink were two treasures that I cherish with all my heart, Hiccup as well. I am truly thankful to be a member of House Haddock, my relatives make me feel loved, they encourage me to let my guard down around them, and they accept me for who I am even though I hold the mantle of being the most ferocious woman in our empire.

Despite the overwhelming burden of being queen, Hiccup made sure I had the freedom to vent whenever I wanted to rip somebody to shreds, he was always so thoughtful and making sure that I was in my right mind whenever I was put in a position to make an impacting decision. Speaking of right minds, Hiccup exposed me and all of those in his inner circle to Maces and Talons; sharpening our minds, learning strategy on and off the field of battle, and thinking with our heads rather than our base impulses.

And it's because of base impulses, we find ourselves at the brink of war between Rus' and foreign enemies Hiccup has encountered during his many campaigns over the years.

Nuffink's actions involving the Kievan princess made me angry as well, but when witnessing my son and Katerina together, I could see the love within Nuffink's eyes; the same could be said about Katerina herself, she had revealed to us how her husband, Igor, had tortured and abused her throughout their marriage, and that her life had been denied any happiness or true love. The month that Halvor and Nuffink had been away from home had given my son and his Christian lover time to get to know each other and realize they were fated to be together.

Arms then encircled around my belly and I could feel the warm breath of my husband entering my ear, causing me to close my eyes, bite my lower lip, and sigh happily. Nuzzling his face into the side of my face, Hiccup pressed a kiss to my cheek, and we both gazed upon in admiration at the breathtaking view of our empire bowing down at our feet, a view that our tower provided for us.

"The hour is late Milady," he purred in my ear while caressing my hips, "what thoughts hinder sleep?" I purse my lips and gesture to our capital city. "This is our home, and while I now see that Nuffink's actions were one born from love, I don't want to see everything we've created be reduced to ash," I then turn around to face my husband, "you have eclipsed all Viking heroes; your legend and saga will be forever remembered, but now with the threat of war breathing down our necks, this will be the greatest challenge we've ever faced. Are you ready to confront enemies of the past and ready to defend our home from annihilation?"

"I am," Hiccup said firmly, "I would give my life to ensure you, our family, the dragons, and our people live free." His words were of great reassurance because I knew that Hiccup's words held truth, he has been this empire's sword and shield; defending it from those who wished to destroy us and wipe our legacy from history. I then pulled him in for a passionate kiss, one he eagerly returned, his hands slid to my backside and he hoisted me up with ease, I quickly wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips while continuing to kiss him. Once we were close enough to our bed, I managed to push Hiccup down on the bed of silk and furs, causing us both to crash in the soft embrace of our bed. Hiccup made short work in stripping off his sleep tunic and pants, and I practically ripped off my sleep shift, leaving us both naked and pulling each other in close for another passionate kiss.

The temperature in the room was slowly increasing as we both panted and moaned between kisses. My arms encircled around his neck keeping him against me as the fire between us only continued to grow. Hiccup's kisses moved from my lips and then slowly trailed from my jawline to my neck, I gasped out as he did so. His kisses were so soft, but also fierce. Hiccup would lightly bite at my neck leaving small marks that would fade by morning.

"Oh, Hiccup..." I moaned out as Hiccup slid his hands under my back and pulled me into a sitting upright position, he then laid me down and began to leave more soft kisses on my neck, these, however, trailed much lower until he reached the dip between my breasts. Hiccup took his hands and began to massage both in a slow circular motion causing me to bite my lower lip to fight back a moan that threatened to spill from my lips, Hiccup smiled as he took away his left hand and lowered his mouth to my breast, and gave it a gentle kiss on the perked up nipple. I gasped at the feeling as Hiccup continued his actions to please me.

