Fantasy A Royal Engagement [Closed]

[Melanin-Gxdess]

With a smile and a sigh, he laced his fingers together and looked at the fire. "You remember when Rosie first got sick? We all didn't think she would make it, but she did. Granted, she lost her hearing but at least she was still alive." Thinking of the time, it was hard for his family. None of them thought she would survive on the final night of her illness. Everyone was ready to let go, but she pulled through, at the cost of her hearing. He had a reason for bringing up such a sensitive topic and he would explain momentarily.

"What about when Bramble got a cold? She wasn't dying, no, but she sure acted like it. Such a dramatic one she was." He gave a slight chuckle, thinking about Bramble and how she would pretend to fall over. It was such a small headache and a fever she had, but it wasn't serious. It wasn't deadly like the bug Rosie had caught, but Bramble made it seem that way. "I'm dyiiiing." He remembered her saying, walking down the hallway. Ana was giving her a dirty look as their mother made her tea and took care of her. She knew there was nothing really wrong with her, but their mother didn't care. She was so kind hearted.

"I don't think Rosie has ever gotten sick yet, but I know Ana has. You and Geoffrey were so concerned. If she sneezed you'd both run over to her with a tissue." He gave another chuckled and finally turned his side gaze to Edward. "Basically put, sickness runs in this family. And I'm afraid the deathly one has me in its grip." There was no way he could keep this a secret, at least from Edward, any longer. He trusted him to say nothing, but then again he had his doubts. "I'm dying, to put it simply. Bad heart, I guess. Maybe it got that way when it was taken from me." He said referring to his wife. She was his everything and when she passed, it hit him the hardest.​

 

[Misty Gray]

As Leo spoke about Rosie, all Edward could do was think of how worried he'd been when the girl was ill and how happy everyone was when she pulled through. Despite still being protective over her, he knew she was a fighter and stronger than many realise. Though was she strong enough for potentially being betrayed by Gwyn? He hoped the knight was being genuine. He then had to laugh as Bramble was mentioned. The girl always was a vibrant character. He loved that. When Ana was mentioned, his smiled dropped a little - had it really been that obvious? Thankfully, as far as the King was concerned, it was because they were best friends, as with Geoffrey.

As Leo finally revealed he was dying, the colour left Edward's face and his expression turned grave. "Dying?!" he asked, trying to control his shock. "No, that can't be right. Perhaps it's just the stress. The worry?" he asked, shifting forward so he was closer to the King. "How long have you known? Are you sure?" he asked, fighting back the tears for the sake of supporting Leo. This was hard. The King meant a lot to him and this was like losing his father all over again. "What can I do?" he asked, somewhat helplessly.​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Leo's eyes met his and one could tell he was tired. "For a while, Ed. For a while. It recently became worse." There would be no reason to hide everything from him now. He found himself at an impasse, not wanting to burden him with yet another secret that might hurt his relationship with Ana even more. Yet it was too late not to say anything and he felt the weight of it on his shoulders and counted it as another failure. "I'm sorry for continuously putting you in difficult positions, but you can't tell the girls just yet. I don't want them to think only of their father." He started tapping his finger on the arm of his chair, trying to decide what other secrets he needed to tell him. Like how he was rebuilding and reimaging his army and it was almost complete. Yet the marriage would still need to go on only because he wanted peace amongst both kingdoms. He decided he would wait on that for a while longer. One secret at a time. "Everything that happened so fast was because of my health. All of this needed to be done before I died. Analise; she's a strong girl but not strong enough to handle everything including my death. A kingdom to watch over, politics, and raising her sisters'. Rosie is still a child and we refuse to send her away." He began to explain. Nothing occurred to him that Edward and Analise, or even Geoffrey and Analise, together, would help the situation. But of course, how could he when he didn't even know what was in her heart? That was one of the problems he was going to fix before he dies. The relationship with his daughters.​

 

[redroseknight]

Geoffrey was not used to being asked about his feelings, the knight far more used to listening to others problems or just following the commands given to him. Her question brought a multitude of emotions to the surface, his dark gaze moving to where Frederick was seated. The muscles in his jaw tightened as flashes from previous battles appeared before his eyes, the screams of men, some barely past the cusp of boyhood, dying echoing in his ears.

