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queenmarytudor · 3 years

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MARY: SERIES ONE

When King Henry VIII announces his daughter unable to inherit the crown of England, Princess Mary Tudor and her friends at court rebel and conspire against him.

An imagined six episode psychological drama series, focusing on Princess Mary Tudor and the intrigues, secrets and lies of Henry VIII’s court...

THE KING’S PEARL

Princess Mary Tudor, Princess of Wales and heir to the throne of England, is at her court in the Welsh Marches. Rhys ap Gruffydd kneels in irons before her; he has been arrested for inciting rebellion and is on the way to the Tower of London. Rhys petitions Mary for help in getting his grandfather’s lands and titles restored to him, as they are his by right and not her stewards, who has been gifted them by the king. Rhys says surely Mary knows what it is like to have an inheritance threatened. Mary promises to help him when she returns to court. Rhys thanks his princess, stating that though his wife is related to the king’s mistress, Anne Boleyn will never be Rhys’ queen.

Mary returns to court for Christmas. All along the streets nobles and peasants alike cheer for their princess before she is welcomed lovingly by her parents King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine of Aragon.

There is a grand feast; Mary reunites with her father’s cousin Henry Courtenay and his wife Gertrude, one of Katherine’s ladies. She dances with the courtier Nicholas Carew while her parents watch proudly.

Mary petitions her father to release Rhys from imprisonment in the Tower. The king, delighted to have his pearl back, agrees, but refuses to grant him his grandfather’s lands and titles. The pair decide to go riding together.

On their return, Gertrude escorts Mary to see her mother. She tells Mary her father’s mistress, Anne Boleyn, has just arrived back at court. Katherine introduces Mary to Eustace Chapuys, ambassador to Mary’s cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Chapuys promises he will do his best to help her and her mother. Katherine and Chapuys reveal Pope Clement has forbidden the king from marrying Anne, threatening him with excommunication from the church if he does.

After Mass, where the royal family pray together, a freed Rhys seeks out Mary. He thanks her for his release and attempting to get his inheritance back.

Mary goes to her father’s chambers, where Thomas Cromwell introduces himself as King Henry’s new minister. Mary asks where her father is. When Cromwell replies he is with Anne Boleyn, Mary leaves for the sanctuary of her mother’s rooms.

Henry Courtenay arrives from parliament, telling Katherine, Mary and Gertrude that the king has now declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Gertrude tells them she heard of a nun in Kent who can predict the future. Katherine warns her not to do anything foolish.

On Saint David’s Day, the patron saint of Wales, Mary is given a Welsh leek by the king’s gentlemen pensioners in a grand ceremony. She is watched by a crowd of courtiers and Chapuys, who compliments her. They talk for a while before she leaves.

Exiting, Mary comes across Anne Boleyn. They glare at each other before Anne reluctantly sinks into a curtsey. Mary ignores her.

Mary plays the virginals for her parents. Despite their praise, there is obvious tension between the pair.

At nightfall Mary and her father talk. Mary is confused how he has declared himself the head of a church that doesn’t exist. Henry says she is clever; one day his pearl will understand. After he has left, Mary tells her governess, Margaret Pole, that she doesn’t think she will ever understand.

Katherine worries when Margaret wakes her in the night to inform her Mary is ill. Gertrude brings up the Nun of Kent again, but Maria Willoughby and Jane Seymour shush her. Katherine goes to help Margaret care for Mary. As Mary continues to vomit, Katherine strokes her daughter’s hair, clutching her necklace which she believes contains a piece of the True Cross. She prays her daughter will get better, comforting her with old stories of her and King Henry when they were younger.

In the morning a recovered Mary wakes to six luxurious new dresses, a gift from her father. She immediately puts one on.

At breakfast, the queen is sat at the table alone. The king left them earlier in the morning to go on summer progress with Anne Boleyn, forcing most of the courtiers to go with them, including the Courtenay’s. Katherine smiles and tells Mary they can still have a good time, just the two of them and their households.

Reginald, the son of Margaret, is sent money by the king to study in Padua. Katherine and Margaret are hopeful Reginald will convince King Henry to recant his decision to break from Rome and marry a heretic. Reginald promises he will. Mary hugs her cousin goodbye, wishing him well.

At court, Chapuys watches on with Nicholas Carew and an incensed Gertrude and Henry as Anne Boleyn takes the queen’s role at a feast. While talking, Rhys Gruffydd is publicly re-arrested for encouraging Wales to rebel against the king, and supposedly taking the title of Prince of Wales. The group disbelieve this after what Mary did for him.

Katherine hears from Maria that Rhys has been beheaded, but she is determined to protect her daughter and keeps the news a secret.

Mary and Katherine go hawking, but on their return are sent orders to separate. Katherine promises she will see Mary soon, encouraging her to stay strong. Any bastard born of Anne Boleyn will never rule; Mary is the heir and future queen of England.

PRINCESS OF WALES

Mary and her tutor Richard Featherstone are having a Latin lesson on Utopia by Sir Thomas More. In the book women are encouraged to fight in battle; Mary tells the priest she would if she could.

Mary is walking in the fields with her ladies, Susan Clarencius and Anne Hussey, and her cousin Margaret Douglas. Her and Margaret’s cousin Frances Brandon has recently married Henry Grey. Mary is betrothed to the French Dauphin, but she has heard no news lately of a marriage... she is surprised to come across her father, riding with Nicholas. He asks how she is and Mary replies she is well, but missing her mother now she has seen him. The king is going to Calais with Anne Boleyn, now the marquess of Pembroke, but promises to see her more often when he returns.

Gertrude sees the Nun of Kent in disguise, switching clothes with her maid. Amazed at her trance, she invites the woman, Elizabeth Barton, to her house.

Mary is having her breakfast served by her friend Henry Jerningham when she is informed by her chamberlain that her father has, with the blessing of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, married Anne Boleyn. John Hussey asks for a verbal response to the news for the king, but Mary ignores him entirely, continuing to talk with Henry and her ladies. Uncomfortable, he carries on with his orders; Mary is forbidden from writing to her mother and he must take Mary’s jewels. Margaret refuses to give them up to John unless she has a direct order from the king.

Gertrude welcomes Elizabeth warmly, asking about her prophecies. The nun says there may be war now the king has married Anne Boleyn; Gertrude asks her to pray her husband will remain safe. It grieves him that men of noble blood are being dismissed from the privy chamber, with the king ruled by Cromwell who is the son of a blacksmith.

That night, Gertrude tells Henry about the nun’s visit, telling him the king will flee the realm one day. Henry is horrified at her listening to the prophecies, potentially earning the wrath of his cousin when he finds out. He demands she tell the king.

Mary and Margaret Douglas are informed by Margaret that their aunt Mary has died. The pair worry over Frances, but Margaret tells them she has a husband to comfort her now. Mary fears the French accepting Anne Boleyn as queen means her betrothal will be void. The three are interrupted by Mary’s servant Randall Dodd, who delivers a letter passed on by her mother’s servant Anthony. Katherine writes she has “heard such tidings today that I do perceive if it be true, the time is come that Almighty God will prove you; and I am very glad of it, for I trust He doth handle you with a good love [...] But one thing I especially desire you, for the love that you do owe unto God and unto me, to keep your heart with a chaste mind, and your body from all ill and wanton company, not thinking or desiring any husband for Christ’s passion; neither determine yourself to any manner of living till this troublesome time be past.”

Shortly after there is an official command from King Henry to take Mary’s jewels. Her personal arms are stripped from her and her household is to be reduced, with some servants, including Randall Dodd, sent to wait on her new sister Elizabeth, whose christening John Hussey must attend.

King Henry confronts Gertrude, informing her that he knows she has visited the Nun of Kent. She petitions King Henry to forgive her, blaming her womanly foolishness. He does, and orders his cousin to as well. To show his goodwill towards her, Gertrude is bestowed the honour of becoming Princess Elizabeth’s godmother, but an annoyed Gertrude sees it as an insult.

Mary is playing a card game with her ladies and Henry Jerningham when John returns from the christening and tells Mary she is longer a princess. Mary refuses to accept it and writes to her father, believing he was “not privy to it, not doubting but you take me for your lawful daughter, born in true matrimony.”

In response to her letter the Duke of Norfolk comes to dissemble all her household; Mary is to go to Hatfield to serve her sister Elizabeth, the Princess of Wales. Mary says that title belongs to her by right, and no one else.

Mary is only allowed to take one lady in waiting with her and chooses Susan. Her cousin Margaret Douglas is to serve the new queen. Margaret offers to serve Mary at her own expense, but Norfolk refuses. Mary has an emotional goodbye with her staff. Margaret urges her to remember her grandmother had been declared a bastard before becoming queen of England.

On the way to Hatfield, one of the men escorting Mary whispers she must hold firm, for the sake of England.

Arriving, Norfolk asks if she will pay her respects to the Princess of Wales. Mary replies she knows of no other princess in England except herself. The daughter of the marquess of Pembroke has no such title - but if her father acknowledges her as his own, she will call her sister as she calls Henry Fitzroy brother.

As he leaves, Norfolk asks if can take a message to the king. Mary says to tell him his daughter, the Princess of Wales, begs for his blessing. When Norfolk refuses, Mary tells him curtly he might leave it then, and to go away and leave her alone. She retires to her bedchamber to cry.

UNBRIDLED BLOOD

Mary refuses to pay court to Elizabeth unless made to by force. When walking, she is always far in front or far behind the newborn, never at her side. She eats in her own rooms with food Susan steals from the kitchens, avoiding the public table. She has outgrown the ornate dresses her father gave her.

An outraged Gertrude shows Chapuys the letter she has received from the king, telling his subjects that they ought to thank God for giving them a lawful heir. Chapuys reveals he has already sent a Latin declaration for Katherine to sign and pass along to her daughter.

The king arrives to visit his youngest daughter. Mary is desperate to see her father, but is visited by Norfolk and Cromwell. They urge her to renounce her title, but Mary says it is labour wasted to press her; they are deceived if they think bad treatment, rudeness, or even the chance of death would make her change her determination. She asks to see her father and kiss his hand, but is refused. When they leave, she runs to the terrace at the top of the house and kneels in mercy. The king bows and doffs his cap, as do the men with him, before leaving.

The Oath of Supremacy and 1534 Act of Succession are both implemented, making Henry VIII Head of the Church of England, and Elizabeth and any other children of Anne Boleyn his heirs. The Courtenay’s are annoyed as queen Anne flaunts her belly; she is pregnant again.

Mary receives a letter from her mother, which comforts and encourages her, along with the Latin declaration Chapuys spoke of that denies her illegitimacy. She signs it and Susan smuggles it out of Hatfield back to Chapuys.

John Hussey and his wife Anne are returning home now Mary’s household has been dissolved, but before they go John talks with the Courtenay’s and Chapuys about the possibility of the emperor invading in support of his cousin’s rights. Chapuys says he is trying hard to convince his master. Henry says he wishes he had the opportunity to shed blood in the service of Katherine and Mary. John replies he could easily rise the north of England to help Princess Mary, and “the insurrection of the people would be joined immediately by the nobility and the clergy”. Gertrude reminds them of the prophecies of the Nun of Kent; perhaps there will be war over this...

When moving households, Mary refuses to share a litter with Elizabeth and is forcibly put in by guards. Roughly manhandled, she shouts a public protest to some peasants who salute and cheer her as princess. Her new caretaker, Anne Shelton, warns Mary her niece queen Anne has ordered her to box Mary’s ears as a cursed bastard when she uses the title of Princess.

After Gertrude informs him of Mary’s abuse, Nicholas pays the king’s fool to insult queen Anne and princess Elizabeth. The king is furious, banishing the jester from court, but Nicholas shelters him in his own home.

A badly bruised Mary hears of Nicholas’ actions and sends a letter of thanks to him via Susan. Shelton summons Mary to visit her, questioning why she has received a letter from Elizabeth Carew, Nicholas’ wife. Elizabeth urges her to submit to the king for the passion of Christ, otherwise she will be undone. Mary pleads ignorance and throws the letter in the fireplace.

As they watch queen Anne and her uncle Norfolk prepare to visit Elizabeth, Jane Seymour tells the Courtenay’s that the queen has had a miscarriage. They fear how she will treat Mary.

As punishment for the litter incident, Norfolk takes Mary’s remaining jewels. He mocks a brooch from her childhood spelling out the Emperor. Mary is furious, even more so when Anne visits her, urging her to honour her as queen and she will reconcile her to her father. Mary says she knows of no queen of England but her mother - but if her father’s mistress would intercede on her behalf, she would be much obliged. An enraged Anne storms out, swearing to bring down her unbridled Spanish blood.

Shelton tells Mary if she were the king she would kick her out of the house for disobedience, and that the king said she will lose her head for breaking the law and not renouncing her title. Seeing Richard Featherstone preparing to leave in the retinue of queen Anne, a quick witted Mary asks him if she can practise her Latin. The people around them do not understand as she asks if the rumours are true and she is to be killed. Richard is shocked, saying it is not good Latin before leaving with the rest of Anne’s entourage. Returning to London, he immediately informs Chapuys of the danger Mary is in. The ambassador is determined to find a way to see her.

The Nun of Kent is publicly executed, with her head put on a spike on London Bridge. After, the king tells Henry the trust his daughter has in the emperor makes her obstinate, but he fears no one if his vassals stay loyal. He warns his cousin not to trip lest he lose his head.

WORST ENEMY IN THE WORLD

After she was forced into a litter, Mary asks to ride on her horse when moving households. As soon as she is mounted, she races ahead of her sister’s litter, riding across the countryside to the waiting river barge. Exhilarated by the freedom of her ride, she beats the rest of the household there and takes the place of honour. On the riverbank, Chapuys watches on as Mary sails past. They smile at each other, reassured.

Shelton wonders how the ambassador knew they would be there. Suspecting Susan of sending messages in and out of the household, she dismisses Mary’s last lady. Mary is completely alone.

Months have passed; it is now winter. King Henry remains furious at his daughter’s continued defiance, telling his cousin Mary will be an example to show that no one ought to disobey the laws; at the beginning of his reign he was as gentle as a lamb, and by the end he will be worse than a lion. Henry tells his wife.

Gertrude disguises herself to visit Chapuys, saying after the next parliament Mary and Katherine will die. She swears it is as true as the Gospel. Gertrude is adamant they must do something to help save their princess. Chapuys says Katherine spoke to him of Mary marrying Reginald Pole and uniting their claims to the throne. The emperor is busy taking Tunis, but Chapuys believes only a small army sent by Charles V with Reginald amongst the troops would be enough to make people declare for Mary. Gertrude pledges the support of her relatives, but says they need a quicker solution.

Mary is no longer allowed to eat in her room, but she refuses to eat at the main table and submit to a lower rank then her sister Elizabeth, now a toddler at the head of the table. She is slowly starving.

After seeing the king talking with Jane Seymour, Gertrude has an idea. She tries to convince Jane to attract the king’s attentions in the hope of getting better treatment for Mary but a haughty Jane refuses.

Mary is constantly belittled by servants, who say the world will be at peace when they are discharged of the pain and trouble she gives them. She is incensed to hear the French ambassadors are to visit Elizabeth in the hopes of a betrothal. She declares she is the Dauphin’s future wife, not her bastard sister. Shelton orders her to her room, and when Mary refuses she is locked in by force.

The next morning, a weak Mary discovers she has started her period. Disoriented, she calls out for her mother and Margaret. While getting up, she collapses.

Shelton weeps, fearing people will think she has poisoned Mary. She tells a bedridden Mary the king will not see her until she admits to being a bastard. He believes she is his worst enemy in the world. Mary sobs but refuses to give in, saying God has not blinded her to confess her father and mother had lived in adultery and made her a bastard.

Chapuys talks to Cromwell and then the king, trying to convince them to let Katherine tend to her daughter. Henry refuses; if mother and daughter are together, Katherine might “raise a number of men and make war, as boldly as did queen Isabella her mother.” He also refuses to send Margaret Pole, who Chapuys calls Mary’s second mother, as she is a fool of no experience. If Mary had been in her care she would have died, but Shelton is an expert in female complaints.

After queen Anne shows no sympathy for a grievously ill Mary, Jane agrees to help Gertrude.

Mary is examined by a doctor. She fainted due to her heavy period, in addition to not eating or drinking enough. She is suffering from sorrow. The doctor orders her to eat more and recommends being moved closer to her mother to improve her spirits. Mary knows it will never happen.

Shelton reveals Sir Thomas More and several monks have been executed for refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, and Richard Featherstone is now imprisoned in the Tower. She tells Mary to take warning by their fate. Servants openly desire her death, especially now the queen is pregnant again with what is sure to be a son. Mary notices her old servant Randall Dodd does not join in their bullying. Cornering him in private, she convinces him to deliver a letter to Chapuys.

Gertrude leads Jane to Nicholas, and the pair coach her on how to act. Nicholas tell Jane she must by no means comply with any of the King's wishes, except marriage.

Mary watches out of the window as armed guards are stationed at the gates. Randall walks through them, carrying a letter for Charles V urging the emperor to invade. Mary tells him “In the name of the Queen, my mother, and mine, for the honour of God take this matter in hand, and provide a remedy for the affairs of this country; begging you in the meantime not to forget to solicit permission for me to live with my mother.”

MONSTER IN NATURE

Chapuys visits a mortally ill Katherine. She worries over her daughter, but he promises to look after her. After Maria Willoughby arrives she is no longer alone and begs Chapuys to go and protect Mary.

Mary is summoned to see Shelton, who informs her of her mother’s death. She is devastated. Shelton implores her to submit, saying she will not receive the necklace her mother left her in her will. Mary replies she would rather die a hundred times than change her opinion, before going to her bedchamber to cry.

Randall gives a letter to Mary from Chapuys, making plans for her to escape England. The emperor cannot spare any troops, but there is a ship waiting 40 miles away if she can get there. Chapuys says he will write with a plan soon but Mary is convinced she must go at once lest she be killed.