"Mmm... Ah!... Hiccup..." I breathed out happily as my fingers found their way to his auburn hair and I began to run my fingers through it, I always loved how silky Hiccup's hair felt in my fingers. Hiccup smiled as he licked and sucked on my breast, not long after he switched to the right and did the same. Hiccup had his eyes closed as after a few minutes of giving the right breast what the left had gotten, he kissed further down to the mid-section of my toned body and his hands reached my now sopping folds.

"So wet," Hiccup purred out with his pupils into thin slits, "a sight I never tire of seeing." He said with a grin as he then took his index finger and lightly ran it up and down my folds. Despite the numerous times we've had sex, I squeaked out slightly but couldn't stop the flow of moans spilling out of my mouth, that gave Hiccup the answer he needed to then kiss on the sensitive top of my sopping folds, it made me jump with excitement and pleasure. Hiccup began to lick up and down my folds slowly, my arms began gripping the sheets beside me while moaning out happily.

"Hiccup!..." I gasped out when he started using his two thumbs to spread my lips and continued to lick me up and down, his tongue traveled as high as my clit, and as low as my entrance. The slow movement drove me mad with pleasure. Hiccup was now using his thumb to play with my clit gently knowing it was my most sensitive area and he didn't want to hurt me, something I've always admired about him when we were intimate.

The sudden intensity in pleasure caused me to shut my eyes and moan out louder.

"Sssh," Hiccup whispered lovingly to her, "some who reside in the tower are trying to sleep."

"Ca–can't help... it... feels so... go–good, Hiccup..." I replied through the chorus of moans. Hiccup smiled as he kept at this for a while, driving me absolutely wild with pleasure.

"I know..." He said between licks, "that's the point." He grinned now lifting his head as a finger lightly teased my entrance, I bit my lower lip once again trying to muffle my moans, but to no avail. Hiccup began to kiss my clit lightly before sliding his finger inside my hot, wet core making me arch my hips upwards then back down as Hiccup started moving his finger in and out of me, my moans matching his thrust and eyes rolling in the back of my head at the pleasurable feelings surging through me.

"Hic...Oh, gods!" I cried out with an arm over my face to lessen the cries of pleasure I let out. Hiccup smiled as he pulled out one finger and then placed two and kept going at the same pace as before. I tried desperately to catch my breath, but it was a vain attempt. Gods, despite the numerous time we've had sex throughout the years, I couldn't believe how good oral pleasure was. Hiccup, while fingering me moved his lips to my clit and started lightly licking and sucking on it. He could feel my walls around his fingers tightening with each breath, he knew I was getting dangerously close to reaching Valhalla. He then started to pick up speed, curving his fingers to stroke within me, it sent me over the edge as I arched again pulling at the bedsheets beneath my naked body. "Hi–Hiccup... I can't...Oh, gods! I'm cumming!" I moaned out as my juices splashed out of my folds, covering Hiccup's fingers and the force pushed them out of my core. I then began panting heavily as my chest rose high and low quickly, Hiccup stated he could hear my heart racing, pounding in my chest. He then crawled back up my body and kissed my lips softly, causing me to moan and return his kiss, we spent the next five minutes kissing and caressing naked flesh while I recovered from my first climax of the evening.

"Ready for me?" He murmured against my ear, causing me to shiver and nod. He nodded in return and then used his arms for support, lined himself up, and began to move his hips back and forth slowly. His eyes looked into mine, his gorgeous eyes held concern, because of our responsibilities in ruling our empire, we would go on for several weeks and even months without being intimate and sometimes it would hurt having his cock inside me after being too long absent. I smiled at his concerned face and murmured out that I'm alright and pleaded with him to begin, he nodded, and once he began a steady pace of thrusts, moans spilled from my lips and pleaded out. "Mm... Hiccup... more..." Hiccup smiled as he started to pick up the pace of his thrusts, my head flopped back against the pillows in pleasure now as my hands clenching his arms, digging into them with my nails. "Ah! Yes, Hiccup, just like that!" I moaned loudly.