Geoffrey took in a deep breath as his eyes seemed to refocus on the present and he looked to Olivia. "I have known since I was a boy that I would watch both friends and foes die in front of me; to that end I am more prepared for the losses than Edward." He paused, taking a drink of his wine. Perhaps the wine had loosened his tongue and lowered his guard just a little. "Helping my friends makes me feel like I have atoned for the lives I have taken and failed to protect. So,if there is anything I can do for you, Olivia, just say the word."

 

[Misty Gray]

Edward felt himself tense up as Leo told him not to tell the Princesses the bad news yet. He held off giving a response until the King had finished speaking and even then, Edward sat in silence for a short time. There were a lot of thoughts and emotions, all threatening to spill over at any moment. He took a deep breath and sat up straight, for now pushing his own devastation about Leo's health to one side, as always. "I can't do this anymore...." he ominously muttered. The future as it stood, in Edward's mind, was a hopeless one. Did he really have anything to lose by being more open to the King? "No," he firmly began. "No, I can't go along with this. I understand now why you moved quickly with arranging for Ana to be married, but one of the VERY few reasons I went along with it was because I believed you would be there to protect your daughter from Frederick. To protect Ana and Argonia from that power hungry monster." Edward took a quick breath between speaking. "I would have stood by her side. I would have helped her grieve and tried to fight for everything with her." His bottom lip began to quiver as he spoke his next words. "Ana has to know now - don't underestimate her strength. I would have given anything to have learned of my father's illness sooner so I could spend as much time with him as possible. Don't suffer without your family. She needs to know... Please don't make me keep this from her. I've already let her down so many times today and I can't lose her respect completely. I-- I care for her too much to lose her as well as you..." he said, by now speaking over his own sobbing.

----------------------------------
Olivia watched Geoffrey as he directed his attention towards Frederick. She could see the strong emotions the Prince evoked. Geoffrey and Edward were good friends, but at the same time two very different people where emotional openness was concerned. She supposed one being employed to talk and the other employed to fight influenced those traits on a personal level. But everyone was entitled to let their guard down once in a while. She looked at Geoffrey sympathetically and sighed. "No matter what you've been prepared for, you are allowed to grieve and shed tears for those you have lost. You're allowed to be angry at those you blame. You are a good person, Geoffrey, and you should not feel like you must compensate for the lives you may have taken in war. God sees that you are loyal to your king and his men." She then smiled at his offer to help her. "Me? Oh, I'm just a simple woman, Sir. The only burden this kingdom places on my shoulders is making sure the castle looks nice and the powerful people are happily waited on. Life isn't as tough at the bottom," she said, with a wink.​

 

[PicaPirate]

Before anything else, when Andrew excused himself, Frederick nodded and motioned to him three officials from here, then three more, pointing at their faces and only within Andrew's earshot asking "Give me the names of those three and then those three, in order as i pointed them.". He watched carefully the faces of everyone as best he could as he toasted and he noted the three that seemed the most scornful or ignorant of him, and three that were appearing the most cheerful, be it either in the marriage as happiness or in new opportunities of their own due to the shake-up. He had some shakeups of his own planned for soon later...
Frederick saw Leo leave and could only feel his theories of his failing health taking establishment to reality. All the pieces were falling in place, just as intended. Soon, they would need someone who truly knew how to rule, and who better than the one who married their oldest princess?
He smiled as Ana asked her to dance, to which he smiled and nodded, saying "A dance would be most pleasurable my betrothed.". Of course just as he was diligent in all his royal studies, dance was included. He could play only a harp when it came to instruments and wasn't the most apt at it, but that wasn't expected of royals to know so that was okay. Dance however was common and needed in many courts to sway your way in words and movement.
Taking her hand, he raised from his seat and walked with her to the dance floor, then held her hand while another rested on her shoulder. Getting closer by dancing with holding the hip would come later, first he had to break her in to dancing with a stranger.
And so in tune with the music, he deftly moved his feet with the music and gently around with Ana. His feet lightly moved across the floor, practice from the form of fighting and dance, which in stance helped with both if you just put your mind to the placement of feet, positioning your centre of gravity low and thinking about controlling the movement of your body.