Chapuys holds a dinner party with the Courtenay’s, Nicholas and Jane. Nicholas has been inducted into the Order of the Garter over George Boleyn. They discuss queen Anne having a quarrel with Cromwell, and rumours of the king wanting a new wife. Gertrude advises Jane to tell the king his subjects hate his marriage, and no one considers it legitimate. A messenger arrives for Jane from the king, with a letter and a purse of money. All watch on with approval as Jane sends it back, saying she can only accept a gift of money from the king when he makes her an honourable match. Chapuys hopes the progress of their scheme will mean Mary will not need to flee - he tells them “she is so eager to escape from all her troubles and dangers that if he were to advise her to cross the Channel in a sieve she would do it.”

In turmoil, a grieving Mary takes matters into her own hands. While playing with Elizabeth she tests the strength of the garden gate, noting where Shelton’s window looks out. Returning to the house, she tells the doctor she can’t sleep. He says he will get her some pills to help.

On the same day Katherine is buried, queen Anne has a miscarriage. The king tells Henry he has been seduced by witchcraft into his marriage, which is null because God has not granted him a son.

Mary laces some wine with the sleeping pills, and prepares to give it to Shelton and her maids. Only a letter from Nicholas delivered by Randall dissuades her. He begs her to “be of good cheer, for shortly the opposite party will put water in their wine as the King is already sick and tired of the concubine as could be.” Mary replies telling them to do everything possible to remove the mistress.

At queen Anne’s trial for adultery against the king, Henry votes guilty. He, Gertrude, Nicholas and Chapuys watch on as Anne is beheaded and Jane marries the king.

Mary is astonished to receive a visit from her old lady, Anne Hussey. They have returned from the north as John has to attend parliament, where Elizabeth will be declared a bastard now queen Anne is dead. While talking to Mary, Anne calls for a drink for the princess, and is arrested. Mary is in shock and writes a letter to her father, hoping to reconcile with him now her enemy is dead.

After being presented as the new queen, Jane tells the Courtenay’s, Nicholas and Chapuys that Henry has received his daughter’s letter but is not happy. She promises to help Mary, and Chapuys christens her the peacemaker.

Margaret Pole returns to court, attracting hundreds of people on the way who think Mary is with her. She carries a scathing letter from her son Reginald. King Henry is outraged that Reginald accuses him of tearing true defenders of religion to pieces, as well as likening him to the tyrant emperor Nero.

A group of nobles headed by Norfolk arrive to harass Mary into signing the acts, calling her a monster of nature and a traitress for continuing to defy her father. When she argues with them they say if she were their daughter they would beat her to death, or bash her head against a wall until it was a soft as a boiled apple.

Mary is locked in her bedchamber and not allowed to talk to anyone. She is to be watched over day and night. Hours pass and she refuses to back down. The guards are changed - this time Randall is on duty. Mary creates a distraction for the other guard and passes a scribbled letter to Randall for Chapuys.

Jane pleads for mercy, but the king calls her a fool for interfering; she ought to think of the children they will have together and not any others. King Henry swears that not only will Mary suffer, but also his cousin, Cromwell and others.

Anne is interrogated in the Tower for calling Mary a princess, but she insists it was merely due to habit. Henry is kicked off the privy council, and Nicholas is questioned about his relationship with Mary. Legal papers are drawn up to put Mary on trial for treason.

Randall returns, detailing what has happened to her friends and giving Mary a letter from Chapuys. Chapuys points out she now has a better opportunity of becoming heir to the crown than when Anne Boleyn was alive. He urges her to save her life for the tranquillity of the kingdom, and comforts her with the knowledge that “God looks more into the intentions than into the deeds of men.”

Fearing for her and her friends lives, a broken Mary finally submits to her father and signs the document before her without reading the contents.

GRACE

Mary lies awake in the night crying before being disturbed by a knock at the door - Susan has returned. She is to resume her duties as the king is riding to see Mary.

A nervous Mary sees her father for the first time in years, along with his new wife Jane who gives her a diamond. King Henry says he regrets their long separation, giving Mary some money and the necklace Katherine left her daughter in her will. He promises she can soon return to court.

Freed from the Tower, Anne returns north with her husband John, where the people mutter about the king being ruled by evil ministers who have closed the monasteries and forced Princess Mary to sign acts labelling her a bastard.

Mary returns to court, where the king pats Jane’s stomach, insinuating she is with child. He tells Mary some of his councillors were desirous of her death and she swoons in fear, but her father assures her all will be well now. She sits beside the queen at the high table while Gertrude serves them.

Cromwell welcomes Mary back, congratulating her on finally signing the acts and calling her “the most obstinate woman that ever was.”

Mary reunites with Henry Jerningham and Margaret Pole, along with Margaret’s sons Henry and Geoffrey. She tells Mary Reginald, who has just been made a cardinal, will not stop supporting her cause abroad.

Mary thanks Nicholas, Henry, Gertrude and Chapuys for their help. She begs the ambassador to get her absolution from the Pope for signing the acts under duress. Seeing them talk, King Henry tells his daughter he hates dissemblers. There is talk of an uprising in the north where people believe her able to inherit after him. He forces her to write to the pope, the emperor and his family confirming she sees herself as a bastard.

In Lincolnshire rebels threaten to burn the Hussey’s house down. Anne promises her husband will join them. John calls her a fool to make such a promise; Anne argues he wanted to rise the north for princess Mary and the true faith. John says that was with the emperor’s help and before she submitted to the king. He writes to him protesting his innocence in the affair.

At court the king is enraged at the rebels, tearing up John’s letter. Jane goes on her knees and petitions him to reopen the monasteries, but is rebuffed by the king who tells her not to meddle. He talks about the rebellion with Mary, making sure to mention her old chamberlain’s letter, and the vast expense of the army he is sending to suppress it.

Henry is sent north at the head of the army to prove his loyalty. Gertrude worries over his safety, remembering the Nun of Kent’s prophecies of war. Courtier Edward Neville asks Gertrude if she is merry and she replies "How can I be merry? My lord is gone to battle." He tells her not to fear this one or the second battle, but beware the third. She warns him prophecies will turn him to displeasure one day.

Anne gives the rebels food, wine and money, encouraging them further. As the army approaches and rebels still camp outside his house, John flees.

A terrified Jane tells Mary she was mistaken about being with child. Mary reassures her, thanking her new mother for all her help. When he hears, King Henry says he will clearly have no children by his wife, and that if he will have no son to succeed him he hopes for a grandson.

Henry meets up with John. He pleads innocence, and joins him to deliver an invitation to the rebel leader, lawyer Robert Aske. At the king’s request he is to attend court for Christmas.

At court Aske and Mary are kept separated. The king questions Aske on the rebels demands. They want the monasteries to reopen, and see no reason why Mary could not be queen. People think the king’s divorce made by Thomas Cranmer was not legal and “Lady Mary ought to be favoured for her great virtues [...] for she is marvellously beloved by the whole people.” He worries with her being ruled illegitimate the emperor has a reason to wage war against the realm. The king tells him he has nothing to fear from the emperor.

Mary asks Chapuys to distract the king while Gertrude takes her to Robert Aske. Chapuys talks with King Henry about Prince Luis of Portugal being a possible husband for Mary now the French Dauphin has died.

In secret, Aske tells Mary she will always be the Princess of Wales and heir, no matter what the king decrees, as the law deems her legitimate. The people of England look to her for hope in such faithless times.

She keeps his words close to her heart as Aske and John Hussey are beheaded for treason. The king says their bodies are to be sent back north as a message for all those against his rule. Mary approves, and King Henry delights at his pearl finally understanding his authority.

A traumatised Mary stares at the bloodstained scaffold, silently vowing to avenge the deaths of her loving supporters.

#as historically accurate as possible :)#because when it's not a reality you have to make it yourself #mary tudor #mary i #mary i of england #tudors

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sithsecrets · 4 years

Text

A Matter of Expediency - Part XIV

2.9 k After being married off to Kylo Ren in the name of securing an heir to the First Order’s throne, a princess tries to navigate the ins and outs of married life. As she grows closer to her new husband, the princess also carves out a place for herself in the Order, assuming control over her life when she thought she would have none.

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Part 14

2.9k words

Mentions: family drama, crying, pregnancy, pregnant!reader, dead loved ones

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Though it is your intention to deal with your family swiftly, your plans are pushed aside for a time.

In the wake of over twenty executions spanning across numerous planets and entire star systems, there’s much to be done. You spend days poring over work histories and background checks, working diligently to replace lost personnel. There are four positions that need filling on the Board of Charitable Affairs alone, though Hux is at your side to vet candidates. And then of course there’s spying to do, for several Valderan mineral companies are replacing key players in their operations. Canto Bight’s casino owners are kissing major ass, stolen funds need redistributing to various charities, several small insurrections must be crushed…

It’s like you blink and nearly a month’s gone by, days passing in a haze of paperwork, meetings, and formal appearances. You and Kylo are pulled here and there, always busy, always doing something, and the whole ordeal is more exhausting than you ever imagined it could be. Sleep becomes a luxury, and not for the first time do you find yourself marveling at the Chancellor’s ability to go without it. Still, the sacrifice is worth the reward, and you’re happy to see things straightening out amongst the Order’s possessions.

Finally, all is well, and you’re able to relax again. Handling your uncle and his children sits at the forefront of your mind, but you’re smart enough to know that you need rest before launching into yet another confrontation. Still, even after several days of decent sleep, you’re dragging your feet at midday, drowsiness clouding your mind and dulling your senses. More than once do you find the notion of taking a nap irresistible, and you sleep the sleep of the dead each time you lie down.

Miriam notices the change in your behavior immediately, though she says nothing as she helps you fix your hair and set your clothes straight each afternoon. Kylo is more vocal with his concerns, more insistent that you seek medical attention. He corners you one afternoon in your shared quarters, catching you just as you’ve awoken from another one of your naps.

“I fear someone or something has made you ill,” your husband presses, pushing back against your flippant view of the matter. You turn away from your vanity, amused as you take in your husband’s furrowed brow and tense posture.

“Kylo,” you say, voice dripping honey, “I’m just a little tired. I’m not dying.”

Your husband rushes to your side, taking your face in his hands as he becomes more desperate than you’ve ever seen him before. “My love, I am begging you—”

“And I,” you cut gently, turning to kiss the inside of his wrist, “am begging you to not worry about this.”

Kylo’s exasperation heightens, though you don’t let him go on.

“I’m fine, darling” you insist, fussing with the cuff of your husband’s sleeve. “I’ve never been better.”

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Returning to the palace is almost surreal, everything just as you left it all those months ago. You hadn’t expected anything to change, not really, but the sameness of it all still makes your chest clench in the strangest way. Every rug, every tapestry, every artifact and decoration… each one reminds you of a time that was not long ago, though you can hardly recognize that version of yourself now.

Two Knights of Ren flank you on either side as you glide into the receiving room you know all too well, your only protection on your home planet. Kylo was insistent for a while there, demanded that you be attended by stormtroopers and Reds and a number of other personnel, but you managed to talk him out of it. Ap’lek and Vicrul are more valuable than fifty imperial guards put together, and besides, you are adored here— the chance of you being harmed is slim to none.

Your uncle’s throne still sits on its dais in the center of the room, this fixture too unchanged. You approach it cautiously, mildly afraid to be caught near the thing on principle. It was the cardinal rule of your childhood— do not sit on Uncle’s throne, not under any circumstances. How many tongue lashings had you received for climbing up here as a child? Ten? Twenty? You can’t be sure after all these years.

What you do know, however, is that your uncle’s throne is even more comfortable now than it was in your childhood.

As if on cue, the patriarch of your remaining family comes striding into the room, mid-conversation with one of his attendants. His entire body shudders when he lays eyes on you, no doubt surprised to see you, or anyone else, for that matter, in this room. Arriving unannounced was a key element in your plan, and, if your uncle’s wide-eyed, horrified gaze is anything to go by, it’s already having the desired effect.

You let your uncle splutter stupidly on the floor for a moment, let him go through aborted versions of your name, your old title, and your new one before he finally blurts, “What are you doing here?”

It’s by no means a respectful way to address his Empress, but you’re too pleased with the way he cringes at his own words to care.

Setting your expression carefully, you gesture about the room with one lofty hand. “I’m here for a visit, Uncle. I wanted to check on the state of things here.” Your voice drops, becomes less pleasant. “The state of our people.”

Your uncle looks as if he’s going to vomit. This pleases you.

Mila is the first to come before you, startled like her father was upon seeing your face. She has the decency to kneel though, to show you respect as she waits for her brothers to arrive. And they do after several minutes, the both of them looking ruffled and perturbed as they shuffle into the room.

“You do not kneel before you Empress?” Ap’lek snaps, incensed by the way Sebastian and Tensin make no move to join their father and sister on the floor.

Sebastian, the smart-mouthed little shit that he is, opens his mouth at once, no doubt about to spit something acidic and defiant in Ap’lek’s face. But your uncle stops his son before he can do something stupid, yanking the eldest boy down onto his knees.

“Shut up and kneel down,” the King hisses. “Both of you.”

Sebastian and Tensin need no further prompting after that, though they obviously aren’t happy about being forced to show fealty to you. Mila, however, looks almost afraid, refusing to meet your eyes even as she says, “To what do we owe this honor, Empress?”

You like this change in your cousin’s demeanor, like the way she addresses you with humility and respect. So, you answer her question calmly, though you can feel rage coming to a boil in your chest.

“I am here, Princess, to tell your father that I know what he’s been doing with his people’s money.”

At this, your uncle pales, shifting uncomfortably on his knees. He, too, now will not look you in the eye, an indirect but still very overt admission of his guilt. You can’t believe him, so shameless and yet so cowardly at the same time.

Your uncle drops his head, voice subdued as he speaks. “Empress, I think you’ve misunderstood—”

Something in your snaps then, for how dare he treat your like you’re stupid, like you haven’t been paying attention?

“Oh no, Uncle, it is you who has misunderstood,” you snap, rising from his throne. Venom drips from your every word, Ap’lek and Vicrul your dark, dangerous shadows as you stalk closer and closer to your family. “You misunderstand the purpose of your tax dollars; you misunderstand the needs of your people. They suffer under the financial burden you’ve placed upon them while you snort spice and fuck whores.”

“Do not speak to my father like that!” Sebastian shouts, jumping to his feet in front of you. His eyes are wild, but you are equally as enraged, getting in his face, daring him to so much as touch you.

“Harm me or my child and it will be the last thing you do, you insolent little fuck.”

All eyes land on you, the members of your family stunned into silence by the implications of what you’ve just said. Mila is the only one brave enough to speak, eyeing you from the floor with a look of utter shock slapped across her face. “You’re pregnant?”

Remembering yourself, you take a breath and set your hands on the almost imperceptible swell of your stomach. “Yes, I am pregnant,” you affirm, speaking softly as you think of all your days spent in bed and the way Kylo cried when you told him what you knew. It was the one reason he was so insistent that you come here armed to the teeth.

Your family looks upon you as if you’re a live explosive then, falling all over themselves to widen the distance between all of you. You crowd right back in, however, undeterred and unafraid. “All of you must understand, then, why I came to do this before my condition progresses any farther.”

Tensin decides to be bold. “And what would this be?”

Cutting your eyes away from him, you look squarely at the King. “I’ve come to take your father’s crown.”

The noise that comes out of Sebastian is indignant and angry. Mila gasps, eyes wide and terrified. Tensin turns white as a sheet. And your uncle? All he does is stare up at your stupidly, mouth opening and closing on what appears to be its own accord for several seconds.

“You can’t— You can’t do that,” he stammers, looking from you, to his throne, and back again. “You can’t— Who will rule in my place? You?”

“I have the galaxy, Uncle,” you state, voice even and calm. “I don’t need this planet.”

The King looks at his eldest son and then back at you, a silent question swimming behind his eyes. You refuse to answer it, simply holding out your hand and eyeing the crown that glitters before you.

“Take that ridiculous thing off your head.”

Your uncle hesitates for a moment, a look of utter heartbreak coming across his face as he finally reaches up and out, handing you his crown as instructed. You hold the thing in your hands for a moment, studying the craftsmanship, the fine jewels that glint so beautifully in the light…

And then you throw it at Mila’s feet.

The clang of metal against marble bounces off the walls of the room again and again, the sound almost painfully loud in your ears until Mila’s able to get her hands on her father’s crown— or, rather, her crown. You see tears in her eyes as she studies it, looking at the gold and gilding as if she can’t believe it’s real.

Your uncle is clearly bewildered, shaking his head as he asks, “Why?”

“Because she’s smarter and more capable than both of your sons put together.” You lean down, really get in his face so that he can feel your anger properly. “And to think that you were going to sell her to the highest bidder.”

These words suck all other protests from your uncle’s mouth, and you can see now that this is over.

“You and the Princes will leave this palace immediately,” you declare. “You are not allowed to return for a year.”

Tensin looks distressed. “This is our home!”

You eye him coolly. “Not anymore. I can’t have you poisoning Mila’s reign with your childish partying and idiotic ideas. Now leave me and your Queen alone, all of you.”

Your uncle and his sons stumble out of the room, dazed and humiliated. Mila finally rises to her feet once they’re gone still weakly clutching her crown in one hand. Tears stream down her face. She looks like she’s been punched in the gut.

“Don’t waste it,” you say simply, tossing your head towards the throne in the center of the room. “I can take it from you just as easily as I took it from him.”

“I won’t,” Mila whispers. You believe her.

“Goodbye, Your Majesty.”

And then you’re walking out of the room, your guards trailing behind you without a word.

Mila calls out after a moment, calls you by your title and then by your real name.

You turn to her. “Yes?”

“I—” Your cousin is distraught, eyes darting as she pants for breath. “I’ve been do awful to you. I treated you like dirt, I— You could have let Father sell me to that old man, and I would have been miserable. Why would you give me this instead?”

You stare her down for a moment, considering what to say. “I’m not like you, Mila. I’m not cruel.”

Mila shudders like she’s been slapped, and you turn to leave the room.

---

Ap’lek and Vicrul fly you out into the countryside after the lot of you make your exit from the palace, cruising at a comfortable speed as you take in the rush of scenery bellow you. This part of your planet feels as though it belongs somewhere else entirely, underdeveloped and free from the crowding of urban sprawl.