"Gods, Astrid you're still so tight..." Hiccup grunted out pleasurably. Neither of us moved from our position, Hiccup looming over me while I was beneath him was what we both wanted for right now. "I love you," Hiccup breathed out, "I love you so much, Astrid."

"Ah! I love you too! Gods yes, don't stop, Hiccup..." I pleaded with him as I then cupped his face and brought him down to kiss him deeply, both of us moaning into one another's mouths as our tongues wrestled with one another in a battle of dominance while Hiccup continued to keep his thrusts at a steady pace in and out of my core.

"Don't worry, I won't... Odin's breath..." He moaned.

"Mm... yes, harder!" I demanded, Hiccup was happy to oblige as he started to put more force into his thrusts, "Gods yes! Hiccup, more please!" Hiccup stopped his thrusts only a few moments to sit on his knees then pick my legs up so they were resting on his arms. From this position, Hiccup had a great deal more to work with as far as speed, force, and even depth. My hands raked across the bed and moaned out loudly as Hiccup panted while still going, beads of sweat began to form on his forehead as he was using all he could muster inside himself to keep going even though we were was already nearing our release point.

His thrusts came as fast as lightning strikes— hard, and deep inside me "Gods Astrid... I'm not going to hold much longer going like this!..." Hiccup moaned out. I was panting heavily with him as I then reached for him and brought him down to me again, he put my legs down and kissed me once close enough.

"It's...okay...I–I can't either..." I moaned out against his lips. We managed like this for another twenty minutes until I tightened again and Hiccup couldn't do it. "Ah, Hiccup...I'm gonna cum!" I panted through my chorus of moans.

"Oh gods, Astrid... me too!..." Hiccup forced out through gritted teeth and his heavy breathing.

"Gods yes! ARGH!! Right there, yes right there babe! Oh yes, Ah! I–I'm cumming!" I cried out. Hiccup thrust inside me a few more times harder and faster than before. Both of us cried out in pleasure as he gave a powerful thrust before spilling rope after rope of his seed within me. I too came with him, my juices once more squirting from my folds. Both of us panted heavily as Hiccup's arms gave out and he slowly laid atop of me, burying his face between my breasts and breathing heavily. I held him close to my blossom, caressing his sweaty hair, and we both just savored the aftermath of our lovemaking.

"We should sleep," I advised, "it's been a long day." Hiccup hummed in agreement and murmured out. "Goodnight Milady," he then added, "I love you." I smiled and kissed his sweaty hair. "I love you too Hiccup," I then caressed the back of his neck and purred out, "sleep now my king, and prepare to bathe in the blood of our enemies." Hiccup hummed and soon was fast asleep. I too felt sleep consuming me, the thoughts of the coming conflict kept me awake a little while longer, I silently prayed to the gods to give the Scandinavian people the strength to drive the incoming invaders out of our lands. After praying to the gods, I soon fell asleep and embraced Hiccup close to my body, savoring the warmth of his skin against my own.

The gods were with us, and they would help us overcome our enemy and help lead us to victory.

(Normal pov— The following day, dawn)

Fishlegs sat atop of his bonded dragon, a Gronckle named Meatlug, they were an inseparable pair and one of the best dragon riders in the Haddock Empire. Not only did Fishleg's find himself in Hiccup's good graces after siding with him all those years ago when Stoick and those who wished to destroy Hiccup's empire, but now Fishlegs stood as Hiccup's chief of all dragon knowledge; adding new details about existing dragons, creating new logs about foreign species of dragons to Norway, and adding their strengths and weaknesses so that it would be easier to deal with dragons that could very well be hostile.

However, Fishlegs, along with handfuls of Viking dragon riders were now arriving at the clan of seers, those who have decided to live their lives in service to the gods of the Æsir. The leader of this clan was Berks former healer and seer, Gothi, she had lived in the capital as Hiccup's personal seer for many years, but she humbly requested to depart from the capital city and live in the wild along with those who wished to live and die in service to the gods. Hiccup granted Gothi's request and also sent a legion of warriors and dragon riders to accompany them and protect the messages of the gods from those who would dare strike the seers down.

