(this song is wild and perfect for a Maven fic???? Like the lyrics are???? Wow????

UPDATE: DID YA'LL SEE THE FUCKING WAR STORM TRAILER BC HOLY SHIT MAVEN AND IRIS GOT ME QUAKING SISTER LIKE MAVEN'S VOICE HECK

"I will not be controlled by people living on borrowed time and stolen thrones. Let them face the flood." ~Iris

"I need to see them both again at least once more before the war ends. It's their deaths... more mine." ~ Maven

"I know what the world looks like from a king's right hand. I don't care to live that life again." ~Evangeline

"I am a king as much as anyone can be. To the blood; to the bone." ~Cal

"I can less than his crown but he is less than my cause. Lighting has no mercy and neither do I." ~Mare)

Tonight I give my body up to him

"I promise," you whisper to Maven before crossing pinkies. He smiles, enjoying the feeling of his life in your hands. You have known Maven since you were a child. You would constantly sneak into the castle and steal trinkets and food to sell. You're a newblood with the modern ability to generate any weapon. You've used this power as a young child to take down any competition. You were quickly spotted one day in the castle and taken from your home. Now, you are used as a bodyguard sort of protector for the princes. 

And now, as Maven touches the king's crown on his head, you realize how real your job has become. His life needs to be protected more than it had before. 

For you alone, I'd carry any sin

No matter what happens, no matter who you have to kill, you are ready to give your life for Maven. The way he looks at you and breathes your deadly air gives you a reason to be with him the way you do. You have never taken a life, but the feeling of sin against your skin is something you'd bleed for. You await your time to shine. You wait for the moment you'll show Maven how much you love him.

Trust me when I say, you're rare in every way

You look at the way Maven runs his throne. His emotionless decisions and obsession regarding Mare is something you'd never guess from the way he acted as a child. He was always quiet and calm, never this powerful and overwhelming. He is a new king and a new person. You can see why he was less popular against his older brother. 

I prefer to speak my mind

"I don't like the way you surround yourself with that red in the basement," you say to Maven as he sits down in front of a vanity. You comb his hair, messing with it in a way you have always wanted to. He loves to relax in your room in the morning where you do his hair a way that no servant can. 

He looks at you from the mirror, watching the way your lips curl up into a grin as you show how delighted you are with your sass.

"Have you already forgotten that you are a red, also?" He responds. He gets a bit defensive, to your distaste. You develop a violent tendency to yank on his hair. You want to show him what would happen if he speaks to you like that again. But you don't do anything, just smiling as your fingers brush through his hair. 

"It seems we both have forgotten our pasts, King Maven." You play with his hair, tugging on the back of his head to bring his head up. He looks up at you as you lean above him, gazing into his blue eyes. He looks frustrated. You don't mean what you say. You just love playing with him. But he's more emotional than you and takes most of the things you say more seriously than you'd prefer.

You kiss his forehead, wishing him a good day before letting him go and walking to the depths of your room. You watch through a mirror as he stands up, running a hand through his brushed hair. His fists are red from clenching his words back. He looks at you with a sorrowful look. You try to ignore him but your heart starts to ache from his desperate eyes. 

These aren't pretty lies, no

"But I'm proud of you," you lie. You turn towards Maven, giving him a proud smile. You can see the way your words interact with him. He sees you differently, obviously. The way he lingers on your movements and overthinks all seriousness is something a normal girl would kill for a man to do. He loves being with you yet he feels bad that you are chained to this castle. He doesn't know, on a sexual level, what he feels towards you. He doesn't know what he feels towards anyone. 

Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah, I'm so in love with you and yet

((I'm crying writing this))

Standing in the throne room, you can see him standing up straight for once in his life. His shoulders are broad and his neck is strong. He looks intimidating with his striking eyes. He is already fully dressed in his layers of king's clothes. From the shoulder pads that strap in his long cape to the boots that buckle against his pants, he is downright attractive. You can't stop getting a handful of the look of his slim waist. You just want to run your hands down his sides, taking in all of his delicious looks. 

All that I see, inside your eyes upon me

Are other people I'd rather see dead

Maven, walking down the hall, looks at you with a look of amusement. You want to grab his face and kiss him to take his mind off of Mare. But at this point, you don't know if anything can take his mind off of her. Not even Elara could. 

You walk by his side, your shoulders barely touching. He looks down at you with a small smile, and you look up at him with a grin. 

"Have fun with your little girlfriend," you whisper to him. His cheeks flush silver, his eyes twinkling sadistically. Your heart hurts, but you ignore it. You twinkle with his mind just for his own happiness. You know Mare makes his heart squeeze in a way it would never if he ever thinks about you. It makes you mad, it makes you angry; it makes you want to kill her. But you won't. You can't. You swore your life under Maven's, and killing Mare would be selfish.

Look at me, look at only me I beg

My heart will ring a sound but quietly

And Maven listens like his mind is always somewhere else unless it's just the two of you. Those times where you spend in his room, cleaning the constant dust-drawing figures, are the times he really shows you as his first priority. He listens to you more than his own heartbeat. His life, only in his eyes, only makes time for yours. And you love it. You love him.

"Why do you love her so," you whisper into his ear. Your fingers rest against his chest as the hell of your feet stops touching the floor. He is taller than you, giving him the advantage. He grabs your hands with one of his and you almost tip over. He holds you close to him, his eyes looking down at you like an incoming ocean wave. 

"You are starting a war I don't want to fight in," he says as his other hands stroke your cheeks. His voice is deep and warm like scorching plasma.