Your mother’s house, like the palace you just came from, is exactly as you remember it. The landscaping, the front steps, the courtyards— there’s not a blade of grass out of place, and the joy you feel because of this makes you want to weep.

Stepping inside is like stepping back inside, for you haven’t been to this place since you were a girl. Servants and small droids bustle about, putting on the finishing touches for your arrival. You’d asked to have the place opened up a couple of weeks ago, wanted to spend some time here after you finished dethroning your uncle. But now that you know you’re pregnant, you have other plans for this home.

Shooing Ap’lek and Vicrul away, you go exploring, halfway surprised that you still remember your way around. But no, you haven’t forgotten the layout of this house you love so much, these halls and rooms you played in as a baby.

You peek in your old bedroom, delighted to see that no one’s changed the colors on the walls. The same furniture that looked so big in your eyes then only looks average now— small, even. Your little window even faces the same flowers, the same fields, the same sunshine. At once, you decide that your child will know all these things too, just as you did.

Crossing the threshold in your mother’s room feels almost like stepping into a tomb, though the sensation is not one of dread or gloom like you thought it would be. Her bed and furniture are, like everything else in this house, just as they were when she was alive, though the vanity looks strange without her things strewn across it. You can remember your mother sitting there before the mirror, a tube of lipstick in her hand, a bottle of perfume close by. All little children think that their mothers are beautiful, and you were no different back then. Now, though, you realize that your mother really was a gorgeous woman, buxom and bright and so, so pretty. She would have you help her sometimes before she left for a party, would let you pick out her earrings or ask you which scent you liked better that night. Staring at yourself in the mirror, you reach up and unclip your own jewelry, laying the pieces out carefully on the vanity as your first action as this house’s new mistress.

The covers on the bed aren’t the ones your mother slept under, but you still feel like you’re crawling in bed beside her as you lie down. A length of time passes in silence after that, how much you can’t be sure, but you’re brought back to reality when you hear heavy boots in the hallway. Kylo appears in the doorway not one second later, quiet as he pauses to study you for a moment. And then he’s sitting on the edge of the bed and unlacing his boots, he’s lying down beside you. The two of your clasp hands, tangling your feet together like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

“How did it go?” Kylo asks, though you’re sure he already knows.

“Mila will be coronated this afternoon.”

Kylo nods, unfazed. “How are you?”

“I’m fine,” you say softly, reaching out to stroke his cheek. Kylo turns to kiss your palm, gentle in the same way he’s been gentle since he found out about the baby.

“This is a very beautiful house,” Kylo declares, leaving the topic of your uncle and his children behind. “Why are we here?”

“This is where I grew up,” you explain, fingers in his hair now. “I was born in this room.”

Kylo almost-smiles. “What a lovely place for a child. I see why your mother chose it for you.”

It’s your turn to nod. “I know. I… I want to be pregnant here. I want to give birth here, like my mother did. The baby needs to feel the sun on his face, needs to breathe real air when he takes his first breath.”

Kylo pulls you closer, kisses the top of your head. “I’ve always thought space was too cold for an infant.”

And just like that, the matter’s settled.

Everything’s settled.

#kylo ren #kylo ren x reader #kylo ren imagine #kylo ren fanfiction #ame #my writing #tw: pregnancy #cw: pregnancy #pregnant!reader

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timelordthirteen · 3 years

Text

In All Things 26/?

Mr. Gold/BelleFrench, Explicit (eventually)

Summary: A Rumbelle arranged marriage AU.

Chapter Summary: An invitation, a decision, and touch of regret.

Notes: Oh my gosh this got so long and there’s so much dialogue and uuuugghhh. Sorry. It was necessary I guess. Also idiots got all cute with each other and *hands*

[AO3]

Gold stared at the crown in the center of the wax seal, his thumb running back and forth over the thick, raised edge.

He knew what it was, particularly given the extra embellishment on the outside of the paper, and any other year it would have swiftly been tossed into the fireplace and forgotten, but this year he found himself in a different situation. The seal cracked easily, a few bits crumbling to the desk as he unfolded the letter. Inside was a card made of a heavier parchment and embossed in one corner with the sigil of the royal family. Across the card, in an elaborate calligraphy style writing, were the words... Lord & Lady Gold

He sat back in his chair, momentarily startled by the titles written together, much as the near daily realization that he was married did. Setting the card aside, he scanned the letter, noting the usual pleasantries and flowery phrasing. It was the expected invitation to the royal court’s New Year’s ball, an extravagant one night event, surrounded by some of the most tedious and disingenuous people he’d ever met. Still, Lady Ella would be there, and he supposed there would be other acquaintances of Belle’s that she might like to see. But a solstice celebration at Thornhill was a far cry from the royal court. Accepting the invitation would mean being seen in the most public way possible, at one of the largest events in the kingdom.

Then there was the small matter of the dance.

He rubbed at his leg idly, remembering the tight ache from a few days ago. The dance he’d shared with Belle had taken up residence in a corner of his mind, rather persistently. It kept coming to the forefront in the late hours, and he couldn’t sort out how he felt about it to put it to rest. There was a moment at the end, after he’d spun her around one last time, delighting in her bright smile, where they had been very close, and he could admit that for that brief instant he’d been almost spellbound. The thought of kissing her sprang to mind, shocking him, and had then been swiftly dismissed.

It was absurd for him to even consider. A beautiful woman in close proximity would naturally raise such ideas, if one's guard was let down, and he was only human. But that was simply not the way things were with Belle. Their marriage was becoming a strong, capable partnership, one where they were working together for the prosperity of two estates and all those who depended upon them. Romance, lust, too much wine, whatever that brief instant had been had no place in that plan. Never mind that Belle would likely be aghast at what he’d been thinking. She trusted him, and he couldn’t risk doing anything to disrupt that, certainly not something so silly and fleeting.

“What’s wrong?” came Jefferson’s voice.

Gold sighed and set the invitation down on the far side of the desk before looking up at his friend. “That.”

Jefferson frowned and picked up the page, his eyes jumping back and forth, getting wider as he skimmed it. “Well...”

“Hmm.” He sat back in his chair and motioned for Jefferson to sit. “That was my thought, or lack thereof, exactly.”

“Are you going to accept?”

Jefferson handed the invitation back, and Gold folded it closed. “I have not decided, but I should probably speak with Belle before I do. The palace may have become a dangerous place for us now that we’ve disrupted George’s plan to take Avonlea.”

Jefferson smirked. “Yes, I think your wife’s opinion on the matter would be interesting.”

He gave Jefferson a flat look and shook his head. “She likely wouldn’t want to go, and I can’t say I blame her.”

“Nor I,” Jefferson agreed. “There’s also the small matter of politics when one is at court. It’s a game I don’t imagine Belle would want to play.”

“Very true.” Then Gold sighed. “So, to what do I owe this visit from you in the middle of the afternoon?”

Jefferson suddenly looked deadly serious and sat forward in his chair. His voice was low as he spoke, as though he was afraid of being overheard. “On the heels of your little coup at Avonlea, I’m told that the King is attempting to subvert your victory by getting the council to take it away again.”

He made a face and then frowned. “Is it reliable?”

Jefferson nodded. “I believe so. Everything else I’ve received from this source has been, and they are very well placed with the royal court.”

Gold leaned his elbows on the desk as his eyes fixed on the invitation card for the New Year’s ball. “Belle will be the named heir to Avonlea now. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“But the King does not know that yet,” Jefferson said. “As far as he understands, the estate is yours by rights. Maurice signed it over, those were the papers were sent to the palace.”

He met Jefferson’s gaze and huffed. “That may be true, but the council would have to believe that it was done under some sort of false pretense, that Maurice was coerced or otherwise not in his right mind.”

Jefferson’s look was pointed. “Do you really believe it will be that hard for the King to convince them to agree with his proposal? Enough of them dislike you sufficiently to believe you are capable of willful deceit as it pertains to Maurice and Avonlea, whether or not it’s actually true.”

Gold scowled and made a begrudged, grumbling reply. He knew Jefferson was right. A number of the other nobles thought little of him, whether because of his past, or because of how he had helped George ascend to the throne. They were forced to treat him as an equal, though they clearly despised it, which he always used as a source of amusement. That the same derision with which they regarded him was now directed at Belle pained him, and further reinforced that he was nothing but a bastard for trapping her in a marriage.

“You’re right,” he said finally, nodding to Jefferson and sighing. “He would need Belle to support his petition to the council, and to support the claim that Maurice was forced to give up his land.”

“He probably believes she would if he promises to give Avonlea over to her heir.”

The words nearly startled Gold. Of course the King would make that sort of stipulation, it was the only way to ensure the misery of everyone involved, and the result that he desired which was Avonlea under royal control. Gold abruptly pushed to his feet, his fist thumping hard on the desk before he turned and stalked to the window. The cool draft off the glass was a welcome sensation on his face, and he knew it must be furiously red as dhis heart rate increased along with his anger. There would be no heir, and Belle would be forced to watch her home be given to whatever lord or lady prostrated themselves the most.

Jefferson came to stand beside him, his hands folded behind his back. “What do you want to do?”

“What I want to do, and what I should do, are very different things,” he said.

Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as he tried to calm himself. What he wanted to do was take George Spencer’s legs right out from under him with his cane, crown or no crown.

“Maybe...” Jefferson began, glancing sideways at Gold as he hesitated. “Maybe you should go to the ball.”

“What?” he snapped, turning to Jefferson. “You just agreed with me that it was a terrible idea to subject Belle to that viper’s pit, and now you’re suggesting I do exactly that?”

Jefferson smiled slightly. “Yes, I am, but what if - “

“Jefferson...”

“- what if...” he continued, ignoring Gold’s interruption, “you and Belle attended, and presented a very... united front? One that would imply the King would not have Belle’s approval for his proposal to the council.”

Gold looked out of the window at the snow heaped up over one of the planters as he pondered what Jefferson was suggesting. If the King got the impression that he and Belle were truly partners, that they were of one mind when it came to Avonlea, then it might be enough to thwart the entire effort for good. Without Belle to reinforce the assertion that Maurice was coerced into signing over his estate, the council could dislike him all they wanted, it would mean nothing.

“It could work,” he said finally. “Though it’s not without risk.”

“You would need to appear as aligned and together as possible,” Jefferson warned. “You know what the palace is like. Many eyes will be on you, both those you can see and those you can’t.”

Gold nodded. They would have to share meals, dances, everything including a room, the same as all the other couples. Everyone would be wondering about Belle, wanting to see how Lady Gold carried herself, and how they behaved together. It would be uncomfortable at best, and at worst she might return to Thornhill hating him. But Belle was strong willed and smart, and he believed she could do it, if she was willing.

Jefferson leaned to the side, bumping his shoulder against Gold’s. “You know it isn’t you I’m worried about, right?”

Gold glanced sideways at him. “I know. I will speak with Belle before dinner, let her decide how we proceed.”

Jefferson nodded, and left the room, leaving Gold alone to contemplate how to break the situation to his wife.

Belle sat tucked into the corner of the sofa in front of the fireplace of her library, several letters spread out on the cushion beside her.

Gold stopped in the half open doorway and knocked gently, a smile playing at his lips as he watched her. “May I come in?”

She looked up and grinned. “Of course. Come sit with me.”

“Heard from Desmond again?”

“Yes,” she sighed as she hurried to pick up and stack the papers she’d laid out.. “He wrote two days ago.”

Gold frowned and sat at the other end of the sofa. “Two days? Why did it take so long to arrive?”

Belle set the letters on the side table and then gave Gold a flat smile. “Apparently the road from Longbourne is nearly impassable with snow and ice.”

He made a face and shook his head. “Should have guessed. We’ve gotten quite a bit more since the solstice.”

“Apparently his son, Liam, took a hunting party out on Sunday, hoping for a deer or two,” she said, giving him a wry look. “But he lost his footing, slid down the side of the gulley, and nearly ended up in the river.”

“Good heavens,” Gold said with a light snort. “I presume he’s well?”

“He has a very hard head, he’ll be just fine.”

They laughed and then she added, “Unfortunately, they were only able to get two pheasants and a rabbit, and so the issues continue with supplies at Avonlea. It seems they can’t manage to find any good fortune of late.”

“Indeed,” he muttered. He let his gaze drift to the fire for a long moment as he pondered whether or not the news he brought and the question that came with it would help or hinder the situation.

Belle tilted her head and leaned forward, trying to catch Gold’s eye. He seemed preoccupied with something, and she hoped that he would tell her about it, whatever it was. “Cameron? Did you come find me because you couldn’t bear to wait until dinner to see me, or did you have something to ask?”

At the sound of his name he startled and then sighed. “Sorry. Yes, I have something to ask you, and no I could not bear to let it wait until dinner.”

She laughed again and shook her head, but then noticed he wasn’t smiling. “You seem...out of sorts? Are you well?”

Gold reached over and took her hand, giving it what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. “I’m fine, I promise, but we have something to discuss that I thought was best kept between us.”

At that her expression turned serious, and she shifted closer, holding his hand with both of hers and resting their joined hands in her skirts. “What is it?”

“I’ve, uh, I’ve received an invitation,” he said, “from the King.”

Her body stiffened, and she knew he felt the change from the way he looked at her, the lines at his mouth betraying his concern. “I see.”

“It’s for the New Year’s ball, and in normal course I would politely decline, but given the circumstances I thought it might to our advantage to accept.”

Belle bit her lip and frowned as her thumb passed back and forth idly over his knuckles. “How so?’

“Jefferson received a letter this morning, from one of his sources in the palace,” Gold explained, lowering his voice as a precaution.

Even talking about their potential ruse within his own house made him uneasy. If Jefferson had spies within the palace, who was to say that the King hadn’t done the same in return? All of the staff, save Astrid, had been there for years, and were well vetted beforehand, but now that the thought was in his head, he couldn’t ignore the possibility.

“It seems,” he continued, watching Belle’s face as he spoke, “the King may be continuing his attempts to take over Avonlea. Word is that he is going to petition the Royal Council to grant him temporary control, on the assertion that your father was coerced into signing the contract with me.”

She blinked and her fingers stilled. “What?”

Gold swallowed and put his other hand over hers. “The King would need your support to have a chance of succeeding, which right now he believes he would have if he promised to turn over Avonlea to you, or your heir. And, not to put too fine a point on it, but there are enough on the council who dislike me, that they would happily go along with it, whether they believed your father was being taken advantage of or not.”

Belle blinked, her mind only registering that the torment which she had thought they’d laid to rest was back, full force. Immediately, she sprang to her feet, anger propelling her from her seat with her fists clenched at her sides. She could feel a heat creep up her neck and a fierce pounding in her chest that made her stalk towards the windows for relief. The cool air drifted over her skin, and though it did little to assuage her ire, it did make her feel a touch better. She breathed in and out and closed her eyes, until she felt a presence at her side.

“Belle?” came Gold’s soft voice.

“I’m fine.”

His hand touched the middle of her back with a gentle pressure. “No, you’re not not.”

She gave him a tired glance. “Sorry, I’m - I don’t know.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

She shook her head as her throat tightened. Many times she wished to be alone when she was like this, but right now she felt in great need of his company. “No, no, please don’t. I - I just need a moment.”

He waited patiently for her to collect herself, his hand began to move up and down, a soothing sensation against her back. Finally, she blew out a breath and turned towards him, standing no more than the length of their shoes apart.

“I’m sorry.”

Gold winced and caught her chin when she looked down, drawing her gaze back up. “None of that now.”

Belle closed her eyes. Her head felt heavy, and there was a disconcerting tension in her temples that felt like a belt cinched too tight. She knew it was her nerves getting the better of her, but that didn’t mean she could stop them from doing so. Cameron was calm and solid as he stood in front of her, as though nothing could move him from this spot except her word, and she gave in and let herself fall against him. Her forehead rested on the soft linen of his shirt as her fingertips brushed the paisley patterned stitching of his waistcoat. His arms came up around her, hands near her shoulders, holding her without crushing her to him, and after a long moment, she exhaled.

“Is there ever going to be an end to this?”

The words were muffled, but he could hear them clear enough and sighed. He wanted to tell her that it would, more than anything, that he would do whatever it took to achieve that peace for her, and, abruptly, he became aware that he would if she asked it of him. There were things he knew, things he could do that would upend the entire kingdom, and if that was what was needed, if this latest plan did not set the matter to rest for good, he would do it. Yet, he knew Belle would never ask for such a thing, not if she knew the chaos that would result. She was too good, and would see her own happiness lost before letting it come to that. It made his chest ache to

“I can’t answer that for certain, but I think if we were to attend the ball, we might be able to put it to rest, yes.”

She sniffed and looked up, surprised to see his face merely a breath from hers. His eyes were warm, his expression comforting, and the simple presence of his arms bolstered her. If they faced the King and the royal court together, it would send an unmistakable message. She could do this; they could do this. Suddenly, she was very glad she had married Cameron Gold, and her lips curved in spite of all her anxiety.

“Then we should go.”

His eyebrow quirked. “You don’t want to hear my reasoning?”

She nodded and stepped back, the chill of the window making her immediately miss the warmth of being near him. “I do, but I also trust you. I imagine that if we go, and make every effort to present ourselves as being truly united, then the King would know that no matter what he offered me, I would never agree to it.”

Gold’s mouth curved slowly as she spoke, marveling silently at how she had arrived at the same idea as Jefferson.

“What?” she asked as soon as she noticed him smiling.

He shook his head slowly. “You are brilliant, do you know that?”

She made a face and then let out a short laugh. “Well, I do try.”

“You know it won’t be easy,” he warned. “There will be all sorts of people there, friend and foe. The whispers and rumors, the politics...”

“I know.” She blew out a breath and nodded again, feeling strangely calm now that she had let herself think about things rather than just being angry and upset. “I’m not afraid of them.”

“Even Milton and Sir Gaston?”

Belle reached out and took hold of his hands. The mention of their names set her nerves on edge, but she could tell that it had less of an effect than even a week or two ago. She owed some of that to Cameron, and trusted that if he was by her side, then she could weather seeing a few unfriendly faces at a ball.