The clan was a simple place of huts to reside in, temples and statues of gods were erected to offer sacrifices and beg the gods for strength in the form of prayer. The seer's clan was surrounded by vast forests which held game as well as natural properties the seers would need to gather ingredients for their spells.

Landing in the center of the seer's clan, Fishlegs slid off of Meatlug and pulled out a satchel full of rocks, and fed his Gronckle some, Meatlug devoured the rocks and licked her bonded riders bearded face. One of the seers approached Fishlegs and welcomed him to their clan and led him and Meatlug to Gothi's hut.

Upon entering Gothi's hut, Fishlegs was greeted to the sight of the clan leader seated by a fire and watching her cook some food. The withered woman who appeared to be more of a corpse than a living being looked to Fishlegs and beckoned the hulking Viking to her join her by the fire. Gothi was draped in a fur cloak with a hood concealing her face, her sight was beginning to fade due to her old age, and she bore claws that looked sharper than any predators.

"Gothi, I've been sent here by Hiccup to escort you and the seers out of this place," Fishlegs said, "even as we speak, a great Rus' army and their foreign allies sail to our shores to destroy you all and leave us blind; cutting off our way to commune with the gods. Without you and our seers, the enemy will have dealt us a crippling blow before the true battle has even begun." Lifting her head, Fishlegs could see Gothi's milky white eyes and her faded iris's, she then spoke to him through sign language.

'I am aware of the threat that comes to our shores Fishlegs Ingerman,' she then continued speaking through her hands, 'I have seen what is to come.'

"What have you seen?" He inquired.

'Blood. Rivers of blood will flow, many lives will be snuffed out of Midgard, and the fate of our world is... clouded,' Gothi continued, 'our enemy is driven by vengeance which threatens to swallow us whole, like a great serpent. If we are to defeat this enemy, all of the Viking people must be united under King Hiccup's command.' Fishlegs knew that there were still handfuls of Viking kingdoms who rejected Hiccup and his empire, these kingdoms stood as the very first Viking settlers in Norway; they were rooted by tradition and lived their lives in the ways of old.

"Have you seen who will win this conflict? The children of Scandinavia or these outlanders?" Fishlegs inquired, but before Gothi could reply to Fishlegs, war horns sounded and filled their ears. One of the Vikings who accompanied Fishlegs entered the hut and spoke. "The enemy armada is just beyond the horizon. Our outer defenses will only hold them off for so long, but they will fall under the size of the enemy armada," they then continued, "it's now or never, if we're going to get the seers out of here, we need to do it now." Fishlegs then turned back to Gothi and spoke in an urgent tone. "Gothi, we need to leave now," he took one of her hands and continued, "we haven't the numbers to stop the enemy from taking this village. Will you and your seers accompany us?" Gothi looked into Fishlegs eyes and nodded at him.

"Gather what you can so the seers can perform their rituals and spells," Fishlegs barked out to his companion at the entrance of Gothi's hut, "we're getting everybody out of here."

War had finally arrived at the doorstep of the Haddock Empire, Fishlegs was one to never favor battle, but he knew that this was a war that every man and woman who could fight needed to be involved. The only thing that was going through Fishleg's mind at the moment was would their forces be enough to destroy the invaders, or would the Red Maw finally collapse and be forever lost to history.

Time would tell, and Fishlegs prayed that the gods would give them the strength they desperately needed to fight the massive tidal wave that threatened to wash them away from existence.

A/N: The next chapter will be the enemy making their thunderous entrance into Hiccup's empire and establishing a beachhead. Hope you guys are enjoying this because I'm starting to lose motivation to write due to stress and real-world issues I've got going on. Anyway, see you in the next update.