 

[Jess Buck]

​

Rosie gave Gwynyffer a gentle smile with a curtsy. "Thank you, Lady Gwynyffer. I've had more fun with you in these short hours we've known each other than I've had in a very long time." She admitted, a light blush dusting her cheeks. She bid the knight adue before walking off with Amelia to talk with other nobles, purely for politics. The conversations were boring, mostly about family and business. She watched the party around her. Her sisters seemed to be having a good time atleast. Ana was dancing with Frederick which...looked awkward to say the least. "I'm sure the two will grow on each other...I hope at least..." She thought to herself.


((Anyone can interact with her...))

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Leo leaned back into his seat, listening to all of Edward's protests. So now the truth was out. His royal adviser had fallen in love with his eldest daughter. He was kind of upset to hear that he was but then again, that was to be expected, right? They had practically grown up with each other, so it wasn't that unexpected. Hearing it aloud though, that's what made it difficult to bear. If he had known any of this, of course, he would approve. It would take a while for him to even approve, but in the end, he would. He was also taken aback when he told him he wouldn't keep his secret. Maybe he did have a point about him continuously asking him to carry his burdens of secrets. But, with his enemy at court, now was not the time. "Edward. Now is not the time for me to announce this, not while Frederick at court. If you absolutely must tell Ana, tell her and her alone. The others needn't hear." He was willing to compromise on something, but not everything. His gaze fell back to the fire as he spoke his final words. "I'm going to die. It's... Inevitable. But in the end, I'm glad to have had you and your father by my side. I wouldn't have had it any other way." He was trying his best to end the conversation. There were too many thoughts in his mind at the moment and he wasn't able to process them all at once.

Ana was partially surprised at Frederick's swift movements to the floor. She expected him to hesitate a bit but when it was obvious he didn't she smirked internally. She wasn't going to underestimate her foe, but she wasn't going to give into him either. She noticed his hand placement and for once, a nice thought went through her mind. He was a gentleman, at least to the eyes of others. She was going to test just how gentleman like he was. But, before she did, she searched the room and noticed Geoffrey nearby talking with Olivia. Good, he was close if she needed him. "I think I might have underestimated you. You're not at all brutish like they say you are." She commented.​

 

[Ms. Sparrow]

Bramble watched Lucas tell his story with a faint smile, loving the way he got a faraway look in his blue eyes as he described each family member, she smirked as he grinned at her, describing his uncle. She couldn't help but wonder why his cheeks flushed red. Her blue eyes were intense as she inspected ever feature of his face. Bramble couldn't help but spread her eyes wide in wonderment as he described his childhood, of mischief and adventure, she wondered what it'd be like to climb rooftops and jump out windows with him, she couldn't help but wonder if he would ever steal from a home, or more related, nobels homes.

Bramble frowned as he visibly saddened, his words sunk into her like ice, she wondered if his sense of adventure was either suppressed, or truly was gone, erased by years of responsibility forced on him at a young age. She resisted the urge to take his hand in a comforting gesture. But pulled her hand back, realizing he probably didn't feel anything towards her, especially a princess. Rich while his family suffered, sitting in a castle doing nothing. It wasn't right, it made her self-conscious.

As he told her he was illiterate, her lips parted in surprise as she arched an eyebrow. Lucas seemed far from illiterate, and from the way he dropped the word with such heavy noses, she could tell he was ashamed. Bramble pressed her lips thinly together, something she did when she was thinking, or irritated, in this case, thinking. She couldn't say she was too surprised. With such a big family, money would be scarce in Lucas's home, and as such, education meant little when you were doing your best to get food on the table. " That's rum," she paused, her words hesitant and slow, "But I'll teach you," Bramble said, her eyes were alight with her usual spirit, "I'm busy at night," she stated with a smirk, Robbing people, you know, everyday nightly activities. "But after lessons, and really ghastly council meetings, I'm free." She shifted on her knees, her white skirts fanned around her like a foot. She sought this as an opportunity to see him more, considering this would most likely be their last encounter. "An hour a day, and I will teach you how to read, and write. " She said with a determined tone, her eyes blazed with a certain fire.