She lifted their hands out to either side and stepped closer. “I’m not going to let them deter me from having another chance to dance with my husband.”

His lips twitched, and he freed one of his hands to rest it at her back, lifting the other to the side as she came to stand toe to toe with him. They took a few small, circling steps together in the space between the windows and the end of the sofa, less wide and graceful than their previous dance together, but drawing smiles from both of them all the same. Once again, he surprised her with a brief spin, and her soft laugh settled his mind on the matter. They would attend the ball and leave no doubts as to where their alliances lay - with each other, and no one else.

Belle twirled back towards him, coming to rest with her hand on his chest, and immediately pushed up on her toes to press her lips to his cheek. When she dropped back, she was smiling, and he was gratified to see she had recovered from her earlier distress. Her faith in him seemed to be unwavering now, and he hoped that when all this was done it would remain so.

“So, we agree?” he asked, letting her pull away from their impromptu dance.

“Yes,” she said firmly. “We accept, and we put this nonsense to rest once and for all.”

“Then I shall reply immediately.” He gave her a brief bow, pleased at the way she rolled her eyes at him, but still smiled in spite of herself, and left her to finish reading her letters.

It was late, and Gold knew he should follow Jefferson and Belle’s examples and go to bed, but he had told Belle that he would reply to the King’s invitation and he was committed to doing so before the end of the day.

Unfortunately, the day had ended some hours ago, but before dinner there had been a frustrating matter with one of his tenants losing two horses that required a quick, coordinated search party to recover the animals. After dinner, the lure of cards with Belle and Jefferson was far greater than penning a perfunctory letter, but he was finished now and that was what mattered. He scrawled his signature at the bottom, and then scanned the page to ensure it had all of the required fluff and politeness.

He pushed to his feet, waving the paper idly to dry the ink, and crossed to a small table set in the corner between the bookcase and the window, tucked away where few would notice it. On it was an ornately carved box with a lock on the front, and he set the paper down next to it before reaching up to a shelf just over his head. He pulled out a book bound with green dyed leather and held it aside as he felt around on the small space its absence made on the shelf until he found what he was looking for.

The key was old and tarnished to an oily black, as was the lock it fit in, and he held his breath until it clicked open. It was a habit from so many years ago, and even now a faint smile graced his lips as he remembered the sly smile on his aunt’s face every time she pulled the box out from under her bed.

Gold opened the box and set the invitation card to the ball inside, pausing to stare at the small stack of papers inside. He swallowed hard and reached in, his fingertips lifting the card out of the way to reveal a letter, folded closed with the addressee and direction visible. His jaw clenched as he read the name for the hundredth time, penned elegantly above the broken wax seal of the royal house.

Lord Maurice Faure, Avonlea

Shaking his head, he pulled it out and then lifted up the rest of the papers inside the box to slip it back in at the very bottom. The invitation card went back on top, and he closed the lid of the box hard, exhaling heavily as he finally clicked the lock back in place. He quickly replaced the key on the shelf, followed by the book, and walked over to his chair by the fire. He lifted the glass of brandy he’d poured earlier and downed the rest of it one gulp, closing his eyes as it warmed its way down his throat.

He gave the fire a long look, and then his gaze shifted to the locked box across the room, wondering not for the first time if he shouldn’t burn the whole damn thing. Instead, he sighed and replaced the grate over the fireplace before heading off to bed.

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #belle x mr. gold #arranged marriage au #my rumbelle fic #fic #in all things

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imagine-loki · 4 years

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Hiding in Plain Sight

TITLE: Hiding in Plain Sight CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: Chapter Five AUTHOR: wolfpawn ORIGINAL IMAGINE:

Imagine coming from a line of nobility or royalty and being in an arranged marriage with Loki in an attempt to strengthen your kingdom / alliance with Asgard. You’re not entirely on board with the idea but figured that the best you could do was to get to know your fiancé.

You form an agreement with Frigga for you to pose as Loki’s personal servant for a few months so you can get to know who Loki really is – beyond the veil of his responsibility to the Asgardian throne, behind all the masks he wears when facing the public, to really know who Loki is behind closed doors as you slowly fall for each other.

How long will you keep up the ruse with the God of Lies?

RATING: General Audience

Raven could feel her heart pounding in her ears as Thor looked at her. He glanced at Loki for a moment who seemed to be studying him, curious as to why he was reacting as he was. “Looks like your soon-to-be wife isn’t the only Light Elf you need to get used to seeing.” Thor scoffed. “Like I was saying, I will deal with my situation when it comes to pass, you deal with yours now as it does.” “Get stuffed.” Loki snarled moving to the side to allow Raven passed him which she did in case Thor would say anything. “And don’t go sniffing around my maid. I don’t know why you seem so interested as you never thought them overly interesting as a race but you can cease such thoughts now.”

“I never even considered such but now that you mention it, she is quite pretty, don’t you think?”

Loki’s response to his brother was to slam the door with his seidr into his face. He walked through the room and to the bathroom where he had watched Raven go out of the side of his eye after she had entered his rooms. “Branna, I...what in the realms are you doing?”

“Cleaning a wound I obtained when you threw an Aesir war prince onto me.”

“In my defence, I did not know you were there.” Loki winced on seeing the deep cut on her forearm. “I apologise but how is it so deep?” he walked over to one of the cabinets and got out a salve he used on occasion. “It was a smooth floor.” “The floor is gold plated, so yes, that was smooth. The armour plating on the behemoth of an Aesir you threw onto me was not.”

Loki grimaced. “I guess I owe you another apology then?”

“I’ll put it on your tab.”

Loki paused and looked at her startled, surprised to see a playful smirk on her face that caused him to chuckle. “You have a sense of humour?” “Most elves do. You’d know that if you stopped assuming our demeanours based on some unfounded preconceived notion.”

“Your vernacular exceeds that of most women of court.”

“It is expected on Alfheim that you are able to converse with your employer on a multitude of subjects so you must be well learned and you must be able to hold a decent conversation with them. Allspeak is also required in case they have guests from the other realms, it’s common practise really.” Every word she spoke was the truth by Ljósáfar standard.

“That’s a wise decision. Intelligent servants are not overly common here, ones you can converse with are even less so.”

“‘Pay peanuts and you get monkeys’ as the saying goes.” She cleaned the wound and applied the salve. “That looks better. Hopefully, if I ever marry, he won’t think me mutilated by it.”

Loki scoffed slightly. “He would want to have peculiar standards as to what is mutilated. But that statement on the monkeys?” “I spoke to a Vanir before who spent time on Midgard, it is a saying there. It translates to ‘if you pay badly, only the least qualified will apply’. Alfheim pays well and expects a lot for the money paid.”

“If it is so great, why come here? You stated to my mother you are homesick. You clearly are not overly pleased with your position, so why come?”

“My father wished for me to experience life elsewhere so I ended up here. My choice was made for me so I am making the best of it. It just so happened that my being in a certain place at a certain time meant I was chosen to cover for Tatiana. I guess the Allmother felt a maid with Ljósláfar training would suit you best in her stead.” Raven suggested. “Either that or she is trying to teach you humility before you break a young princess’s confidence or heart.”

“Her heart?” Loki thought that an odd thing to say. “She does not know me to have her heart broken by me?” “We can break a person’s heart without it being from love, you know?” Raven scoffed but Loki looked at her bewildered by such words. “She could come here thinking that she has the potential not even for the love of her life but of a life with happiness nonetheless. A husband that could converse with her at length about politics or even a man with hobbies similar to her own who she could find contentment with. Were she to come and see nothing short of contempt, then that would be acknowledging she could never even have that much. So many arranged marriages turn to caring but what I experienced here today, perhaps your mother wished to straighten out your behaviour in advance, the only issue being I am the one forced to endure it.”

Loki remained stoically in place for a moment thinking of what she said. “Could she have?” “Could she what?”

“My mother?”

“I cannot tell, she never told me anything only that I was to temporarily replace your other maid. No timeframe, no other information.”

“And the Princess, would she really…?” Raven cocked her head. “Earlier, you stated that she would wish to know if I had someone because she…”

“If you think that you alone have the right to other partners, then that is ridiculous.”

“But if she was to have another’s child as my wife…?”

“Well, good thing you’re not scheduled to become king.” Raven retorted before walking out of the bathing room and into the front area of Loki’s rooms and continued her earlier duties that she had abandoned in her anger.

“That is unacceptable.” Loki followed after her.

“So is having a mistress in this era.” Raven challenged.

“You are very angry about a subject that does not concern you personally.” Loki folded his arms and watched her carefully.

“I cannot stomach double standards.”

“You’re very opinionated for a woman of your position. I can’t see how many in a position of employment would see it as acceptable.”

“Do you find it acceptable?” “I find silent women unsettling. Your gender is as varied in personality as us men meaning there is no reason a woman should be forced to be silent when we commend men for speaking freely.” Loki stated. “I find my mother to be more intelligent than any man, I would be a hypocrite and a fool to think her the only possible intelligent woman.”

“My father always told me I should be more coy and quiet. That my attitude and sarcasm would get me in trouble.”

“That was solid advice.”

“But I cannot remain silent when I see injustice. I would rather be whipped and caned in a stock for speaking out than live in luxury for remaining silent.”

“That is a bold statement.” Loki could not help but be impressed by her conviction. “But if you believe so greatly in such, why did you not reveal the truth to my mother?”

“I don’t know, if I am honest. I ask myself the same thing.”

“Well, thank you all the same.”

“It remains to be seen if that is a good idea.” She turned away from him and started to do more chores. In truth, having a moment to look at him and study features, Raven was startled at just how handsome he was. Aesir men tended to be burly and stocky but he was elegant and lithe. She had, of course, seen him on her arrival to the room but being in close proximity to him and studying him, she could not deny that he was incredibly attractive, distractingly so.

She forced herself to concentrate on the work and not the arrogant yet handsome prince. For the rest of the evening, she did everything she needed to do for him. More than once she found herself confused as to what something in front of her was. It was not always easy but she was able to do what needed doing without looking as though she had no idea of what she was doing. Loki was busy dealing with different matters both in and out of his rooms. With him gone for the evening, Raven took her leave and went back to her rooms as quickly as she could muster through the labyrinth of servants stairs that hid in the walls of the great golden palace. On occasion, she saw another servant or maid who nodded in salute as they went about their own business and even once came across two youths of higher families hiding in an alcove kissing which caused her to smile and shake her head, remembering when she was that age and also her first kiss. It was a far more innocent time in her life when she knew nothing of the complexed world of politics that included arranged political marriages. It was in the corridor of rooms that housed royal servants that she realised that there was a maid donning a red belt standing outside her door. “Hello?”

The maid turned to look at her with a polite smile on her face at seeing the Light Elf behind her. “Oh, thank goodness. I didn’t want to come back without you.”

“Come back?” Raven looked at the maid in concern.

“Prince Thor asked that I retrieve you and bring you to his rooms to speak for a few moments,” The maid explained.

“I…” Raven became worried but also knew that to refuse would arouse suspicion. “Can I just change my shoes, these ones are killing me?”

The maid looked down and grimace. “I hated wearing them. Definitely change. Prince Thor said he didn’t care if I came barefoot so long as I was comfortable when he saw me with them one day and bleeding blisters. He won’t mind.”

Raven smiled at hearing the Aesir Crowned Prince had a heart. Odin was known to be a stickler for tradition but it was clear, some traditions were not overly comfortable for those having to adhere to them so for Thor to allow his maid to wear what appeared to be Midgardian sports shoes instead told her that he had some heart. “One moment.”

She rushed into the room and groaned. She knew what was to come, or at least, the general aspect of what was to come so she prepared herself. When she changed her shows to light comfortable ones, she walked out to meet the maid again who walked her to Thor’s rooms. Raven was frightened that they would walk through the hallway and be spotted by Loki who she knew would be less than pleased to see her going to Thor’s room but instead, when the maid, who remained silent and nameless throughout opened the door at the top of the stairwell, it led directly to Thor’s living area. Slightly startled, Raven looked around curiously.

“Your Highness.” The maid bowed as she spoke causing Raven to focus of the burly blonde figure in front of her across the room. “Loki’s maid, as you requested.”

“Thank you, Hannah.” Thor gave a polite smile to his maid. “You can have the rest of the evening to yourself.”

The maid frowned. “But your nightcap?”

“I am forgoing it for this evening, I don’t plan to be here.”

“Of course, your highness. Have a pleasant evening and thank you.” She bowed again before nodding slightly to Raven and walking to the hidden door to the servants quarters again.

For a moment after the maid left, Thor and Raven stood looking at one another analytically as though expecting the other to begin speaking first.

“What is afoot here?” Thor asked. “The last time I saw the Light Elf princess was four hundred years ago on Vanaheim, she was not yet grown into many of her features but they were distinctive, you have them all, but in proportion. Her name is Raven, you are apparently Branna, the Dark Elf version of the name. I know many people think I am somewhat dim but I am anything but.” Thor stood as tall as he could. “What is afoot? Why are you, a princess who I know for a fact is not allowed to so much as sew because you had that argument with your mother in front of your brother and myself going around scrubbing my brother’s rooms when you are to marry him in a short time?”

#Loki #others #submission #submitted fic #wolfpawn #chapter 5 #hiding in plain sight

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hosts-of-valyria · 3 years

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King Aegon Targaryen, born Nymeros Martell, and Queen Sansa Targaryen, née Stark, of King's Landing, the Crownlands and Dragonstone

Marriage through love. Two political geniuses: Rulers of the richest and healthiest kingdom. Strongest Army in Westeros: Standing Army 90,000 soldiers of House Targaryen. Removal and cremation of the Iron Throne by Rhaegar Targaryen through wildfire. Installation of two normal thrones.

Strongest force in Westeros in times of Independence. Fleet of House Targaryen: 300 ships in the capital. 500 ships at Dragonstone

Death of Petyr Baelish by Arya Stark while attempting to kill Aegon Targaryen

Parents of Jaehaerys and Rickard Stark-Targaryen, Admirals of the Fleets of House Targaryen, In the fight against piracy on the high seas. Captivity of Euron Greyjoy, by Sansa and Aegon.

Rickard: Sansa's demeanor

Jaehaerys: Aegon's hair and demeanor

Asha, Theon, Sansa and Aegon vs. Euron Greyjoy

"I say Euron's head should be chopped off for the madness he brings. He is a looter. He cut his men's tongues out in his drug addiction because he needed silence. The Ironborn here in Westeros are no longer looting. But Euron thinks he has to play pirate. This man is a madman", called Jaehaerys.

Rickard led Euron ahead of Aegon and Sansa, "I'm not a doctor or a psychologist, but he uses drugs. But Euron is still a bloody madman. He loots everywhere he goes."

"Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to marry the most beautiful queen. But I only see a power-hungry cunt. Just as a greedy cunt like the Dragon Queen and Lion Queen. I think I call this red-haired bitch Wolfs Cunt, the silver-haired whore in Meereen is the Dragons Cunt and the most power- hungry whores of them all are the blonde Lannister whore, the dornish whore, your whore mother and your whore aunt", said Euron to Sansa.

Theon and Asha slapped him in the face, "we two can kill you here and now too wanker!"

Cersei, Cathelyn, Elia and Lyanna laughed out loud, "and you're a drug addict pimp."

Aegon laughed out loud, "haha wow ah all right, then I am the brood of dragons who fucks the Wolfs Cunt. My sister Rhaenys is the meanest, vicious snake of them all and King Robb is a desperate cock banging a dornish pussy. My brother Jon is a little fucker who is addicted to big dornish tits and Arianne is a small, smelly bitch. You are just a failure in life Euron. How many drugs did you take, Euron?"

Jon, Robb, Rhaenys and Arianne laughed out loud, "oh we only fuck out of lust for power. Sex is power? Do you actually hear what shit and madness you are talking about?"

Sansa laughed out loud, "haha. Ok fine wow all right then from now on I am the red-haired Wolfs Cunt that spreads the legs for a dragon cock, my aunt Lyanna is the northern Wolfs Slut and my mother smells like fish between her legs. And you're a little mackerel, Euron."

Lyanna and Catelyn laughed out loud. Sansa sat down in front of Euron, "I'm still going nuts, do you think a woman thinks this behavior is cool? One day there must be an end to royalty. No more queens and kings. Thank you now my family has to build me up again because you have become insulting, now we have to talk to each other again that the insults were not meant seriously. Thanks Euron for nothing, you have no qualifications. Now Rhaenys has to reassure Jon that the insult was not meant seriously. Who actually brings madness here? Just because you don't want to have anything to do with your family doesn't give you the right to judge others Greyjoy. Just because you don't want to have anything to do with Asha and Theon doesn't give you the right to act like an asshole. I'll tell you something, whoever wants to fuck has to be friendly, Euron. Being friendly and courteous is perceived as attractive. You wanna fuck. Then you have to be kind and leave the drugs off. What do you have to offer me, what could i use what you have? Oh what could you offer me Euron, I already have your ships. Asha and Theon have the Iron Fleet and not you. As Jaehaerys said you cut your men's tongues out, why should I want anything from you? You can't offer me anything, why should I give you title or power when you lack all qualifications, I wouldn't benefit from it. I don't have such a big heart that I give power for free. This bitch here likes ships like Dany, she also has many ships in Essos and Cersei and Myrcella also have a vast fleet at Casterly Rock. Everyone loves Myrcella and Trystane in Casterly Rock. Even Cersei is worshiped in Casterly Rock. Tommen and Joffrey are worshiped in Storm's End, Joffrey is a good Storm King with Bella as the Storm Queen and Tommen is a shining and strong knight like Jaime in Storm's End, Lancel is a good knight in our service nobody laughs at the Lannisters. Yes, I like power, I like to be powerful, Daenerys likes it, Cersei likes it. As long as there is no madness, everything is fine and Daenerys does not burn people in Essos. It is really awesome to be successful. Yes, it's ok if I'm not loved by everyone, I also accept dislike, when people call me a power-hungry cunt. I'm a good queen nonetheless, and so is Daenerys in Meereen. Your men are going back to Queen Asha to the Iron Isles, she is significantly richer than you. Oh poor boy I don't fuck losers. Why should I give power for free, I also worked for my power, nothing was given to me, I owe this success to me alone and that feels so nice. Why should I hire you as captain in the fleet of House Targaryen when you loot and murder. My sons go to sea and are far better captains and admirals than you could ever be. What could you offer me, Cersei or Daenerys? Cersei is right, if you want a queen, earn her. If you want a whore, buy one. Daenerys is absolutely right, it must finally be over that the Ironborn plunder, and Asha now has power, wealth and prosperity. You're coming in captivity here in the Red Keep and I'm writing that to Daenerys in Essos. You commit crimes on the high seas and I tell her that. Cersei is a good, wise and powerful queen in Casterly Rock, and she is beautiful, the problem is the Iron Throne is gone, Winterfell has a throne and knows the Crown of the North, Casterly Rock has a throne and knows the Crown of the Westerlands whose name is Lannister, Pyke has a throne and knows a crown. Rhaenys is a good, wise and beautiful queen in the north. The kingdoms were independent before Aegon the Conquer. I am not the only attractive woman. Asha isn't unattractive either, she's attractive in her own way, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Success makes you attractive when you are passionate about something in life, when you want to achieve something. If a woman says no to sex, that's okay; if a man says no to sex, that's okay. Women can also rape men."

