Heya! 

So just a warning, this chapter was a little rushed because I was excited for the lore sharing today ;<;

Please forgive me.

Anyway!

Let's begin! 

First I did another Connacht drawing thing!

So these two are Kingdom of Connacht (right) and her capital, Rathcroghan/Cruachan.

These two have a pretty good relationship.

He is mainly her advisor and sends letters to others. 

However, Connacht never listens to Cruachan when he tries to point out something, like, for example, the one time Connacht went to war with Ulaid over a cow (yes, this happened, or at least did in mythology? It's a part of Queen Maeve's story idk-) he tried to tell her this whole thing was stupid anddd she didn't listen.

Yippie!

Alrighty, 

This next one I didn't finish- 

Republic of Central Lithuania!

I didn't get to finish but I wanted to share this drawing because I kind of like it

I found out about the Republic of Central Lithuania about six months ago I think- 

She is just watching a leaf/feather/idek what it is fall. 

Ight well remember me promising your Halloween stuff?

You get it!

Western Roman Empire dressed up as Athena! (Or Minerva technically) for Halloween!

I'll admit I was influenced by Epic the musical- 

Anyway, now fo her dear brother (Who is incompleted)

He is dressed up as Ares/Mars! :D

I realize now I could've made them Apollo and Artemis but oh well too late now...

Roman Empire would probably be Zeus. 

I don't know who anybody else would be-

Fun, though, right?

I am going to draw more countries in costumes or try too because I know not everyone celebrates Halloween ;<;

But, uh, if you have any suggestions, I shall do my best!

Ball. 

Idk just ball.

I think this was supposed to be Ithaca. 

Anywayyyy

I got more relationship charts for y'all!

Soo some of these guys you haven't met yet so I shall say everybody on this chart:

Airgialla (Was there last time), Barony of Carbery, Desmond, East Breifne, West Brefine, Tyrone, Thomond, Tyrconnell, Fermanagh, Osraige, Iar Connacht, Leinster, Connacht, and Lordship of Ireland.

I did end up changing the format from what I did last time to @MapleCHofficial's format which she used over on YT. I do suggest looking at his relationship chart if you haven't already! It's awesome! :)

Here we go now:

I didn't get to finish the others sooo they will be saved for next time!

I hope you liked it!

Now it is time for the thing I know y'all love.

Lore.

NOW HERE IS THIS LAZY DRAWING:

TW: BLOOD AND GOREY STUFF. If you do not like that stuff I suggest not reading this before bed.

Leinster thought that losing the battle against Munster and Meath was humiliating enough, especially since she had an ally that she assumed would be helpful. However, she couldn't have been more wrong. They lost, and her ally turned out to be more cowardly than she had hoped, seeing as he ran away when their outcome was clear. So she had to start the New Year of 999 with one of the worst battles she ever had to deal with, and got to be a hostage, which was absolutely fantastic.

Even better was that she got to have the embarrassment of Munster treating her wounds. She would've hated to see the looks on the other kingdoms' faces. She knew they would mock her for her humiliating defeat.

Leinster would've rather preferred that they just killed her because, to her, this was a worse fate than death.

She was glad that at least Munster wasn't completely fine himself; he had a nasty long cut on his arm. However, she wished more damage had been done. Actually, she wished she won the battle, but of course, that didn't happen.

But now, she was stuck in a dull gray room with a fireplace lit in the middle, glowing and burning brightly. The wooden floor held gritty dust, which the firelight could see. What was more unfortunate was that she had to share a bench with Munster as he, who she was pretty certain knew nothing about healing, treated her wounds.

"I absolutely loathe you." Leinster hissed for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Munster was in the middle of wrapping her arm with a spare piece of cloth but paused, looking up with a slight smirk, "Oh you do? I could never have guessed without you telling me every five minutes!"

"Are you being sarcastic?" she asked coldly.

"Me? Noooooo I would neverrrrr." He grinned brightly as he said it, which caused Leinster to roll her eyes, he was unbearable to be around...

Soon, he stopped wrapping her arm with the raggedy gray cloth and gave it a slight tug before proudly announcing, "Finished!"

"You did a terrible job." Leinster observed with a frown.

"Well I tried, it's the least I could do since you know, I kind of have things I want to do!" he said, crossing his arms and continuing to beam.

"Things to do? Like what?" Leinster replied unbelievingly.

"Like uniting the island!" Munster said quickly and slyly—a mysterious but excited look in his gaze.

"That is honestly one of the stupidest ideas you've ever had..." Leinster scoffed, crossing one leg over the other, glaring at him intently with pure hatred.

"Oh come on! What could go wrong with that?" Munster said whilst staring off into the distance, his mind seeming to be lost in the thought of uniting the entire island. Leinster honestly didn't care about what his plans were for if he succeeded; she just didn't want him to.