She glanced up at the starts, pressing her lips together, a question had been troubling her for some time, and she finally gained the courage to ask it, "Have you ever climbed a roof?" She asked him, not looking at him for fear her pulse would go crazy again. This was just a secret attempt of Bramble's, figuring out if he still had any mischief or adventure in him yet.
​

madame moiselle

 

[Misty Gray]

"Your Majesty, it is my duty to carry your burdens and secrets, as it always has been. You must continue to tell me everything you can so I can help prepare you and your daughters. But there are some things which you must know should not be kept secret, not from Ana, not when she will have this kingdom's weight on her shoulders." He tried to not take offence that Leo might think he would tell anyone other than Ana. He certainly didn't want Frederick to know. "I will only tell Ana. She needs to know so she can prepare for Argonia's future." He got up from his seat and gently squeezed the King's shoulder. "I'm honored you've let me stand by your side for so long." He realised he looked a mess in front of Leo, but it was done. "I'm sorry for not hiding my emotions, Sire. Most of us have had a tough day and I know I'm one of those not meant to let my mask slip. The thought of losing you and Ana at the same time is just a heavy one." He walked to the door, preparing the emotionless mask he'd spoken of, and used a handkerchief to wipe his tears before stepping back out into public. He turned once more to Leo. "We will speak again tomorrow and you must tell me anything you need."

Once leaving the King's chambers, Edward returned to his own.

Andrew had processed Frederick's request, ingraining the faces of the six men into his head as soon as they were pointed out. He was used to remembering a lot of orders and names for the Prince, so it wasn't too difficult to remember this task. He watched them from the sidelines for a time, realising some of the officials may be less approachable for a mere servant boy than others. He was distracted a little watching Gwyn and Rosie making friends and dancing together like girly friends did. How nice that they were friends already. But back to the duty at hand, he rushed over to one of the Argonian maids and began to help her clear away the empty plates. He started with a friendly introduction and small talk before eventually asking her for the names of the appropriate officials. Even after she'd told him, he continued to help her anyway.​

 

[redroseknight]

Geoffrey's muscles relaxed, his gaze softening at her sympathy. " Thank you, Olivia, I just hope that one day I will no longer be required to raise this blade in war. Though I do not think that day will be soon." His gaze moved to the prince as he danced with the princess, his chest constricting so tightly that he felt that all breath had been squeezed from his lungs. With the joining of their kingdoms, he would be forced to fight under the Elfian flag. To have to raise his blade and bow his knee to this warmonger of a man currently dancing with the one he loved..

Geoffrey cleared his throat a little and returned his gaze to Olivia. "Be that as it may, I have seen a few of the knights he brought with him behave less than cordially to a few members of our staff. If they give you any trouble, please come to me." While he didn't like to wage war for no purpose other than gaining territory, he had no qualms about defending another person. Especially one of his far too few friends.

Gwyn parted from the princess and inhaled deeply, trying to draw her mind from the haze that it had been in while she was talking to Rosie. The princess was going to be the death of her, she just knew it. Focused once more, the knight retrieved a glass of wine and evaluated the occupants of the ball. While there were some nobles obviously scowling at Ana and Frederick dancing, there were some who seemed pleased with the match. A little smirk quirked on her lips as she took a sip. How long would that last, hmm?

The knight noticed something and tapped her fingers on her glass. "Interesting, I do wonder where the other princess disappeared to. That one is either flighty or cunning, and I haven't figured out which." Gwyn looked back to where Rosie was speaking with a gentleman and a flash of jealousy surged down her spine when it seemed he was speaking rather casually with her. She let out an exasperated sigh at herself. Really, she was getting jealous about a conversation? Especially when she wasn't even sure if the princess was attracted to her?

Looking for a distraction, the redhead made her way back to Andrew. Ah, sweet, innocent Andrew. Talking to him would help cool her nerves. "Enjoying the ball so far, Andrew?" she asked, smiling at the young man.