Sansa looked at Euron.

"Let's be absolutely honest, Daenerys is also beautiful and powerful, and a good and wise queen in Meereen who ended slavery without wanting to benefit from it. Daenerys is beautiful too, and very happy with Daario and Rhaego and her dragons. Do you think Dany gives power for free when she doesn't benefit from it? Let's think about what you could offer Daenerys, Cersei or me. What could you offer, Euron? Your penis? Maybe Theon should cut your penis off, would you want that? Use your hands when you want to jerk off. Asha deserves to be Queen of Pyke and Theon knows it, she is a good Queen. My sons are much more successful in life than you are. Why should Aegon give you power when he doesn't benefit from it. You are insulting my husband and the king I love. I have every right to hate and kill you. This is still the father of my children. I definitely don't need you Euron. Think about it, the Ironborn have prosperity and wealth without looting. Asha and Theon have almost more money than me and Aegon, from their alliance with Daenerys in Meereen. Asha has almost more money than Cersei. What do you want, asshole? You are still the uncle and should be proud to see that the Ironborn have a future without fighting. Balon and Aeron would be very proud to see Asha and Theon now. The Ironborn build their power without pillage. You're not going anywhere anymore, Euron. We'll send you to the Citadel in Oldtown for the next few days, there you can get clean of your drug addiction. Now everyone can laugh at you, you've done drugs. Asha and Theon have done enough for you, you are a grown man. This is my family and friends, you have no right to act like an asshole here. We'll lock you up and you'll be taken to Oldtown in the next few days. Sick, insane pig."

Robb, Rhaenys, Jon, Arianne, Lyanna, Elia, Cersei, Cathelyn, Asha, Theon, Aegon, Jaehaerys and Rickard laughed aloud about Euron.

Theon and Asha led Euron away, "we have something to talk about, asshole."

Sansa and Aegon looked at Rickard and Jaehaerys, "take him to the dungeons, it will be time for him to sober up."

Rhaenys hugged Jon, "you know that I always support you Jon."

Cersei and Catelyn hugged, "I'm coming to Casterly Rock with Rickon and Lyanna Mormont, she wants to see the wonders of the Lannisters."

Aegon, Catelyn, Lyanna and Jon hugged Sansa, "everything's OK with you", she nodded, "everything OK."

#sansa targaryen #king aegon targaryen #aegon and sansa #sophie turner #jamie campbell bower

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diveronarpg · 4 years

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IN FAIR VERONA, OUR TALE BEGINS WITH JULIANA CAPULET, WHO IS TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD. SHE IS OFTEN CALLED JULIET BY THE CAPULETS AND WORKS AS THEIR BOSS. SHE USES SHE/HER PRONOUNS.

Our heroine’s story, at one time, may have been based upon something essential, the question that plagues both the living and the dead: what is worse than living without love? Juliana Capulet, heiress to a throne fit for the gods, had finally found her answer. Worse than living without love — living without strength. Her father had not built their legacies through love, or adoration, accompanied by the stroke of a gentle hand to one’s cheek. The Capulet legacy had been built through sheer power of will, bringing to heel those who had once refused to obey. Once, she had BATHED in the light of Cosimo Capulet’s love, and before her ugly death, her mother’s, her little sister’s. All she had ever known was love, and the war ripping the city entirely in two had taken that from her without remorse. Like daylily flowers, Juliana was determined to bloom into something great, something strong, something that would lead Verona back to a new age of peace, whether love warmed her to her core or not. She would not wither away like her mother or sister, pallid and sickly. She would not fall to dust like her father. She would rise to the call that she had turned her cheek from her entire life, and pray that the GODS themselves would forgive her for answering their question without their aid. No more GHOSTS. No more ONLOOKING NARRATORS. Juliana’s power would be hers.

She would embody her mother’s memory most of all. She would become the woman who could throw Aphrodite into a fury and put Hera in a jealous rage. With the guidance of her Underboss and her newfound Advisor, her two faithful devotees, she would keep vigil over Verona and end this war once and for all. Before, she’d been helpless to stop it. Put up on a pedestal, hair brushed away from her face, bound to a feeling of WEAKNESS. She was determined to never feel it again, even with the memory of it clinging to her like the silken threads of a crafty spiderweb. She knew, now, that this was the work of her father, determined to keep her as close to him and at arm’s length at the same time. He would’ve had her look at their future as something gilded, golden, just out of reach. He would’ve had her see his NARCISSUS-LIKE obsession as a boon instead of a curse. He showered Juliana with gifts, both exotic and quaint, in hopes that she would sit in her ruby-crusted cage and keep her head low, her mouth shut. He had deemed the birdcage necessary, and never noticed when his daughter refused to sing him any more tunes. Others revelled in his success, his savvy, even with RAFAELLA CAPULET whisked away to pick up the pieces all on her own. Even with his flippant disregard for VIVIANNE SLOANE and TIBERIUS CAPULET, both denied their true wishes without so much as a second glance. They shouted his name with joy as he ruined his soldiers, his Captains, and his Emissaries, and all their prospects. They wept for him even as he struck the match that would burn the great House of Capulet down. No more.

With all this sitting atop her shoulders, filling her hands, Juliana made her choice. Rather than stay by his side faithfully, adhering to his rules like a SAINT, she broke away from her father, and with the aid of Vivianne, finally stepped down from the tower of Babylon that he had built for her with his own two hands. They’d brought her into the business in increments, at first, and had not seen how far and how quickly she had progressed since poor Alvise Vernon’s death nigh over a year ago. BLOOD, now bedecking her finery, would be another accessory to be worn, as did other tools of the trade — knives, guns, bullets, blades. She would not allow her father to hide from the consequences of his own sins any longer. She would do as he had once done, and embody the SYMBOL of the violent elite. No longer would she be just a girl. She’d be more than that. How quickly this angel could bring ruination to those who stood in the way of the Capulets — her father being the first among them. How quickly this angel could bring down the spear of the Gods and wipe the blood from her cheek in a smear. Maybe this was the way it was always meant to be. Maybe this is what she’d always been meant to become. Someone had to take the throne, sooner or later. Her father’s actions and quickly dwindling sanity have proven more than ever the time for her ascension had come.

Juliana laid her sacrifices before him, hands shaking and eyes upturned – hoping against hope for a miracle. She had once thought that she could slip into her father’s life and pry him away from the business that had enraptured him for as long as she could remember. Maybe he would step away, admit defeat with his head bowed, and return to her. Return to her and the ghosts of her mother, her sister, gaps in their family that were too big to fill. She had underestimated, at one time, the strength of the thrall that it had him under, even as her own blood succumbed to the call that her ancestors before her had answered to. It had become clear, now, that LOVE would not do Juliana Capulet any good. It hadn’t served her, or Rafaella, or her mother, her cousin, her sister, her father. Love had failed her, ruined her, left scorched earth in its wake. Love had failed her people. Her father had pressed the knife to cut Valentina Gallo’s throat into her hands, and she’d done it without hesitation. Before, love would have made her weep with the pain of it. Now — JULIET would not fail anyone, especially not her legacy.

RAFAELLA CAPULET & TIBERIUS CAPULET: Cousins. The three of them at one time might have been compared to planets, their gravitational pull. Infinitely different but relentlessly routine in the way they were drawn to one another. Now, with Rafaella gone and seemingly doomed to never return, shattered into a thousand little pieces neither Rafaella or Tiberius can help her to pick up, things are… different. Things feel off-kilter, unbalanced. The tension that sat between all three of them has now come to rest entirely on Juliana and Tiberius, a fraying wire that could shoot sparks at any time. Before, she’d never doubted Tiberius, or his loyalty to her, and she can’t say even now that she actually does. But the weight of the Capulet title has become her burden and her burden alone, an unwelcome cross. With the shifting power dynamics and no Rafaella to complete their balancing act, she worries it may be Tiberius that places the crown of thorns atop her brow.

VIVIANNE SLOANE: Pseudo-Mother. “You can never be her,” she had hissed as she slammed the door to her room shut, but Vivianne, ever-patient with Juliana, had taken her time. She’d pried the door open with her own two hands, and it’s a wonder that she’d never quite made the connection before. She’d snapped and seethed and raged in her youth, entrenched in the ocean of her own sorrow, and through sheer will, Vivianne had soothed her. Dulled her pain. Held her head and stroked her hair when all Juliana could do was cry for the sheer loss of love she’d once possessed. Taught her how to rule when her own father -- her own supposed teacher -- fell short. It had been Vivianne to bring her into the way of things. She knows that, and she owes her a great debt for it. But she sees the way Vivianne’s eyes drift, now, settle in the middle distance, after dethroning her father. Unspoken agreement of guidance or comfort aside, mother-figure or not, things have changed. They are not the way they were before. The dynamic of the Capulets has shifted, and so, too, it seems, have they.

ROMAN MONTAGUE: Enemy. She should hate him. By all means, by every predisposed legacy of their birthright, she should want to rip him limb from limb. But she doesn’t. She doesn’t have the capacity to hate someone without good reason -- it’s not in her nature. Juliana understands, now more than ever, that he wishes the Capulets ill will and nothing more. That should be enough, but she was never equipped with Tiberius’ natural brutality or Rafaella’s fury. Now, with the crown sitting atop her head, sword and scepter in each hand, she wonders further still if he struggles with bearing the title of his father. If he will ever truly rise to the occasion of his bloodline as she had hers and continue this war or crumble to pieces before getting the chance. Maybe she pities him. It would be a better word than hate. Her path was always illuminated -- she’d simply sped the process up, a little bit, with the aid of those she now knows to be hers. Roman, on the other hand, must fend himself among the Montagues, men and women more likely to cannibalize themselves before putting another Montague on the throne. She wishes she could hate him. If only it were that easy.

PRIAM TARAVELLA: Betrothed. She looks at him and can only think of them in the context of Zeus and Hera. Ending up here, with engagement rings and bright futures to look forward to, well. It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? Cosimo Capulet had chosen Priam for his daughter. They’d grown up together. They’d seen each other shattered, built each other back up again. This is a love that is supposed to make sense, and to Juliana, it does, in many ways. She loves him. Could love him more, if the weight of the Capulet legacy were not so heavy, if she felt she could share the burden with him. What if she can’t? She’d made the difficult choice in dethroning her father. She’s put the Capulets first in every regard, in every way, by ascending and taking the throne. He’s a good man. Certainly not a bad one. Knows just how deeply entrenched he is, now that she moves the pieces on the chess board and has to strategize at every turn. What if there are choices to be... made with Priam, too?

Juliana is portrayed by ASHLEY MOORE and was written by JULIE. She is currently OPEN TO CURRENT MEMBERS.

#lsrpg #lsrp #mob rpg #o #ow #w #juliana capulet #cap

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myinconnelly1 · 4 years

Text

Throwing Pebbles- Reintroductions (24)

Masterlist / Previous

Word Count: 911

Warnings: none

Square Filled: Medieval Au Ship: Sam x OFC Rating : Explicit for series Created for @spnaubingo.

“Milady,” Lisa’s voice broke through Julie’s sleep and she sat up. “King Michael has summoned you for an official ceremony.” Lisa looked concerned as she hand brushed the creases out of the fine dress that Julie did not own. “The Cardinal had this delivered to you. I think he might have known what was going on. He bothers me.”

“Me too,” Julie said, letting the lady’s maid do her job and wash and primp her for court. “I shall talk with the king about your wedding to Dean and try to have the arranged for as soon as possible,” Julie smiled kindly at Lisa and let her pin her hair up and let the curls fall regally.

“Lady Julie, Sir Singer is here to see you,” Cole said from the other side of her closed door.

“Come in, Cole. I am decent,” Her bodyguard entered the room.

“He would not say what he wanted without your presence,” Cole said suspiciously.

“Between your paranoia and that old man’s grumpiness, the two of you would rot the legs off tables before coming to an agreement,” Lisa mused under her breathe.

“Have him come in. Lisa is still doing my makeup,” Julie said with a schooled expression.

“Sir Robert,” Cole announced as Bobby entered her apartment.

“Lady Julie, I have come with information and to offer to escort you to court. I know for a fact that the King is preparing to increase your title. I also have it on good authority that it comes with the permission of King Oskar. I am certain that the King is not intending to marry you,” Bobby dropped the information like it was a heavy sack. Lisa’s shoulders loosened visibly at the revelation that the king was not going to try to marry her lady. Bobby stopped talking and took Julie’s new look. “Where did you get that dress?”

“Cardinal Crowley had it sent over this morning, with the request the Lady Julie wear it to her official ceremony today,” Lisa’s voice seemed to drip with venom and hatred as she recalled her encounter this morning.

“That means that the Cardinal knew about your father’s death,” Bobby said. His tone of voice confirmed to Julie that it was as dangerous as it sounded.

“I will gladly accept your arm, Bobby. Do you know where the Winchester’s are?” Julie asked. She had enough schooling to not ask for Sam by name.

“They had something they were discussing. But their presence will be expected at court,” Bobby said.

“Milady,” Cole handed Julie a small blade. “Your father wanted me to give this to you after he died. He didn’t say why,” Cole said.

“Thank you, Cole,” Julie responded taking the sheathed blade and waiting for Lisa to finish fussing over her hair.

“Sir Robert, I am ready,” Julie announced as Lisa held a coat and stood behind her. Cole took a position at the door ready to open it for them as Bobby extended his arm for her.

“Lady Julie Thompson and escort, Sir Robert Singer,” The herald called as she entered the room. Julie’s procession walked into the throne room, where the King and his lords stood in formal garb. The court Secretary stood next to Michael with a parchment that he unfurled and began to read from when she stopped and knelt in front of the king.

“His Majesty King Oskar grants to the Lady Julie Thompson, by proxy of Domain Sovereign King Michael, the title of Countess. This deed confers the land and purse owed to this position to Lady Julie, in her own right, and her children.”

Michael came and stood in front of Julie, helping her to her feet before putting a small crown of position on her head. He walked around her and took the cape from Lisa before draping it over Julie’s shoulders and went back to his thrown. The Secretary handed her the deed, before taking his position again.

“I shall grant you a single boon, on the behalf of your king,” Michael said grandly.

“Thank you, King Michael. I have come to ask that your majesty agrees to the marriage of Sir Dean Winchester and my this lady of high birth, Lisa Brayden.” Julie said as Lisa stepped up next to her to curtsy.

“I shall grant this favor for you, Countess,” Michael eyed her thoughtfully, as Julie curtsied and her procession left the great hall.

“Lady Julie,” Garth rushed up to her once they were away from most prying eyes and bowed awkwardly. “Cardinal Crowley sent men to your apartment when you were gone. I don’t know what he took but nothing he does ever has a good ending.”

“Thank you, Garth,” Julie said before she saw Cole depart the group with a sour look on his face.

“What could he have been looking for?” Bobby asked Julie seriously.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps he was looking at proof of something. Our arrangement with the people we met might have put him in a delicate position. He might try and return the favor,” Julie said referring to the vampires they had felt with.

“If you can think of anything that might make you vulnerable to an attack you just tell me immediately. Your request for Dean and Lisa’s marriage has you currently unattached.” Bobby said, patting her hand.

“Speaking of, where are the Winchester brothers?” Julie asked looking around briefly.

“I’m sure it was important,” Lisa assured her from behind.

@waywardbaby @destielhoneybee @snffbeebee @deangirl7695 @spnbaby-67 @maddiepants @ladywinchester1967 @woodworthti666 @miraclesoflove @tumbler-tidbits @emilyshurley @akshi8278 @mannls @wendibird @bobasheebaby @theoneandonlymelol @chelsea072498 @donnaintx @justsomedreaming @supernaturalenchanted @kalesrebellion @prettydeaneyes @emoryhemsworth @laphirablack @dontshootmespence @its-a-spn-thing @vicmc624 @idreamofplaid @deanmonandnegansbitch @winchesterxfamilybusiness @kickingitwithkirk @waywardsistershy

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ashintheairlikesnow · 4 years

Text

ADSOM Drabbles: Why Don’t I Hate You At All?

(For the Anon who requested an ADSOM drabble! This is pre-canon, but does include some spoilers for the first Shades of Magic book, so if you haven’t read it yet, you may not want to click on the Read More link!)

You know what your problem is?” Normally stoic, Holland Vosijk was feeling exactly enough of the kick from his third goblet of the odd dry Arnesian wine he was drinking to jab his finger at the air in the direction of the man sitting across from him.

“No,” Kell Maresh replied. He was on his fourth glass. Around them, the bar’s patrons pretended with great effort not to be obvious about their unease that they had not one, but two Antari sitting here being infinitely dangerous right in the middle of them. “But I imagine you are about to tell me.”

“Someone should.” Holland’s accent was thicker when he drank like this - normally he prided himself on speaking with a polished, very slight roundness to his consonants, on not flattening his vowels. But drunk, he slipped into the Kosik accent he’d grown up with - rough-and-tumble, the accent of men who took up business in dark buildings and who would have paid a lot of money to have an Antari to steal, enslave, and sell.