It bathes in black, with filthy chords I sing

"You are supposed to fight in wars. That's the work of a king," you reply with a light voice. His fingers warm up, sending blazes through your cheekbone. Instead of pulling away, you lean in, basking in the feeling you never thought you'd feel again.

"That's the work of a fool." He takes his hand away before letting you go. You can still feel his touch still on your skin. It leaves you hopeless.

The men, before, I knew yes they're nothing next to you

You think of how different life would be for Cal to be king. Would Maven be jealous? Still engaged to Mare and forgetting about you? You think about the fact that Cal would have to be your number one priority. The thought is terrifying. Just before, seeing him in the halls was scary. He could crush your skull with his hands. That's why you liked Maven, at first. He wasn't a threat, unlike everybody else in the castle.

And then you think of Samson and how proudly he prances around the castle. Admittedly, his ash-blonde hair makes your throat tighten. But his eyes will never be as bright as Mavens. Walking around the castle reminds you of your role. You have to have your shoulders broad and your back straight. You have to be terrifying. And after years of training, you have succeeded in that liking. The servant avoids you in the hallways as they think you will draw the sword that you always have at your hip. They fear you as you fear them. What do you know about Maven? What do you know about Mare?

I don't care what past you keep 

Future's all I'm wanting

You look onto Mare, seeing Maven's mark on her collarbone. You twitch. She glares at you before the door closes behind Maven, leaving you alone. You understand their past and the engagement. But it shouldn't mean anything. It can't mean anything. She hates him so why does he go after her? Why is it her, and not you? Why is everything her? You can't wait for the future. You inhale, thinking about Maven's smell as you realized it got caught in your nose. 

Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah I wanna fill this hole of greed 

All that is mine, my body, heart deep inside

What is wrong with you? Are you only just a greedy child, wishing for something that will never be yours? You collapse in your room, feeling like belting your vocal chords until corruption. You grasp your hair, holding back screams. What will life be different? Why can't you see the future? Maven is right, you should just embrace your true self; just a pointless - worthless - insignifant red.

But then, there's a knock on the door. You don't want to open it. You don't think you physically can. The feeling of the cold metal knob against your skin makes you wince. You open the door, seeing Maven, weak yet calm; strong yet wild.

Come excite me, lemme feel the burning heat

His hands touch yours, and so does more of his body parts. His pelvis, chest, toes, lips - all brush against yours. It's like a dream. You didn't know what was real.

"You were right," he whispers. The burning sensation in your heart overcomes you, you grab his shirt, pulling him closer to you. It's like the moment you've wanted since birth. The future you longed for. You wanted to ask so many things. You had so many questions. So many things that felt wrong yet so right. You said nothing, just enjoying the feeling of your lips hiding with his from the world - and Mare.

Holding a love covered in dust, just like my heart

And after an hour, as you hold his hand and kiss his knuckles, you start to speak. Your heart feels complete like if you were to die, you wouldn't regret a thing.

"What did she say to you?" You ask between passionate breathes. He puts a finger under your chin before kissing you again. Is he dodging the question? You don't care, and all you do is kiss back. That's all you can find yourself doing.

"I don't believe that this is true love" you would call

Jon glances at you in the corner of his eyes. He knows something. Unlike you, he knows the future. Mare sits between you and Jon as she eyes the red servants. Of course, you sit next to Maven. All of the highhouses are across from you, eyeing like you were a wild animal. Warningly, you clutch your sword tightly. 

"Mare, could you do me a small favor?" Jon says calmly. You squint your eyes, gripping the sword a little tighter. Nothing feels right. Nothing feels safe. And then, you hear the gushing of wind as bullets rain through the air. Jon spills a mixture of wine and blood onto the white tablecloth, but that you care nothing of. Everything is slow, and you draw your sword only to put it in front of Maven's throat, protecting him from the bullet you spotted seconds before. All of your life flashes before your eyes. You think about Maven, you think about the smell of his natural scent and the way his lips taste. You think about his eyes as they widen right in front of you. 

So I need to show you that I'm serious, I'll show them all

The bullet deflected off of your sword as the metal breaks in half. Left with half a sword, you suddenly freeze. You feel nothing as time suddenly returns to normal. Blue-and-red figures dance around the tables like an arena. You can't move. You feel paralyzed. All you see is red that stained your fingertips as you touch the bullet that was lodged between your collarbone and neck. Suddenly, you didn't know how to breathe. All you could taste was the metallic border dividing you from a perfect life with Maven. That's all you could think about. Maven. He looked you in the eyes, ignoring Jon as he made his mistake. He looked back, but only for a second. No regret. No guilt. Unlike you, as you felt every single emotion in the world. 

Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah I'd do it all for you and me

At least Maven was moving around, yelling around at ever silver he saw. At least he was alive. At least he was breathing. At least he was alive, even if it meant your death. Maven's blue eyes were the last thing you saw. You forgot how to see, if you ever knew at all. The feeling of blood pulling out of your mouth made you feel more pain the bullet wound did. And life faded from your skin as it turned a sick pale color, reminding Mare of the silver of your lover as he held you close.

That these feelings carry for eternity

"Do you promise you'll protect me forever," Prince Maven asks you. The sides of your visions are white as you remind yourself of your job, of your promise. He holds out his pinky, wanting you to hold onto it with yours. You look at him. This is real, your past with him feels so real. Maven looks at you with innocent eyes. He was always so young yet never so innocent. 

You can still remember the feeling of your pinkie in his as you told him you promised. You have never been one to break your promises, even if it meant your life. 

Pinky swear me