 

[PicaPirate]

Frederick noticed her eyes darting around looking for someone, then stopping in the general direction of where some knights were. Well, her concern was amusing for sure, but to cause any trouble now was of a great folly. No, those six names would come later. Possibly even once he had left and waited a bit, depending how plans go.
After that she spoke the comment of a British repute, to which he chuckled and smoothly danced still. "I wouldn't put it past people who have faced me to slander, to bring a lower esteem than what I am to help stop their ego falling into an inferiority complex. Nonetheless, brutish is what I avoid. Practical, with a bit of grace for good measure and appearance would be far more suiting.". He smiled as the dance went on. If the song played was a change of pace, his bipedal movement altered in pace to match of course. Though the moves were well thought out and done, they were purposefully also not rushed, to avoid Ana bashing into feet or legs she didn't notice.

 

[Misty Gray]

"I wish I could tell you that day will come," Olivia said, with a sigh. She followed Geoffrey's gaze to the handsome Elfian prince and folded her arms. "This union should mean we no longer have to be at war with the Elfians, but I suspect there will be other kingdoms the Prince will seek to go to war with. I wish I could offer some certainty." As she'd long ago established, she would always serve whoever was in charge and even it would soon be Frederick, then she would have to be loyal to him, just like Geoffrey would. She felt lucky to be so detached from the politics and death.

When her friend mentioned the unsavoury behaviour of some Elfian knights, Olivia smiled brightly and playfully nudged his arm. "Good sir, I do feel honoured. I've never had my own hero. My knight in shining armour," she joked. But she then adopted a more serious expression as she observed the Elfian knights. "I might tell you if they do, but I would not like to think you would get yourself into trouble defending someone as insignificant as me. That kind of talk is for defending princesses and daughters," she noted. She truly appreciated the gesture. People didn't wish to protect servants like her. "Besides, maybe I'd just go and give the Elfian Prince a piece of my mind if he can't control his men," she joked. "He may be more reasonable than we think."

Andrew spent a little time in the kitchen, helping the maid dry the dishes. For a few minutes he was quiet, memorising the six names and faces in his head until he was certain they were ingrained in his memory. He then spent a little more time talking to the young maid, at the same time listening to the conversations around him. The good thing about appearing to be a young, naive-looking, unimposing servant was that people overlooked him a lot. He knew more about his kingdom than he let on or dared to repeat. It didn't matter that the Argonian servants knew he was an Elfian, as his presence wasn't felt enough for people to need to hold their tongues around him. There were staff who were not happy about the marriage and not approving of Frederick. It was knowing the kind of trouble the servants could get themselves into with such words that forced Andrew to stay quiet rather than speak up to defend his kingdom and draw attention to it. They had no choice but to get used to it and accept the union.

Deciding he'd spent enough time away from the ball, Andrew returned to the party and was soon joined by Gwyn. "There's music and good food. Of course I'm enjoying the ball," he told her, like the answer was obvious. "You seem to be having a good time too. I noticed you've made friends with Princess Rosaline. Hopefully the other princesses will be as accepting of our presence."​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Frederick's response really took her by surprise. She had to rethink her entire approach to this man. He was truly magnificent, but she would never say so aloud. This facade he was showing was proving to be a lot better than hers and she had to applaud him for it. It seemed like they were dancing forever and once the music stopped, so did she. She curtsied as people clapped for them. "Well, I do apologize and hope I am able to see the true side of you, Frederick of Elfian." She told him with a secret smile on her face. She then remembered that she needed to speak to Geoffrey about security. "If you'll excuse me, I need to speak to my knight before I depart." She gave him one last depart as well as one last kiss on his cheek for the crowd before making her way over to Geoffrey and Olivia. "Sorry to interrupt, but I must speak with Geoffrey for a second."​

 

[redroseknight]

Geoffrey actually cracked a smile at her teasing, Olivia having proven once again to be the best at drawing mirth out of the usually stoic knight. "While it is true that you don't have significance in court, Olivia, you and Edward are dear to me." The knight was not close to his family, his parents having treated him as a pawn to be placed on the game board of social standing. In a sense, the king's family and his friends had become his family after he became a squire.

More words were going to be said by Geoffrey until he was approached by the princess. His heart leaped into his throat and he struggled to keep an aloof expression. His emotions didn't matter at a time like this, it was his one opportunity to try to help his friend. Geoffrey could not fail him because of a moment of weakness and selfishness. "Of course, your highness." He nodded his head to Olivia. " I shall speak with you later in the night." and hopefully she would forget all about Edward asking her to teach him to dance.