Kell looked at him, and Holland did not notice the high color in the other man’s cheeks - pale redheads, he thought, held their liquor in their faces, and that was never a problem he’d had in his life. Maktahn men started drinking in childhood and never stopped - what else was there to do, as each year was a little colder?

“Please believe me,” Kell said, dryly, “That you don’t really need to worry about that. My own mother tells me what is wrong with me every time I turn around, some days.”

“She’s not your mother,” Holland said, and took another drink.

He expected Kell to snap at him - he had before, when he’d said similar things. Instead, the Maresh princeling - prince in name only, Antari in Arnes couldn’t hold property or real titles or be in line for the throne - only sighed and said, “I know. She could have been, I think, but it was never her intention.”

“That’s not what we get to be, is it?” Holland said, and laughed - dark and bitter, and in his chest the curse did not burn but was a weight, ever-present. A hint of stone to sink him under the Sijlt, under the claws of the white king and queen in the world of bones that waited for his return.

They had given him the night off, and because he was a glutton for punishment, he’d sought out the person he hated most in the world, after them.

“No,” Kell said evenly, and he looked at Holland oddly with the blue-and-black eyes, and Holland met him head on with his own faded, dry-grass green. “It’s not.” There was a hesitation, and then Kell leaned over, finishing his wine with a flourish. “Tell me, Holland Vosijk, exactly what my problem is.”

Holland brightened, a little, at the opening. “Your problem,” He said, and jabbed his finger again, because that felt like the right thing to do. “Is your world’s problem.”

“My world’s problem,” Kell repeated, deadpan.

“Right. You’re spoiled. Fat vitun worms. Eat and eat and eat and the world makes more magic to soak you in, and you don’t even notice it. When I am here, I feel…” He trailed off, and looked down into the vibrant dark red of his wine. The mead in Makt, and the sweet wines the Danes drank by the barrel and licked the red off their fingers (when they weren’t mixing it with Holland’s blood for quite the drink, indeed, Holl) - none of them had so much color.

“What do you feel?” Kell looked more curious now, his eyes glittering and bright with the drink, the flush in his face making him seem like a painting, like one of the portraits Holland saw when he walked the marketplace here. Artisans using paints that would cost more than Holland’s life was worth with reckless abandon because they could simply get more.

“I feel like I wish I could tear the whole thing down and give it to my people. Glass this city to the ground and use all the magic in your kurat river to feed ours. But I’m not sure we deserve it... or that I do.”

Neither of them guessed at the confession until it was already out, and both of them went silent in the sudden realization of what Holland had said.

Kell, so much younger and with a life blessed with almost everything he ever wanted, a life with few hard choices and cursed with almost no choices at all, shifted uncomfortably. “Why… why do you say that?” He asked, with the air of someone who wished the ground would swallow him whole and who could not stop himself from asking the question, anyway.

“Makt is violent. We are a people who bleed each other dry-”

“And try to bleed your visitors, too, you know,” Kell added, and Holland huffed a laugh, nearly soundless.

“Fair. And my king and queen would have us both kneel at their feet if they could. Power is not enough - they must have more power, and more, and more.”

“They’re in the wrong world if more power is their only ambition,” Kell murmured, but he took the warning, Holland thinks - or maybe he didn’t, and he’s just drunk enough to look solemn because he thinks it makes him seem dignified.

It doesn’t.

Holland only watched him, for a long moment, and then he shifted to dig into a pocket sewn into the underside of his half-cloak, a pocket that sits directly over the curse carved into his chest. He has his commands, and it’s not time for this yet, but…

“Kell.”

“Mmmn?” Kell looked over at him, and Holland was definitely drunk, because he caught himself liking the line of the younger man’s jaw, the hint of freckles on his pale face, a single darker one under one eye.

If things had only been entirely different, Holland thought, we might have been friends.

A thought he allowed to exist only in whispers, because it was Holland’s own fault that they had never gotten further than antagonistic. He’d been arrogant, before the Danes, when he stood by the side of a man he thought might change everything. And he’d had that arrogance bled out of him, day by day, bone by broken bone, knife in his ribs with his head in Athos Dane’s lap, back whipped to shreds.

No more arrogance, in Holland Vosijk, at least not when his king and queen were near.

But maybe a little, when he was drunk with Kell Maresh.

“If I gave you this… what would you do?” Holland dug the necklace out of the pocket and laid it on the table between them. Kell blinked at it, clearly not recognizing the carvings on the pendant. He didn’t know what it was, and Holland breathed out slowly, trying to steady himself.

If Kell had known, this might have been over, now.

Instead, Holland thought bitterly, what promised to be the worst days of Kell Maresh’s life hadn’t even begun yet.

“If you… gave it to me?”

“Ja. I mean yes. What would you do, if I came to you, and I offered you this?”

“I’d wonder what poison you soaked the pendant in to kill me,” Kell answered quickly, and quirked a smile.

Holland fought the knowledge that he rather liked the way Kell Maresh looked, when he smiled.

“If you could know it wasn’t poisoned. If all it was, was… a gift.” He had his orders. I have been to your father for business already. I come to you for pleasure. Astrid had coached him until he could say it with a straight face, ordered him to do whatever it took to get that necklace over Rhy Maresh’s head.

Holland was hoping, deeply hoping, it wouldn’t have to be anything more than handing it over. His body would do as Astrid bid, but his mind recoiled at the thought of bedding the Crown Prince of Arnes only to ensure that the young man’s body became Astrid’s, afterward, instead.

If he had to bed one of them, he’d rather-

“I’d take it,” Kell said decisively, and Holland’s thoughts all scattered.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’d take it, if you offered it. I mean, I’d be suspicious, but…” Kell hesitated, then held up his hand. When the barmaid stopped by, he asked merely for two glasses of water, and to put the whole tab on the Crown. The woman smiled, nervously, bowed a little bit, and scurried to do as he asked. “I’d still take it. I don’t know if I’d wear it, though. Might just hold it.”

“I don’t think I’d want you to wear it,” Holland said, honestly. Not that it would work on you, but that’s not the point.

“Really? But you just-”

“It’s just a hypothetical,” Holland said quickly, and put the necklace back in his pocket. “And I am entirely too drunk to have this conversation.”

“I’m glad you did,” Kell said, and maybe that was his own confession, because his face reddened further and he looked away as the water was set down before them.

Holland downed his glass and pushed himself to his feet, feeling a sudden rush of alcohol, the world shifting uneasily around him. “I must away, Kell Maresh.”

“What? Already?” Kell tilted his head, looking up at him, and Holland could have sworn he looked sad. “You never talk to me like this.”

Holland swallowed, looking at his face, at the blue eye and the black. “We’ll talk more,” He said, slowly, “In the future.”

When you belong to my queen, when we both cut ourselves open for them, when she rules Arnes with her brother and you rule nothing, not even your own veins. When you suffer alongside me - and Kell Maresh, may you never suffer as beautifully as I do.

Prince Rhy Maresh’s birthday was nearly here, and Holland was going to destroy Kell Maresh’s world. He’d felt he owed the man a nice conversation, first.

The next conversation would be… harder.

He bowed his head, only slightly, to the younger man, who looked a little wistfully back up at him. “You’ll come back soon enough, Holland?” Kell asked, and there was a second question under the first, a vulnerability.

Holland only looked at him calmly, a man life had emptied out of every ounce of hope for anything like the real answer Kell wanted. Will you come back to see me, like this? When we talk like men and not like enemies?

“I’ll come back,” Holland said carefully. “For your brother’s birthday.”

He turned and left, Kell sitting and drinking the water in sips, and felt the prince’s eyes on his back until the door closed behind him.

I am going to ruin you, you spoiled selfish soft thing. I have hated you as long as I’ve understood you. I have spent seven years in degradation and filth while you drown in your luxuries and whine about how your parents don’t love you enough.

I am wrecked - I am a tombstone in a magic-less London, an angel carved of rock with empty eyes. I am hollowed-out with their knives and their laughter and their curse. I am nothing and no one but the magic that flows in my veins. I am nothing but a well of power they draw from.

I am not a man, only an Antari, and you have had the absolute luck to get to be both, haven’t you?

hate everything you have been raised to be. I loathe your world, and its color and life at the expense of mine. I will hand your brother his doom and do it with a smile on my face.

Because they told me to smile.

I hate you.

So why don’t I hate you at all?

#adsom drabbles #fanfic #fanfic drabble #Holland Vosijk #Kell Maresh #anon asks for adsom #shades of magic #adsom #acol #agos #kind of holland x kell but not really

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starksinthenorth · 4 years

Text

An Analysis of Jon Snow’s Spoken Parts of GOTS8

In Season 8, Jon Snow said a total of 1608 words across ~162 lines.* His most common words were: know, queen, need, all, back, north, how, want, stark, when. Of those lines, 2 are quotes. 38 are questions.

The people he mentions:

Three times: Arya, Bran

Daenerys: 2; Dany: 3

Sansa: 5

Sam(well): 4

Twice: Ned Stark, Lyanna

Once: Jorah, Aegon, Rhaegal, Rhaegar, Robert, Grey Worm, Tywin Lannister, Cersei, Maester Aemon, Tyrion, Gilly, Little Sam

Houses: Glover (1); Stark (2); Umbers (1); Lannisters (2)

The number of statements per general topics:

D/S Conflict: 7

WotD: 9

Family: 18

Family AND D/S Conflict: 11

D/S Conflict AND WotD: 2

Family AND defending Dany's crown: 2

Dragons: 6

Flirting with Dany: 4

Non-fam Reunions/Goodbyes: 19

His birth/kingship of all Westeros: 18

Defending Dany's crown: 8

Distancing from Dany: 1

Distancing from Dany AND defending her crown: 1

Other: 13

In Battles: 14

About battle v. Cersei: 8

Battle v. Cersei AND D/S conflict: 2

Defending Dany, general: 4

Advice: 6

Concern for Dany's well-being: 2

Forgiving Tyrion: 3

Questioning Dany: 3

post-killing her reflection: 3

*some of these are condensed into the same line and I counted by hand, so might be a lil off.

EPISODE 1 - WINTERFELL

Arriving at Winterfell

[to Dany] I warned you. Northerners don't much trust outsiders.

[to Bran] Look at you. You're a man.

[to Sansa] Where's Arya?

Queen Daenerys of House Targaryen. My sister, Sansa Stark, the Lady of Winterfell.

In Council

We need to send ravens to the Night's Watch as well. There's no sense in manning the castles anymore. We make our stand here.

It's not important.

You did, my lady. It was the honor of my life. I’ll always be grateful for your faith. But when I left Winterfell, I told you we need allies or we will die. I have brought those allies home to fight alongside us. I had a choice, keep my crown or protect the North. I chose the North.

Godwood Reunion with Arya

How did you sneak up on me?

You still have it.

Have you ever used it?

Jealous?

Where were you before? I could've used your help with Sansa.

Sansa thinks she's smarter than everyone.

Now you're defending her? You?

Yeah. I'm her family too.

Dragons/Waterfalls

She doesn't know you. If it makes you feel any better, she didn't like me either when we were growing up.

What's the matter?

What's wrong with them?

I don't know how to ride a dragon.

What if he doesn't want me to?

What do I hold onto?

You've completely ruined horses for me.

We'd be pretty old.

It's cold up here for a southern girl.

With Sansa

"House Glover will stand behind House Stark as we have for a thousand years." Isn't that what he said?

I told you we needed allies.

I never wanted a crown. All I wanted was to protect the North. I brought two armies home with me, two dragons.

Do you think we can beat the Army of the Dead without her? I fought them, Sansa. Twice. You want to worry about who holds what title, I'm telling you it doesn't matter. Without her, we don't stand a chance.

Do you have any faith in me at all?

She'll be a good queen. For all of us. She's not her father.

With Sam

Sam? Were you hiding from me?

What are you doing in Winterfell? Or did you read every book in the Citadel already?

What's wrong? Gilly? Is she all right?

Little Sam?

Know what?

I'm so sorry. We need to end this war.

Well, I've executed men who disobeyed me.

I wasn't a king.

I gave up my crown, Sam. I bent the knee. I'm not King in the North anymore.

What are you talking about?

My father was the most honorable man I ever met. You're saying he lied to me all my life.

Daenerys is our queen.

That's treason.

EPISODE 2 - A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS

Jaime Trial

We need every man we can get.

With the Wall Crew

I thought we'd lost you.

How did you find each other?

The Umbers?

How long do we have?

Voiceover

They're coming. We have dragonglass and Valyrian steel. But there are too many of them. Far too many. Our enemy doesn't tire. Doesn't stop. Doesn't feel.

War Council

We can't beat them in a straight fight.

The Night King made them all. They follow his command. If he falls Getting to him may be our best chance.

We'll put you in the crypt, where it's safest.

If they're in the field, they're not protecting Bran. We need to be near him. Not too near, or the Night King won't come. But close enough to pursue him when he does.

Let's get some rest.

Your Grace.

With Sam and Edd

No.

If you want to join them. To protect them.

Now it's just us three.

In the Crypt

Lyanna Stark.

He didn't. He loved her.

They were married in secret. After Rhaegar fell on the Trident, she had a son. Robert would have murdered the baby if he ever found out, and Lyanna knew it. So the last thing she did, as she bled to death on her birthing bed, was give the boy to her brother, Ned Stark, to raise as his bastard.

My name. My real name is Aegon Targaryen.

I wish it were.

Bran. He saw it.

And Samwell confirmed it. He read about their marriage at the Citadel without even knowing what it meant.

It's true, Dany. I know it is.

EP 3: The Long Night

The Night King is coming.

Dany!

[to Viserion]: Get off!

[to Dany]: Bran!

EP 4: The Last of the Starks

Funeral

We're here to say goodbye to our brothers and sisters. To our fathers and mothers. To our friends. Our fellow men and women who set aside their differences to fight together and die together so that others might live. Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid. It is our duty and our honor to keep them alive in memory for those who come after us and those who come after them for as long as men draw breath. They were the shields that guarded the realms of men. And we shall never see their like again.

Party

[to Tormund] No, not in one go. Vomiting is not celebrating.

[to drunk!Tormund] Yeah, I didn't have much say in that.

In his Rom w/ Dany

No. Only a little. I didn't know Ser Jorah well but I know this. If he could have chosen a way to die, it would have been protecting you.

I told you I don't want it.

I'll refuse. You are my queen. I don't know what else I can say.

I have to tell Sansa and Arya.

She won't.

I owe them the truth.

It won't.

You are my queen. Nothing will change that. And they are my family. We can live together.

Battle Council

The Northmen as well.

We'll surround the city. If the Iron Fleet tries to ferry in more food, the dragons will destroy them. If the Lannisters and the Golden Company attack, we'll defeat them in the field.

(to SANSA and ARYA) The Northern forces will honor their promises and their allegiance to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. What you command, we will obey.

Godwood w/ Starks

You understand we'd all be dead if not for her. We'd be corpses marching down to King's Landing.

Her men gave their lives defending Winterfell-

I swore myself and the North to her cause.

You don't know her yet.

If you only trust the people you grew up with, you won't make many allies.

Arya-

I've never been a Stark.

I need to tell you something. But you have to swear you'll never tell another soul.

You have to swear it, before I tell you.

Because we're family. Swear it.

Goodbyes to Tormund, Gilly, and Sam

[to Tormund] Just a horse. Rhaegal needs to heal. He doesn't need me weighing him down.

This is the North, you know. And the Free Folk are welcome to stay.

It's where he belongs too. A direwolf has no place in the south. Will you take him with you? He'll be happier up there.

I wish I was going with you. This is farewell, them.

[to Gilly] I hope it's a girl.

You too, Sam.

EP 5: The Bells

With Varys at Dragonstone

Just crossed the Trident. They'll be at the walls of King's Landing in two days. How is she?

She shouldn't be alone.

Aren't you worried for her?

We're not much for riddles where I'm from.

That's her decision to make. She is our queen.

What do you want?

I don't want it. I never have.

She is my queen.

With Dany

I don't want it, and that's what I told him.

I love you. And you will always be my queen.

With Tyrion

Daybreak at the earliest.

During Battle

Move, move!

No! Get back! Get back!

Stay! Stay!

Stop!

(to a woman) Find somewhere to hide.

We need to fall back! Fall back behind the wall! Fall back!

Get out of the city! Fall back! Fall back! Fall back!

EP 6: The Iron Throne

Pre-Dany’s Speech

[to Tyrion] It's not safe. Let me send some men with you.

Grey Worm! It's over.

With Arya

What are you doing here? Hey, what happened?

She's everyone's queen now.

Wait for me outside the city gates. I'll come find you.

With Tyrion in Jail

No.

Not that I've seen.

You didn't.

I can't justify what happened. I won't try. But the war is over now.

And you've been by her side, counseling her. Until today.

You think our house words are stamped on our bodies when we're born and that's who we are? Then I'd be fire and blood too. She's not her father, no more than you're Tywin Lannister.

Cersei left her no choice.

She saw her friend beheaded. She saw her dragon shot out of the sky.

Ah, it's easy to judge when you're standing far from the battlefield.

What?

I don't know.

What's it matter what I'd do?

"Love is the death of duty."

Maester Aemon said it a long time ago.

That's her decision. She is the queen.

I'm sorry it came to this.

My sisters will be loyal to the throne.

She doesn't get to choose.

At Iron Throne with Dany

I saw them executing Lannister prisoners in the street. They said they were acting on your orders.

Necessary? Have you been down there? Have you seen? Children, little children, burned!

And Tyrion?

Forgive him.

You can. You can forgive all of them, make them see they made a mistake. Make them understand.

Please, Dany.

The world we need is a world of mercy. It has to be.

How do you know? How do you know it'll be good?

I don't.

What about everyone else? All the other people who think they know what's good.

You are my queen. Now, and always.

With Tyrion, post-sentencing

There's still a Night's Watch?

Was it right? What I did?

It doesn't feel right.

I don't expect we'll ever see each other again.

Stark Goodbyes

[to Sansa] The North is free, thanks to you.