"Many things. But clearly you're too ignorant to want to hear them." Leinster muttered grouchily, looking at the dusty brown floor and resting her chin on her hands.

"Well I will be feeling no guilt or regrets once I prove you wrong!" He stood up proudly and full of energy.

"If you prove me wrong."

"I will. Just you wait."

"Mhm. When it turns out that seals can actually fly and walk on two feet."

"Well then I guess we may have to find a way to get them to do so." Munster shrugged.

"You're kidding right?" For a moment, Leinster eyed him cautiously, wondering if he was genuinely being serious.

"No."

Thank goodness for that. She thought, going back to looking at the floor. After that, they didn't say much as Munster returned to bandaging her arm. It looked as if he was trying to do a much better job than earlier. 

"Is this your way of humiliating me?" Leinster growled after a long while of silence.

"No actually, as fun as that would be, I just don't want to feel guilty later. It's a nice gesture don't you think?" Munster continued working, his voice having a hint of mockery but still staying cheerful.

"Why would you feel guilty at all?"

"Well I mean sometimes I feel guilty for stuff like not helping people that I know need help. Meath refused to help and you aren't getting any real medical treatment till tomorrow when an actual healer arrives, so I am here to help in the meantime. This also prevents any guilt I may feel for leaving you like this."

"Well, I guess that I can understand. Sometimes I feel guilty as well." Leinster replied, her gaze drifting from the fireplace.

"Like how the reason England is here is all because of you?" Leinster hadn't expected that.

"What?" She turned her head to face him and felt her blood run cold. She was frozen in place; her eyes widened as she simply stared at Munster, who didn't look the same at all.

Dark red blood stained his clothes and armor. There were even some thick scarlet splotches on his face. His eyes didn't have that glow anymore that they usually did. They were dull, empty, soulless. Leinster couldn't speak or move, she just stared in horror at the bloody person before her, she could've sworn time had just stopped.

Munster spoke again, his voice continuing to be cheery but in a creepy, unsettling way. "What? Are you afraid of the truth?"

Leinster couldn't respond; she didn't know how to respond. This situation was never one she believed she would find herself in. She slowly stood up, forgetting about everything except for what she saw. She attempted to take a step back but almost tripped over the bench, so instead, she stood there, frozen in place.

"Oh wait, it's obvious you are. You know it's the truth and that scares you." He took a step forward, some of the scarlet blood dripping onto the floor with a splash.

"No- no it's not." Leinster stammered, trying to act braver than she truly felt.

"Oh but it is. Why deny it when it's plain as day? Desmond... Tyrconnell... Lower Mac William... all of the kingdoms actually. That's why they always look at you in that way, the way of loathing, the way of disappointment. Because they know what you did, they know how much of a fool you are." Munster put his hands behind his back and began to circle her. More blood sunk to the floor, turning the brown into a blotchy red.

She didn't know what she should do. Part of her wanted to just run but she felt rooted to the spot. The other part kept telling her, this isn't real, this isn't real-

"You couldn't handle your own problems and went to the one person that you thought would help. The one person that proved time and time again that they couldn't be trusted. You simply could have dealt with your own problems and yet you instead started something worse, an invasion."

"You're wrong! It wasn't my fault! It- it..." was. She said silently in her thoughts that he was right. It was her fault. She knew it was, she was the one who went to England in the first place, how could it not be her fault? But it's not! He probably would've invaded anyway!

"Denial. First step to acceptance!" A smile formed on his mouth, a smile that haunted her. It didn't look like the typical Munster smile she was used to; it was cruel and cold.

She finally forced herself to turn around, not caring about anything but that she wanted to be out of this room. She began to run, forcing the door open and feeling her legs carry her away from the ghost that haunted her.

She wasn't even paying attention to where she was going but knew that she was surrounded by haunting trees that seemed to be staring her down. The moon above, hollow and casting a milky glow over everything it could touch. The crunching of leaves sounded as she ran and cold wind whipped her face, but she didn't care about anything, not the pain in her shoulder, not the darkness that seemed to be growing, nothing seemed to matter.

Eventually, she stopped in a clearing, resting her hands on her knees while she breathed. She struggled to control her rapid breathing. Everything felt awful. That wasn't real, Leinster. It wasn't, you're fine, it's not your fault, but you are possibly going insane.

The last thought wasn't comforting in the slightest. Somewhere far off, she heard the hoot of an owl. This simply just reminded her of how she didn't exactly know where she was, Alright so I guess I should figure out where I am. Leinster sighed and looked around. The tall, crooked trees circled the open area with malice. In the center of the clearing, was a familiar large curved gray stone that lay in the middle, symbols forcefully carved into it. I think if I keep going maybe, I can get home or-

"Running away won't help you escape your problems." the familiar voice of Munster said from behind her. She whipped around and saw him standing there, still covered in blood and looking creepy as ever. "But that's all you ever do isn't it? Run away from your problems and hope everything solves itself."

