Loraurel AU's
Throughout the years, many different alternate versions of Lorence and Laurel have been created. From the quaint romance between a Victorian era butler and his young master, to the bizarre relationship between a merman and his captive human deep within the depths of the Atlantic Ocean... all manner of tropes, relationships, and settings have been explored. Of these many versions of Lorence and Laurel, the following are some of my favorite AU versions of themselves.
The Reverend and
his Demon
MAIN EVENT | THE HOLY CHURCH
Reverend Laurel of the Valrose Chapel is a cold-hearted man. The rumors say that he would even exchange his soul for his ambitions. Little do the smallfolk know that that is exactly what he did when he made a contract with the Devil. However, the Devil seems to have plans of his own counter to what his contractor wants.
To be made of flesh was humiliation.
— Alice Munro
PROLOGUE | PURGATORY
A tale of a Lesser Demon who defiantly resists the false righteousness of the Heavens, a cruel Elohim Seraphim that heartlessly eradicates Sinners, and the unlikely romance that blossoms between these two contradictory souls; unfortuneately, it was an affair that ended prematurely with the beheading of the seraph.
And if the devil was to ever see you, he'd kiss your eyes and repent.
— Farouq Jwaydeh
EPILOGUE | RENAISSANCE
A new life and new beginnings. A young boy with golden eyes is born into the world once again.
Laurel Desrosier is a relatively normal boy. Well, except for the fact that he can see the color of people's souls. Not that it was a gift that did him any good, though he could quietly judge the self-righteous pastor preaching every Sunday morning about love and morality with a soul the color of dirt. He lives his life quietly through the routine, keeping his head low and unassuming. Well, that was until one day a trio of demons—Lorence, Lumi, and Khimi—barge into his mundane life, flipping it upside-down. From then on, he is dragged into a whirlwind of exasperating excitement at the whims of these maniacal devils.
Slice-of-life. Comedy. A whimsical romance. An alternative happy ending to the tragedy of the main story.
There will be moments when
You will bloom fully and then
Wilt, only to bloom again.
If we can learn anything from
Flowers, it is that resilience is born
Even when we feel like we are
Dying.
— Alexandra Elle
Voleros Saga
COUNTRY OF SPRING | ELORNIS
Spring is the season of new beginnings and thus it’s fitting that this was where Lorence first found Laurel curled up in the back of his cart. Embarrassed at being caught as a stowaway, the young Einhorn noble agrees to temporarily work for the travelling merchant as long as he is guaranteed safe passage to the country of Summer—Soleros.
COUNTRY OF SUMMER | SOLEROS
The two of them had travelled for several months at this point. Although they’ve had some quarrels (mostly on Laurel’s end), the hellhound and Einhorn find that they have become rather accustomed to each other’s presence. Laurel, in particular, is in active denial about his attraction to the hellhound. But the time of parting is near as they reach the promised destination.
The night before their parting, Lorence takes Laurel to a small grove within the woods. There, within the depths of the fairy-tale like forest, he shows the young Einhorn the wonderous sight of the fireflies that dwell there. Enchanted by the spectacle, Laurel accidentally ends up confessing to Lorence’s amusement and the Einhorn's mortification. The two of them decide to continue travelling together.
COUNTRY OF AUTUMN | DESMORE
The country of Autumn is Lorence’s favorite region. He shows his young travel companion the bright red sugar maples and the cheerful golden ginkos. Lorence also takes Laurel to the local marketplace where he picks up some of his favorite apples. Laurel—who’s normally not fond of sweets and finds them childish—discovers that he actually really likes candied apples.
COUNTRY OF WINTER | LUMERIA
The country of Winter is a place that holds much history for both Laurel and Lorence. Although the two of them don’t speak about it (yet), it seems there’s a tacit understanding to lay low here. Lorence is rather sensitive to the cold and he ends up catching a fever. To his surprise (and delight), Laurel ends up taking care of him and being rather indulgent.
The Witch's Woods
LITTLE RED-RIDING HOOD AND THE WOLF
Little Red-Riding Hood is the moniker of the unwanted orphan who is sent to leave an offering in the middle of the Enchanted Forest to appease the Witch of the Woods. Once every other month, he makes the treacherous journey. Normally the young boy or girl who is sent on this journey is thought to be a part of the sacrificial offering, devoured by the monsters that lurk within the trees to satiate their appetite, yet this is Laurel’s second year traversing the woods. Curiously, he has not been eaten. The villagers begin to wonder if he has witch-blood himself.
Little do they know that the most ferocious beast within the woods, The Wolf, has taken a strange liking to the boy. Whether he will become a delectable meal to the beastly Wolf, or something more, only time will tell.
THE HUNTSMAN AND HIS HOUND
The Wolf has been tamed and the prey has now become the Hunter. The young boy in the red cloak and his devoted dog has slain the Witch of the Woods, freeing the surrounding villages of her (supposed) tyranny.
After the Witch's demise, Laurel takes her secluded cabin has his new abode, settling deep within the wood. The old witch's cottage is renovated to be a hunting cabin. There are many hunting trophies (like skeletons, taxidermy, deer heads) decorating the walls and around the house. There is also an old study with many books, notes, and strange ingredients. The boy often reads here. The cottage also came with the witch's strange pets, three skeleton cats. Despite being the witch's murderer, the three cats are quite fond of Laurel.
From here on, he and his domesticated Hound Lorence begin to hunt the foul monsters that feast on mortal frailty. In doing so, the boy proves himself to be an efficient, yet also ruthless killer. Both beasts and humans fear him. In purging the woods of its fiends, the moniker of "the Huntsman and his Hunting Hound" rings with notoriety far and wide throughout the country. Their celebrity eventually brings about the eyes of powerful enemies.