Ned Stark's daughter will speak for them. She's the best they could ask for.

[to Arya] You can come see me, you know, at Castle Black.

You think anyone will dare tell you women aren't allowed?

I don't know.

You have your Needle?

[to Bran] Your Grace. I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me.

#gots8 #asoiaf meta #jon snow #sansa stark #daenerys targaryen

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nightqueendany · 5 years

Text

Original Final Season 7 - Episode 4: Dragonglass

It’s Tuesday again...

ON DRAGONSTONE:

Jon/Dany visit the caves - now having been cleared out of the dragonglass, Jon wants to show Dany the COTF markings, their attraction for each other becomes more clear in this scene and Dany is more sure of Jon telling the truth about the Night King and Army of the Dead

Dany asks Missandei if any of the 19 languages she speaks use a symbol-system for their written language, Missandei replies yes, a few, so Dany then tasks her with copying down some of the symbols from the dragonglass cave, perhaps she can decipher some of the ruin symbols

Sometime while alone in the cave, Missandei and Grey Worm have sex, AKA Greyssandei cavesex

Team Stark/Targaryen discuss the dragonglass, that while the amount of it is much needed, they have no weapon smith skilled enough to work it

Dany agrees to have Yara and Theon ferry all they’ve mined to White Harbor/the North (This is Theon’s idea but Jon supports it - secretly, Theon is anxious to see Sansa again so this is his excuse)

- In exchange for sending the Greyjoys North with the dragonglass, Jon agrees to send the Northern forces (Northmen, Knights of the Vale, Riverlands) south to assist with the blockade of King’s Landing - no formal alliance has been made yet, but they want to show a united front against Cersei, the sooner they take out Cersei, the sooner everyone can face the threat of the White Walkers

Davos says he knows of a weapon smith who might be able to work the dragonglass, but he’ll need to go to King’s Landing, knows how to smuggle himself in

Tyrion opts to go with Davos to King’s Landing as representative of the Queen

As Yara and Theon are about to leave, Yara basically encourages Dany to “tap that” (Jon) while Davos and Tyrion are away in King’s Landing, Dany needs to secure the North formally, and seducing Jon into marriage is the most efficient way to do it but Dany isn’t so sure (as she’s secretly falling for him anyway)

Ellaria and Olenna depart Dragonstone as well, to prepare for the siege of King’s Landing

Melisandre begins to finally push her agenda on Dany, to convert many in Westeros to the religion of R’hllor, Dany is open to the idea of erecting a center where the Sept once stood that is open to those of all religions and inviting more red priests to Westeros to practice their faith

Varys is none too pleased with this and his irritation with Dany/Mel puts him into a gossipy mood

When Baelish inquires after the fact that Dany has no children from her previous relationships, Varys confirms she’s barren, and this is music to Baelish’s ears - even married, Jon and Dany would have to name a successor because Dany can’t birth one and the most prominent name on the list of potentials would be Sansa, who is already Jon’s heir for the Northern crown

Varys quickly guesses Baelish’s scheme but for once, isn’t opposed to his former friend’s plot to get Sansa on the throne (he’s more intrigued than anything), he fears Melisandre and her magic, that her influence over Dany and Jon will lead to much trouble later on

To push Varys finally over to his side permanently, Baelish points out Dany’s house words will always be “Fire and Blood” and that if it were between her and Baelish, she would be the real “Queen of the Ashes” - a tip off to Varys that Baelish knew of his/Olenna’s S3 conversation when Varys first said Baelish would “see the country burn to be King of the Ashes”

At Varys’ slightly troubled/embarrassed look, Baelish reminds Varys he had eyes and ears all over King’s Landing, and still does...

At Jon and Dany’s urging (they both hate him and don’t entirely trust him) Baelish reluctantly leaves Dragonstone also, he’s to meet the KOTV and other northern forces when they reach the capital, Varys accompanies him

IN WINTERFELL:

Bran and Arya have formed a deep bond in their short time together, Bran sharing with Arya all he knows of his powers and he mentions his powers aren’t exclusive to his being the 3ER - that some of them are because he is a Stark, and that Arya is a Stark as well - Arya scoffs at what Bran is implying but Bran just utters something mysterious and vague that Arya can’t argue with

At Jon’s news and Bran’s urging, Arya is to go to the Riverlands to deliver the message personally to Edmure about sending troops to King’s Landing

Arya is hesitant to leave Winterfell, but Bran tells her something that makes her want to go - the things she asked Bran to look into, she’ll find in King’s Landing/her journey to, and Bran knows just where she needs to look...

Sansa doesn’t want Arya to leave, all her family is leaving Winterfell again (like Season 1), she worries none of them will come back, they’re “the last of the Starks”, but Arya insists they will all be back, there’s just a few things she’s left behind, Brienne will train Sansa in Arya’s stead and Arya quips that Sansa will be better than her by the time she gets back

Northern forces leave Winterfell

Arya leaves Winterfell

IN KING’S LANDING:

Davos and Tyrion come across Gendry and Davos gives him a sample of the dragonglass, Gendry says the material is tricky, but he should be able to work with it

The trio prepare to leave King’s Landing but Davos senses a storm coming in, they’ll have to wait in the city a few days and lay low in Gendry’s shop - Davos/Tyrion send a raven to Dragonstone saying where they are and that they’ve succeeded in finding the weapon smith

Title is simply for the substance driving the plot this entire episode - the Dragonglass. It’s what takes Theon North (toward Sansa), what urges Davos to find Gendry, and what brings Jon and Dany closer together/what makes Dany more sure of Jon’s telling the truth about the AOTD.

Episode 4 Inside the Episode: Dragonglass

1) Baelish and Varys:

Inarguably, the second-worst subplot of the entirety of Season 7 was the Winterfell plot (the first being the Wight Hunt). It was unnecessary and ridiculous. This is when the mischaracterization of the Starks began. Arya and Sansa would not be at odds with each other upon reuniting and we all know it, even with Baelish in the picture. Sansa tells Jon in 6x10, “only a fool would trust Littlefinger” and yet she does so throughout most of S7, being the fool she had already warned Jon against. Remember what I said in the preface post about things being easily “undone” or forgotten entirely? Seems Sansa forgot to be wary of Baelish in show canon.

Also, I most definitely think we were owed one more encounter between Varys and Baelish. By killing Baelish off when the show did, it significantly simplified both their potential plots for Season 7 (and 8) because neither had anyone to spar with, as they had in previous seasons. Baelish’s “sparring partners” became Sansa and Arya and Varys’ became Tyrion, both unsuccessfully.

Further proof that Baelish and Varys were supposed to “get the band back together” so to speak, is two of Varys’s lines/conversations with/about Baelish are echoed in each of the final two seasons. First, in 7x02 when Tyrion tells Dany she’s “not here to be Queen of the ashes”. As mentioned above, Varys told Olenna Tyrell that “[Littlefinger] would see this country burn if he could be King of the Ashes,” (3x04) - it’s the exact same phrase and Varys is present when Tyrion says this to Dany in 7x02.

Next, in 8x04, Varys and Tyrion talk about “the realm”. Varys reminds Tyrion he “serves the realm” and Tyrion asks “what is the realm.” Varys has a very similar conversation with Baelish in 3x06 (Baelish’s infamous “Chaos is a ladder” speech).

These two lines/conversations, I think, are absolutely not a coincidence and further point to a previous plot/script whose lines and scenes are hidden just beneath the ones we watched. Baelish’s presence is felt in these scenes with Varys, but he’s not actually there. Having Baelish around this time gives the audience fulfillment that canon did not.

And as we’ve never seen them on the same side before, it would make for interesting conflict to see them team up against Dany.

Varys is uncomfortable with Melisandre and her magic and this needs to be paid off. As I stated last episode, it was set up and then never done anything with. It makes way more sense for Varys to part ways with Dany over this and have a payoff for it, than him turning on Dany for Jon when he doesn’t even know Jon.

Baelish pushing Varys into this is also the natural progression of things as Baelish will manipulate anyone in order to get what he wants: he and Sansa on the Iron Throne, ruling Westeros. Varys knew Sansa from when she was a little girl in King’s Landing and admits he admired her father. Varys supporting Sansa over say Jon, would make more sense.

2) Missandei attempting to translate the COTF cave markings:

I know it seems weird guys. But hear me out. It gives Missandei a PURPOSE this season, gives her a job, an important one, and it uses her skillsets in regards to the endgame of the series: defeating the Army of the Dead. These ruins were heavily emphasized in 7x04 and the symbols even made it all the way into 8x01 with the Night King’s lovely art installation piece of Ned Umber on the wall with a bunch of body parts. These symbols NEED to be figured out. And I’m all for my girl Missandei getting to flex a little.

Plus, Missandei went to the cave with Jon, Dany, and Davos in show canon. Why not, uhh, idk, have her take a look and give her opinion on what they could possibly mean?? You know, just stating the obvious here, don’t mind me!

3) Gendry

Doy, another no-brainer. Aside from fucking and getting rejected by Arya, Gendry’s S8 story was about fashioning dragonglass weapons, but he was pulled into the 7x06 “Suicide Squad” for idiotic reasons.

Having Davos seek him out to work the dragonglass solves two problems: a) It explains how and why Gendry becomes the head weapon maker with the dragonglass at Winterfell in show canon, and b) gives Davos a REAL reason to seek him out, rather than, oh yeah, I liked this kid, gonna go see if he’s alive and around anywhere. Cuz that was just dumb and nonsensical.

4) Lastly Arya leaving Winterfell after arriving so soon...?

I know this may seem strange as well. But in this context, Arya isn’t leaving Winterfell permanently. Which was just dumb after she fought so hard to get back home and fought so hard for her home. It also gives her her own journey, not just sitting around Winterfell waiting for Jon to get back with Daenerys and waiting for the dead to come. As to what Arya’s going to find in King’s Landing/on her journey there, you’ve probably already guessed. And as for Bran’s hints that Arya’s got similar powers to him...you’ve also probably already guessed what these might be.

Aaaaand that’s it for Episode 4. As always, you guys can comment on these and tell me what you think, ask questions etc. It’s allowed. Don’t be shy. Especially since this is the episode that probably is the greatest divergence from canon yet, I’d love to hear your guys opinions.

Original Final Season 7: Preface Post

Season 7 Episode 1: Family, Duty, Honor

Season 7 Episode 2: Greywater Watch

Season 7 Episode 3: The Last of the Dragons

Season 7 Episode 4: Dragonglass (Current Episode)

Season 7 Episode 5: The Storm

Season 7 Episode 6: Summerhall

Season 7 Episode 7: A City Fit For A King

Season 7 Episode 8: Protectors of the Realm

Season 7 Episode 9: The Battle For The Dawn

Season 7 Episode 10: ?

#game of thrones #anti got #anti D&D #original final season 7 of game of thrones #jon snow #daenerys targaryen #melisandre #varys #petyr baelish #Arya Stark #bran stark #Sansa Stark #Gendry Waters #Theon Greyjoy #missandei #grey worm

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ofregiums · 4 years

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silence ! raise the royal standard, for the queen of the polish-lithuanian commonwealth, ISABELA HASLER, has arrived. being twenty-five years old, she is currently on the throne. many around the court call her the siren by virtue of her being ambitious and charismatic, while also being cunning and hot-headed. —played by chloe bridges

— THE BASICS

full name: isabela anne hasler nee lopez known in history as: the commoner queen date of birth: november 20th age: twenty-five star sign: scorpio profession: stay at home mom ( modern verse ) / queen of the polish-lithuanian commonwealth ( canon verse ) loyalty: house hasler, house de trastamara alignment: chaotic neutral mbti: intj spoken languages: spanish ( first ), english ( fluent ), german ( beginner ), polish ( beginner ) mother’s name: eleanor fry ( deceased in both verses ) father’s name: andrés lopez ( deceased in both verses ) siblings, if any: maria lopez ( older ) children: augustus hasler, helena hasler height: 5′5″ hair colour: black. eye colour: dark brown

— CANON VERSE

ambition is the word that follows isabela’s entire existence and it started from the very moment she was brought into this world. a product of a desperately conniving farmer of a father and a naive teacher of a mother, she was born in valencia, spain as a product of an affair. you see, her father was already married with a young child. but once eleanor came into his line of sight, he knew he had to haver her.

eleanor did not live long enough to bear the shame of being an unwed mother for she perished during childbirth. andrés took little isabela and brought her to his wife luisa to be raised alongside her older half-sister maria, who was only four at the time.

from a very early age, andrés suffered from a great rage that he took out on his wife and daughters. it was a bit of a vicious circle, really. maria did all that she could to protect isabela but luisa -- still bitter that she was a product of infidelity -- looked the other way if the rage was directed at the young girl. words, hands. . . it did not matter. it was simply the way he got his point across.

as isabela grew into her own, andrés and luisa began to notice her great beauty and began to scheme how best to utilize it to benefit their own wealth and status. it was beaten into isabela’s head that she would need to make something of herself for the sake of the family if she wanted to be considered useful. growing up, her parents only really noticed her for her looks and how that would benefit their wealth and status. it was beaten into her head that she needed to make something of herself.

maria ran away from home when she was seventeen, leaving a thirteen year old isabela heartbroken and completely alone to their parents’ mercy. the fact that her sister did not think to take her with her is something that the young woman carries with her to this very day. it was the beginning of learning not to trust anyone.

at the age of sixteen, isabela and a few friends snuck away to madrid for the weekend. it was there that she met the duke of galisteo -- handsome, nearly twice her age, incredibly rich, and very very married. the man was absolutely no match for isabela’s charms and took to her instantly. it was an utterly volatile relationship: she always feared the worst from him and he could never offer all himself to her. still, no amount of distance kept the duke away from isabela. it wasn’t before long before he was offering her an opportunity to attend the spanish royal court by his side. of course, isabela said yes. as she packed away for her new adventure, her father gripped his wrist and reminded her of her purpose on this earth.

isabela utterly thrived at the spanish court, making friends as high as the duke of huéscar and foreign princess of spain. darkly seductive and yet charming, she dazzled people after a conversation despite the clear insinuations of why she was there at court. behind those doe eyes and an innocent smile is a serpent. she cannot be trusted by most and people are only shown facades of her.

tirelessly, isabela tried to wear the duke down to divorce his wife and marry her instead. however, the news that his wife was finally pregnant -- a point of contention between the two -- the duke broke off things with isabela and shattered the heart she never knew she even had.

she no longer had any remote standing at court. but as she was packing up to return to her wretched home, the queen of spain ( the former, not the current ) requested her to be a lady-in-waiting for her. it was a proper title to cover up what she really did for the queen, which was seduce rich and powerful people for information and secrets. it was exactly what she needed to ensure that she would not go home.

everything grew quite chaotic in spain afterwards. first, the crown prince died, causing the princess she considered a friend to flee to her home country with the no-more heir. not so soon afterwards, the king of spain joined his son beyond the grave. suddenly, the queen she worked for was simply an old widow and the next in line -- a woman -- took her place as the spanish monarch. isabela was then assigned to do the same for her as her mother before her.

under the command of the new queen, isabela was sent to bern with the instruction of collecting information of enemy countries. upon her arrival, she met the crown prince anton and was intrigued by him immediately. what started as nothing more than physical began to bloom into authentic feelings. isabela tried with all her might to deny that she was in love with him -- she couldn’t trust again, she couldn’t -- but eventually, she relented to them. after anton’s father was killed in the bern explosions, he proposed to isabela and she readily accepted. this made her not only a wife, but a queen.

her father and step-mother tried to return in isabela’s life, wanting to reap the benefits that she had sown. but no longer living in fear of them, she was a willing participant in having them both executed for “crimes against the queen”. the night after they died was the first night isabela had slept peacefully in all of her nights.

isabela’s reign, so far, is not a smooth one. following in the opinion of their former king, she is not particularly liked by the court or the common people at whole. while the nobles within the castle considered her to be nothing more than a witch that put the king under a spell, the common people found her shameless social climbing to be utterly revolting and hard to connect with. for the most part, isabela tries not to let it get to her but even she has feelings ( no matter how difficult it was to admit ). putting herself under much stress has made her more aloof and made things like having a baby difficult, as made clear by a miscarriage.

she now supports her husband in versailles where the peace talks have resumed after months of rebuilding. recently, she has learned that she is with child once again and while she is normally not one to waste silly time on hope, isabela prays with all of her that this will be a new beginning. for real, this time.

— MODERN VERSE

born in santa fe, isabela was marked by misfortunes from the day she was born. her mother died giving her life – a fact that her father has resented her for from day one. he returned the favor by drinking entirely too much and even going as far to harm the young girl out of anger.

upon noticing a massive bruise on her arm at the age of nine, isabela’s elementary school counselor alerted the local authorities and she was swiftly taken out of the home and into foster care. she never saw her father again.

unfortunately, foster care proved to be just as bad at times. isabela bounced from home to home. some were okay, others were only in it for the money, and the rest were just as terrible as her father. because of this, she grew up incredibly distrustful and angry towards the world. she isolated herself at school and never had any friends. she didn’t mind it that much and perhaps even preferred it that way.

isabela ran away from home at the age of sixteen and never fucking looked back. after hitchhiking throughout the country, she realized she would need to find a way to keep herself afloat. it was when she found herself in los angeles where she met beau. at first thinking he was an unassuming man with a soft spot of saving her, isabela quickly realized that he wanted to recruit her into his business – a club. with no other options, she accepted.

she began working as a stripper as a way to pay her bills. eventually, she garnered enough popularity with the clients for her mysteriously dark and seductive ways. she was an enigma that no man could put their finger on and yet had such delight in trying. because of that, men would pay thousands a night to see her.

once she was nineteen, a more professional and high-in club offered her a spot in their den. isabela was promised more safety, more money, and more freedom. naturally, she accepted.

beau was not happy. he felt that she owed him her entire career. she obviously didn’t agree. an altercation occurred late one night on the sunset strip when beau waited for isabela’s shift to end and attacked her. the altercation landed isabela in the hospital where it would take her weeks to recover and months for her to heal and get back to work. it was only then that beau considered her free. but at what cost ?

she made a promise to herself that day to stop allowing men like her father, beau, her exes, anyone to treat her like an object. if another man laid his hands on isabela, she’d cut them off.

isabela worked at the club for years, a veteran among a sea of girls who come in and out. since she now has risen through the ranks, she entertains the likes of ceos and the rest of the 1% of california. one night, anton entered the club -- and the rest is history. if anyone would have once told isabela that she would not only fall in love with one of her patrons, but eventually marry and have a child with him too ??? well, she certainly would have laughed in their face.

she quit the job once she officially started dating anton and never once looked back. at times, isabela feels a bit unsure of the completely new life that she is living but she also relished in the feeling of being treated well after so long of the opposite. the only thing that matters to her at this point is her new family and that opinion is unlikely to ever change.