"Shall this discussion take place on the balcony, your highness?" he asked, motioning toward the door.

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

Analise gave a smile to a passing servant carrying a tray of wine as she grabbed a glass. She had just been at the balcony and the thought of going back sent shivers down her spine. Thinking of what happened between her and Edward moments before wasn't something she wanted to be reminded of. But, it seemed to be the only place to go to that wasn't suspicious so she nodded her hand. Once out of sight from prying eyes, she quickly downed her drink and slammed it against the railing. It was an accident, and she scoffed turning it into a mild-mannered laugh. "Of all the things I'm becoming, a Queen, a wife, and now a brute." She said referring to her breaking the glass. "Geoffrey, we've known each other almost forever, right? Which means I can trust you with more than just my life." She said with her back to him, before turning around. Before tonight, she had never really thought about Geoffrey in a romantic way but for whatever reason, maybe her hormones were acting up, she was. He was quite attractive and unlike Edward, she thought, not a coward. Maybe he wouldn't keep things from her like Ed did. He was also a lot more muscular than Edward and the way the light was shining-- Analise cut her own thoughts off, blinking her eyes a few times before realizing she was staring. "Ahem. Anyway, yeah. I can uh trust you, right?"​

 

[redroseknight]

To say he was a little surprised at her outburst would be an understatement, but the knight understood that she was under a great amount of strain. He wished desperately that he could do something to help her, but he knew that there was little he could do besides being the quiet confident he had always been. The one everyone comes to in their time of need. The one who gives until there is nothing left.

The fact that she had to ask about his trust troubled Geoffrey greatly, and he nodded his head. "Of course you may place your confidence in me, your highness. I am always here to lend an ear if you find need, though I must ask why you feel the need to question my loyalty. Have I done something to offend you?"


There was something in the way she looked to him..no, it was wishful thinking and nonsense to boot. She was just tired from all the stress. Concern lined the knights face as he watched her blink repeatedly. "I apologize if I have in any way acted in a manner that makes it unclear to whom my fealty lies. Are you well, your highness." Consistently using formalities helped the gentle giant maintain enough distance to keep his racing heart firmly in his chest.

Photo

• redroseknight
• Apr 14, 2017
• 2

Gwyn

Gwyn lifted her glass of wine to her lips to help hide the smile that had appeared at Andrew's mention of her interaction with Rosaline. Well, she doubted that the other princesses were going to be as welcoming, even after she reminded herself that it was highly improbable that Rosie had been flirting with her. Though she could have sworn she saw the spark of interest in the younger woman's eyes, she was going to try to be patient. She needed to be sure. Besides..maybe there was someone Rosie fancied already. If that was the case then she would only be setting herself up further heartache. Maybe she would get a chance to ask casually about her potential matches when on the horse-back ride she was going to offer the next evening.

"Have you heard anything of interest? So far I have only gathered that the royal family are gracious hosts and at least one of the princesses is an absolute dear."

 

[Misty Gray]

Andrew looked to Gwyn and smiled at her question. He'd heard plenty of things of interest, but some of the information was only of Frederick's interest. So he couldn't mention the names of the officials he'd learned for the Prince. "I know some of the staff here aren't happy about the marriage. Some of the people here seem intimidated by the Elfian presence," he confirmed. He saw Analise and Geoffrey leave the ballroom to go out onto the balcony. It wasn't the first time he'd seen Analise or Geoffrey go out there, but before it had been with Edward rather than each other. It would cause trouble to draw attention to such an observation, though Frederick would have most likely noticed himself. "The royal family are wonderful hosts. I just hope people are less tense after sleeping on this."