"Stay away from me!" she spat, grabbing her knife from her belt and whipping it upward, pointing it threateningly at him.

"Oh please. What is that going to do?" he asked, rolling his eyes, "Give you more reasons why you are scared of the truth?"

Leinster's hand shook as she pointed it at him. She knew he was right, but he was not!

"You know everything I say is true. You know full well that it's your fault but your never ending guilt prevents you from admitting to it."

"You are a liar!" she screamed as she felt her grip tighten on the knife.

"You know, so many could still be living if it wasn't for you. Meath... Ulaid... hell, even Connacht." he said nonchalantly.

She backed away further and further, holding the knife, all the while the temptation to throw it at him grew. "Their deaths had nothing to do with me! Besides, no one knows if Connacht is actually dead!"

"Well true. But if she is, then you realize that it will be because of you right? Not only that, her death will be connected with the others. They all had to do with England and you were the one that allowed him to come to the island. Because of that one action, many died, including our son." She felt her heart sink deeper at the end of those words.

"Shut up!" she shouted, her voice cracking as she did so, but she made up her mind in an instant; she threw the knife in her hands as hard as she could at Munster, feeling it leave her hands with a swish.

But as she threw it, he was gone, almost like he'd never been there, instead the knife hit the tree that was behind him, vibrating intently on the mark it hit.

Leinster stared at where he had been in bewilderment; where the hell did he go?  Crickets chirped and the trees rustled, but no one was there, she was alone.

She turned around and noticed that the stone, the trees, or anything from the forest was no longer behind her. The scenery had suddenly seemed to change. She was back at her home in the library. The books were all lined and sat there, collecting dust and looking very untouched. How-

Before she could process how she got there, a voice spoke from behind her, forcing her to turn around.

"The blood on your hands just simply continues to grow and yet you try to pretend it's not there." Osraige spoke, his eyes were dull like Munster, but if he had any wounds, Leinster couldn't tell due to him being in the back of the room where the light didn't show. She clenched her fists as she looked at him, feeling a slight lump form in her throat, ignoring it the best she could.

"Not only do you have blood on your hands, but do you realize how many futures you've ruined?" He titled his head, curiously. "You've ruined almost everybody's! If you just dealt with your problems don't you think the Kingdom of Ireland would be on a different path? Don't you think that the Lordship of Ireland would've never been under England's influence?"

She stared blankly, letting the words sink in, before forcing herself to speak, "KOIRE still has a future!"

"But a future that will be plagued by England." He replied.

"I-..." she wanted to say that it wasn't true, and that he was wrong, but inside, her doubt crept in.

"There is one factor in all of this, though." Leinster glanced up, but her son was gone, and so was the library. She was in a place of darkness, but a choking sound escaped her as she took another step back. Around her were bodies, still and unmoving. Each one was someone that she once knew. Blood soaked the ground a dark red.

All she could hear was her heartbeat, beating faster and faster, along with her eyes growing wide from the sight. She walked away from them, slowly raising a hand to her mouth, it's my fault.. It's.. no it's not- but it is-

"All of these deaths are your fault." She couldn't even recognize the voice who spoke now. It just seemed to be changing from one voice to another.

"You can keep denying it," the voice of Meath said.

"Keep running," the voice switched once more to Dublin's along with the scene, a burning castle, the flames protruding from the roof, and smoke filling the air.

"Keep feeding yourself lies," the voice switched to Ulaid's and the scene once more switched to a river, filled with blood.

She covered her ears, wanting to stop hearing this stupid voice echoing in her mind.

"But in the end,"

She realized the scene had changed once more, to where the Hill of Tara was. The moon was high in the sky once more, but a shade of blood red cast a red glow over everything, highlighting the blood splattered on each of the stones.

"It will be the death of you."

Leinster froze. She recognized the voice and turned, seeing that the one who spoke was Kingdom of Ireland, looking at her with an emotionless expression.

"Ire—" she was about to say when the ground seemed to shake violently, finally breaking under its weight and splitting apart. She felt herself fall backwards, down into the darkness.

Leinster woke with a start, sitting up, a cold sweat pouring down her face and her breath heavy. She glanced around quickly, her eyes wide with fear, swearing she would see Munster, Ulaid, or any others that had previously died. But there was nothing there but her room, the harp tucked away in the corner, the fireplace, and her dresser.

She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. It was just a dream, Leinster. She kept telling herself but that dream felt too real to simply push it out of her head.

She sat there for a few moments, processing the nightmare, before she could only think one thing.

It's all my fault.

End.

:)

I have been so excited to share this little story with you guys!

But also, this is the longest short I've ever written so far so uh-

I hope you liked it, though!

I will give you more juicy spooktasterful lore next week as well.

So, uhhh, thoughts? Concerns? Theories?

Welp,

Bye!

See you whenever!