#abuse tw #miscarriage tw #( * fuck with a goddess and you get a little colder | isabela lopez. )#( * introductions. )

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mfackenthal · 5 years

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MFR #10 Minipost: TRR

TRR Fanfic is abundant and I love it!

Here’s a list of the work I read for TRR in the last two months.

Epiphany (series) by @ao719

In this series – we get to see what may have happened in Liam let fear keep him from proposing to MC (Daniella) when he had the chance. Instead, he didn’t choose her out of fear that doing so would put her more in harm’s way. When Daniella returns and Liam has to watch her fall for another man … let’s just say sparks fly. Come see if Liam can prove he still has what is needed to get the girl.

The Consequence of Secrets – Part 18 – The ICU by @blackcatkita

The pregnant Queen is finally awake. She’s on anesthesia and a bit high – so that’s entertaining. Liam’s anger is thawing towards Drake (finally!) This series is so good – so if you haven’t started it – it’s time to catch up. And if you’ve been waiting for the next chapter – here it is!

Vengeance (series) by @ao719

Colette comes to Cordonia on a mission. Drake seems to know her and be able to vouch for her. Liam, of course, falls for her quickly. As people in high places end up in jail for their illegal activities, Colette’s life is threatened. Is Colette a danger to the crown? Will Liam be able to keep her safe?

Guarded Hearts by @lolablackwrites

In the most recent chapter (37), Bas and Alice are back together. Bas asks Alice to move in with him! We get more of BFF Frankie. A delightful conversation occurs between Alice and Bertrand. This chapter made me snort coffee. It hurt but it was so worth it. As the president of the Bastien Fanclub – I’m telling you that you must read this if you love Bas!

Worth the Wait by @speedyoperarascalparty

Happy Father’s Day Drake Walker!

The Sins of the Father by @sawyeroakleyscowboyhat

Liam learns that Drake is his brother. Come find out how that happened.

Running on Fumes by @cocomaxley

When exhausted men babysit their children, they learn the importance of tagging their strollers.

Liam’s Journal (series) by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

TRR book 1 through Liam’s 5 senses. You know the story – but not this intimately.

A Question of Paternity (series) by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Riley marries Drake and quickly learns she is pregnant. Is it possible that Drake is not the father?

Marry Me by @theroyalweisme

Drake watches the love of his life marry someone else. It’s beautiful anguish.

Family Secrets (series) by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Bertrand knows there’s a sister Beaumont out there. Maxwell doesn’t. Maxwell invites Nev to come compete for Liam. The stage is set for secrets to reveal something good or make life more complicated.

Whatever Comes Next by @drakewalkerwhipped

Drake and Jaela are on their honeymoon. This is a chapter of love, smut, tenderness AND plot.

A Twist in the Tale by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Things are a little different in this story about when Liam learns what happened with Tariq.

Living with Consequences by @argylemnwrites

Drake and Riley agreed their child could be the next heir to the throne and regretted it almost immediately … come find out a few of the reasons why. I particularly love how Drake and Riley are on the same page at the end.

Sweethearts (series) by @elles-choices

Liam is King. Lola is a fashion icon. They’ve found a way to get back together but that’s still not public knowledge. In this NSFW chapter, Liam lets Lola know that she can be seen with someone else, but he owns her body and heart.

July 1: Home by @darley1101

Liam and Karin (MC) take a moment to breath and remember how lucky they are.

Finding Riley (series) by @emceesynonymroll

An amazing AU where we learn that Riley isn’t who she originally claimed to be but she may just be what Cordonia needs. This was so creative, I was hanging on every new chapter.

Unexpected (series) by @ao719

Driam x Riley – it’s NSFW, it’s sexy, no one has been able to clearly think through their feelings on their own, let alone share those feelings … but there’s a lot of love to go around. I cannot wait to see where this one goes! And in the meantime – every chapter is HOT HOT HOT!!!

We Owe Him by @drakewalkerwhipped

The conversation we all deserved between Drake and MC about naming a child the next heir. It’s real, it’s honest, it’s intense.

The Secrets Out (series) by @ao719 (CGW)

Liam has a cousin that Anitah had a one-night stand with and never mentioned anything … Liam is very drunk when he learns this and says shit he never should have even thought. Check out this series to learn how Liam learns this truth and then whine with me for more so we can learn how Liam gets out of the dog house.

One Handsome Devil (series) by @onehandsomedevil-trr

Follow the TRR story that you love with greater details. Drake with with MC (Kate) and right now Liam is with Hana. Liam and Hana is not a pairing I usually like – but it works. Come see why.

The Royal Honor by @katedrakeohd

This is going to kind of follow the plot of The Royal Heir … but with @katedrakeohd flair.

Pas de trois (series) by @ritachacha

Maxwell has married MC (Riley). She has had a few flings with Liam … which Maxwell has just recently learned and is not thrilled by. Liam has asked for permission to be with Riley so that an heir might be born. No one seems to be speaking their full truths – least of all Riley and Maxwell. But the sex they’re having is hot. I can’t wait to see where things go from here.

Fall Apart (series) by @debramcg1106

Riley and married Liam and let’s just say that Drake is not handling that very well. Drake has friends who want to help – and some who will force him to get help. Will he accept it?

Totally, One-Hundred Percent Brand New Information by @argylemnwrites

A delightful story about how and when Maxwell figures out that Riley has fallen for Drake. Maxwell is such a good friend!

Treason Never Wins (series) by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Liam and Riley are trying to get down the aisle, but Anton may find a way to stop the wedding. Will everyone survive?

Don’t Confuse Having a Career with Having a Life by @choicecrossover

Ana De Luca interviews Bastien and Rinda. While I believe that MFackenthal would give a better interview, I am in love with Bastien and Rinda. This interview is just one more reason why.

Worlds Collide: Prologue by @cordoniansgonewild

An AU to the original AU – The start of a social season where Liam isn’t the only guy looking for a partner in life.

All He Wanted by @emceesynonymroll

Drake wakes up one morning to the life he always thought he wanted … but everything is not as it seems. Come figure out what is going on.

Be Careful What You Wish For (series) by @bobasheebaby

Liam does not accept that Rebecca could really choose Drake and he continues to pursue her after their marriage. If you get in Liam’s way – you may end up dead. Can Liam be stopped?

I’m Flossy by @cordoniansgonewild

Liam’s dance is caught for others to see.

The Pain is In the Knowing (series) by @ritachacha

In this beautifully written and bittersweet story – Maxwell is in love with Savannah. Will he tell her or let her marry his brother?

Obsessed (series) by @speedyoperarascalparty (CGW)

Drake and Pam have a stalker. This person is closer than we want. Danger! Danger! Can Drake keep Pam safe?

More than This by @hopefulmoonobject

To be honest, I had a small hand in the creation of this one – so yeah yeah bias blah blah blah. But seriously – it’s sooooo good and popular demand has asked for it to become a series. I cannot wait to see where things go! Leo is trying to turn a new leaf. He’s getting clean from alcohol, but other addictions are harder to let go … then he meets a woman that might just be worth staying healthy for.

The Masterlist for @stopforamoment

Bas and Rinda. Rinda is my spirit animal. This series is AMAZING! It’s the slow burn of slow burn. I had to edit a few chapters just to get a damn kiss! BUT Rinda is full of life. She’s soulful. She brings out a lighter side for Bas. The humor in this series will surprise you at times. I read series 1 – 6 in two days and will be catching up on the next 20 series as soon as I can.

All the Stars (mini-series) by @ao719

Liam and MC (Lauren) have a child, but Lauren stays in New York to raise their child. Can Liam convince her to come to Cordonia? Bring some tissues for the later chapters.

The Commoner’s Wife (series) by @dcbbw

Riley has married Drake – but is it out of obligation or love? Liam and Riley are having an affair. Liam wants Riley but he also wants the sneaking around to end. What does Riley want? Drake isn’t as in the dark as everyone is trying to convince him to be. It’s complicated and sexy and I cannot wait to see where things go from here. (Many thanks to @darley1101 who told me to read this!)

All Is Not What It Seems (series) by @whenyourheartskipsabeat

Is Liam cheating on Riley with Hana?

Addicted (Preview 2) by @indiacater

Liam and Naima were addicted to each other in the past. They’ve been forced apart but now Naima is back – and the addiction is too. Things are going to get delightfully messy.

Crazy Week by @butindeed

It’s all in the title ;) It’s a crazy week for Riley, Liam, Drake, Hana and more. A TRR AU.

A Peek Behind Liam’s Instagram (series) by @the-soot-sprite and @zaffrenotes

Pictures may say more than words – but that won’t keep the Cordonian crew from sharing their opinions.

Shameless Promotions:

The MFackenthal Show with @cordoniansgonewild: Think Ellen meets choices. In this episode, the ladies of Cordonian’s Gone Wild take over The MFackenthal Show – let the shenanigans and drinking commence while you learn how these four ladies make the magic happen.

From the World’s Collide AU with @cordoniansgonewild come 5 interviews with MFackenthal and the guys:

**MFackenthal Interviews Liam from @cordoniansgonewild

**MFackenthal Interviews Drake from @cordoniansgonewild

**MFackenthal Interviews Rashad from @cordoniansgonewild

**MFackenthal Interviews Leo from @cordoniansgonewild

**MFackenthal Interviews Maxwell from @cordoniansgonewild

#MFackenthal Reviews TRR #TRR #MFR #10 #minipost

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theatricks · 5 years

Text

"The Dying King and the Four Knights" - Main Story #8, Part 6 - A Summary

Videos: First Half, Second Half

Continuing from the last installment, here’s the final part!

The Chancellor informs the King that here at the ends of the northern ice floes is the land of the dead, Valhalla, and the King realizes that he indeed died on that day. He says he had forgotten it all. The passion to make the kingdom a better place. The affection to think of the lives of it's people. He had just been clinging to his old ways, without listening to the advice of those wiser than him and refusing to the see the potential of the kingdom's young and those from outside it. He had become fixated on power, ruling tyrannically through heavy taxation. And that had angered the people and the knights, resulting in the rebellion. He says he remembers it now, thanks to retrieving all the gems. The flames that engulfed the throne that day...and the impact of the sword piercing his chest. All of it.

He calls himself foolish, having just said how thankful he was to those who entrusted the gems to him. "It seems it's already too late to convey that gratitude..." The Chancellor says that may be so, but he was able to retrieve them. The passion of the General, the affection of the Marquis, the potential of the Young Knight, the wisdom of an old friend. The King chuckles and says the Chancellor's always leading him down the right path. The Chancellor says those words are more than he deserves. The King says "...I'm grateful, my old friend."

Akira then breaks character to also thank whoever it was that prepared this stage. It allowed her to remember her reason for standing on the King's Stage, after all. She says it's time to close the curtain. If those at Seisho were able to change the ending of their play, then they, too, will create their ideal tale. They'll continue acting until the end, following the King's Path and Siegfeld's history and tradition. Michiru agrees and Akira calls the other Edels to the stage. They appear and all of them recite their pledges from the previous parts. Akira defeats the final Korosu and declares herself Position Zero, and they continue acting out the rest of the play---

The King says it's almost time for them to part and asks the Chancellor to give the crown to the Young Knight. To his son---the one who killed him, put a stop to his tyranny, and thus saved him. And also to tell him to find his own gems. Tell him that 'to the living King, the rising curtain is a curse; to the dying King, the falling curtain is a blessing'.

"As you wish... I will certainly do so, Your Majesty." "It's no longer 'Your Majesty'. Merely a request from a friend... Johann Saphir." "...Understood. My friend, Franz Platin."

"Neither the crown nor throne can be taken to Valhalla. The only thing to pass on from this life today is a mere man. They were able to be entrusted to another. If there can be said to be any significance behind this tale existing it is that---"

"I was...the King."

The curtains fall and the first half ends with Elle informing the 'audience' that that was the end of today's play and to please check their belongings as they leave.

The second half begins with Michiru welcoming the others back but then correcting herself and telling them they did well on the performance instead. Akira says she's glad they were able to safely return to the stage. Shiori says it was all thanks to Akira and Michiru. Mei Fan asks if they had been brought to the stage of Elysion's Throne Chapter and Yachiyo says she had the sense that she was acting the whole time but at some point ceased to realize it. Akira says isn't that a Stage Girl's ultimate goal, in a way? Yachiyo says that might be true but that they're Edels. Shiori says it needs to be all five of them on stage. Michiru and Akira both agree and Akira says, with this, it's all over.

Elle appears and says yes, they've rid the play of the Korosu and protected Elysion through the Re LIVE. Mei Fan is surprised to see Elle and Shiori is creeped out by Andrew, asking if he's wearing a costume. He says he's not, he's just the super adorable Andrew~ Mei Fan asks Michiru why he seems familiar and she reminds her of the shop they went to that one time, but Mei Fan's confused as to why he's here and Michiru says why indeed?

Akira is surprised that the Korosu's encroachment would reach even Elysion. She says it seems it's true what Seisho had said, that the rate at which plays are being erased is expanding. Michiru says even the Throne Chapter was almost erased. Akira asks Elle if they know the cause. Elle says even they don't know where the Korosu came from or why they're erasing plays. Mei Fan gets fired up and says regardless of the cause they can't let it continue to happen! Elle says she feels the same...but that she herself can't stand on stage. She asks to borrow their power as Stage Girls.

Michiru is curious and says Elle knows an awful lot despite not being able to stand on stage. Andrew says despite that, she's been studying a lot. Michiru wonders exactly what she's studying. She then goes off on Andrew asking just what his role in all this is? The mascot character? A supporting character? He reiterates that he's just the super adorable Andrew~ Mei Fan tells him he's not adorable at all, the balance of his design is off-putting, the color usage is unclear, not to mention his dead-looking eyes. Akira tells Mei Fan she shouldn't put the truth so plainly. Mei Fan apologizes and says she couldn't help it. Andrew sighs and says they just can't see it.

Andrew: An uptight school that does nothing but study theater wouldn't understand cuteness~ Michiru: No, I think we understand it well enough. Shiori's, for example. Shiori: E-Eeh!?

Michiru says even if it meant not understanding cuteness, she'd rather spend her time studying theater. After all, they're Stage Girls born for the stage. Yachiyo agrees and says cuteness isn't really needed for that. Andrew grumbles and tells them they're a different kind of troublesome than that Kyoto woman. Akira chuckles and says very well. They'll lend them their power to help protect the plays. There's no reason for them to refuse. She says that if Elysion and the Edels she relies on disappeared she'd be troubled. Michiru agrees and Akira says that this is their duty as both Edels and Stage Girls, and asks if they're okay with that.

Mei Fan says of course, and Yachiyo admits she'd be troubled if she couldn't stand on stage. Shiori says any Stage Girl would make the same choice. Surely...her sister, too. Elle is quiet and then thanks them. Andrew says it's time for them to leave soon. Elle says she knows and tells them they'll be leaving, thanking them again for their assistance with the Re LIVE. Andrew says they'll be relying on them again if another play disappears~ Michiru tells him that's not how to ask for a favor, you have to say 'please'. He grumbles and reluctantly does so.

After they've left, Akira says the curtain has finally fallen. Yachiyo says it feels like they owe Akira and Michiru a pretty big debt. Akira tells her not to worry about it, that it was because of them returning to the stage that they were able to protect Elysion and the King's Stage. She says she remembers why the King's Stage is considered such. The whole school puts their feelings into the stage, the Four Knights gather and channel those feelings into the King, and the King then turns those feelings into Brilliance. It's something only Siegfeld can do and why they're considered the Absolute Ruler. That's why the King must never forget their passion, hold affection in their heart, and use all their wisdom to bring out the maximum potential of the stage. Doing that the King can shine, and surpass even the Gods.

Michiru says someone may have seen it. Akira asks what she means and Michiru says it's really just a feeling. She explains that when Akira becomes a third-year she'll have to choose the next Frau Platin and that she herself will have to hand over the Frau Saphir title, so next year's performance of the Throne Chapter won't involve all five of them. But...she felt like someone had seen it. The Throne Chapter the five of them had just performed. Yachiyo asks her who and Mei Fan gets freaked out thinking it's the Korosu. Michiru says she doesn't know, that it was just a feeling she had. Shiori says she understands what she means a bit.

Akira, on the other hand, says she'd be troubled if that were so. After all, this was just a performance they did to save Elysion. Next year's play, with a new Frau Platin and new Edels, should be a much more polished and touching performance. Don't they agree? Yachiyo says that's a ton of pressure~ Shiori says it could be taken as a challenge, and Mei Fan says she'll be sure to meet Akira's expectations!

Michiru laughs and wonders who it'll be that inherits the Frau Platin title from Akira. Akira says she doesn't know. They all have the potential, and as the Dying King, she'll watch over them until the end. Michiru asks her if she's looking forward to it. Akira says of course. But, for now...she'd like the five of them to stand on stage together a while longer. The answer will come to her eventually. But, for now, just a while longer...

Michiru agrees and Akira says they should get going, to the place they belong. Michiru says their Student Council work has been piling up, after all. The others happily agree.

"Though the flame of life lasts but an instant, the pure white Platinum's brilliance never peters out. Though the people's stage lasts but an instant, the King's Stage is passed down eternally. We are Siegfeld Institute of Music! On the Godless Stage, the King's Light shines!"

"Edel von Siegfeld! Everything we do is for the King's Stage!"

#revue starlight #shoujo kageki revue starlight #revue starlight relive #summary #siegfeld #sorry it took so long!!

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