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Edward would pass a message on for Ana to see him in his study first thing in the morning. He fully intended to tell her about Leo and did not want her to find out before then and have another reason to not trust him. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight, so would spend it in his study working.​

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

By this time in the night, she had taken her hair down and was now running her fingers through it. She was confused at what made him question her before realizing what kind of question she ssked. She also noticed how formal he was being shook her head. "You do know you don't have to be formal when it's the two of us, right?" She gave him a smile small, her face tired from all the happy looks she was giving but she would manage. "No, of course not Geoffrey. I know. I'm just.... Stalling?" She said with a confused face before settling on the word and nodding. "I.... Sneak out of this place from time to time to get away from politics and just everything." She told him in a liw voice only he could hear. Analise had finally told someone and it felt good to get it out. When asked well, she just scoffed and laughed a little, but the laugh was only there to keep her from crying. "No, absolutely not." ​

 

[redroseknight]

"We have had this discussion quite a few times, and my answer remains the same. You wouldn't know what to do with me if I were less formal. I would be an entirely different man then, Ana." Geofrey knew she was under great stress, so he relented to at least calling her by name. "Where do you escape to when you sneak out?" he asked, trying to wrap his mind round this revelation. How did he not know, how did none of the guards no notice her disappearance? If she was able to slip out so easily, that meant that someone was able to slip in just as simply. The wheels continued to turn in his mind, but he kept his expression as neutral as possible. The last thing she needed now was a lecture.

"Do you ever take someone with you? It wouldn't be too much more noticeable if you took just one person to keep you safe," he offered, not condemning her actions nor supporting them but rather offering to at least make sure she was safe if she was going to persist sneaking out.

At her answer to his question, he felt a wave of sympathy that slipped through his guarded expression. "Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?"

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

There was a reason she was telling him all of this but for now, she would lead up to it. When given his response of hI'm speaking to her in a formal tone, she laughed. "Oh how you underestimate my abilities, Sir Geoffrey." She tensed a little when asked about how and where she went. It wasn't an easy enough answer to give and it showed on her face as she thought about it. "Well.... That's not simple. This castle? Old. Like secret tunnels that everyone forgot about old." She told him, hinting that that was how she got in and out of the castle. No one knew about it, of course, but now he did. It as secured and if you were to enter one, you would possibly get lost. "No one remembers them but I know they do. And I just... I don't know. I go wherever I want." She noticed how concerned he was about her being alone but didn't let it bother her. It was fine and so was she. "But, there's a problem you see. Someone knows my secret and they're threatening me.... And Bambi, for reasons I'd rather not share." She added the part about Bramble rather quickly. ​

 

[redroseknight]

The knight listened to her explanation about the older tunnels, silently nodding his head. Secret tunnels. They should have been patrolling the castle more thoroughly since the keep would be decimate if an army had slipped past the fortified walls via these tunnels. Now that he knew, of course, he was going to be extra vigilant. Especially with the Elfian prince already behind their walls. "I understand the need for freedom from the yoke of duty thrust upon you. I will not tell anyone nor impede your escapes in the future."

His expression darkened when she told him of the threats, broad shoulders squaring and the muscles in his arms straining the fabric of his doublet as they tensed in rage. "Who would dare do such a thing? To threaten you and Princess Bramble." He reminded himself of his place and took in a deep breath. "There could be a few ways to deal with this matter. Which way do you prefer? And have you told Edward yet?"

 

[Melanin-Gxdess]

And there it was. That judgment thing she figured he would do. She half way rolled her eyes before a scowl went across her face. He was still being formal and while she understood it was something he was accustomed to, she could do without it. "Geoffrey, I'm going to kill you. I need my friend right now, not another formal figure." She crossed her arms in front of her as she watched him get tense. Maybe she shouldn't have told him about her late night escapes, it now adding on to his stress. She touched his arm and nodded her head. "Thank you, you're great for this. I just needed to get it off my chest." When asked the long line of questioning, her mind settled on the one of Edward. She quickly took her hand off his arm and frowned. "No, absolutely not. He's my father's adviser, not mine therefore I don't have to tell him anything. Besides, he keeps secret, so can I." She said matter of factly. The hurt she felt earlier from him not being real about his feelings were turning into anger that she wasn't meaning to take out on Geoffrey. They were two different people and Ana had to remember that. "Enough about him. It's Emile Hassard. I don't want you to do anything drastic... For now. We need to come up with a plan to get rid of him forever. But quietly, considering the Elfian kid is here with basically a sixth of his freaking army." ​

 

[redroseknight]

He withstood her anger without flinching, just accepting it for what it was. He didn't know the exact reason why she was lashing out, but he allowed her to have the release without taking it personally. If the worst he got was a scowl and snarky attitude then he could definitely take it.

"Emile Hassard..I will pay attention to him and see if there is even the smallest evidence of treason to the king, seeing as we can't use his threat against you and Princess Bramble as proof. I shall stay my hand, but be ever ready to strike if it is required of me."

The mention of the Elfian prince's army reminded him of something. "One of his knights was becoming rather friendly with Princess Rosaline. There is no proof of wrong doing, and I know not the knight enough to either condemn or vouch for her honor, so I thought I should let you know so you could monitor the situation from her highness's side without raising suspicion or troubling her highness if there is truly nothing to worry over.'"

To say Sir Geoffrey was stretched thin was an understatement. The kingdom was under threat from so many angles, and he could only cover so many of them by himself. Especially to do so subtly. He ran his fingers through his hair before getting s hold of himself and slipping back on the stoic mask he always,wore. His trials were nothing compared to Ana and Edward's. The knight took in a deep breath then used all of the courage left in him to broach the sore subject. "Ana," he said softly, earnestly, "Please, give Edward the opportunity to explain himself to you. I understand that you are angry and confused, but believe me, those emotions hurt less than regrets for opportunities not taken." This was the least formal Geoffrey had ever been, and the most open and honest. He truly wished with all his heart to see them talk it out, even though it meant every chance he had with the woman he loved to go up in smoke. He didn't dare breathe as he awaited her response, body tensing in preparation for the verbal assault that could occur.

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• redroseknight
• Apr 14, 2017
• 2

Gwyn

"I can understand their disgruntled disposition if only because I know of plenty of our own people who are unhappy with the arrangement. This seems like the option giving us as little bloodshed as possible." She shrugged. "And who knows, maybe we can all find out that our shared traits are greater than our differences." Gwyn was trying to be optimistic more for Andrew's sake than actually believing her words to be one hundred percent true. More than likely this kingdom would just end up devoured, resources plundered and soldiers used to conquer the next kingdom in Frederick's bid for an empire. She did her best to not let it bother her since it wasn't as though she could do anything about that. All she could do was decimate her foes on the battlefield, regardless of whose banner those men fought under. If there was something positive she could say about the prince, it was that he saw her martial prowess for what it was rather than discounting her due to her gender.

"Have you made any friends yet? I saw you talking to a rather pretty young maid," she teased. Gwyn had a tendency of treating Andrew like a younger brother just as she did for her squire, Wilfred.

 

[Misty Gray]

Andrew nodded as Gwyn explained how their own people were feeling too. "I don't want to be at war with these people, and neither should anyone else. The Argonians are too nice to die or be buried in the ruins of their kingdom when their alternative is so simple," he noted. He believed Ana and Frederick were going to be good together, even if nobody else realised or accepted it. Besides, his mother and father were in love at one time, before the man walked out on her. So did true love even matter in the grand scheme of things?

He was about to quickly shake his head when asked if he'd made any friends yet, but was taken by surprise at mention of the maid. "What? No," he began, now shaking his head. "I've been running errands and helping clear up a little. I haven't had time to make new friends," he remarked. He then grinned as he blushed a little. "Alyssa is really pretty though, isn't she? She was quite talkative whilst I helped her clean up. Wow, she knows plenty about this place - I might ask her to show me around the hedge maze one day." That might sound like he meant he'd ask her on a date of some sort, but he just really wanted someone to show him around the gardens and Edward didn't seem like his kind of tour guide.



Edward placed the pen back into the inkwell as he finished writing another letter, one which he would read again tomorrow before passing it on for the King to read and sign. Whether the marriage would go ahead or not, it was important that the Argonians reached out to their allied kingdoms to ensure their ongoing support. These letters would have been sent out much earler, had Edward known of today's revelations sooner. He figured how he felt about Leo keeping things from him was only a tiny fraction of how Ana felt about the things Edward had been forced to keep quiet.

There it was. Every time he thought he'd distracted himself enough his feelings resurfaced and he became aware again of his chest aching and his stomach tying in knots. He wasn't sure he'd ever suffered such heartache and grief at the same time before, it certainly hadn't caused so much pain. Edward desperately wanted to find Ana to clear the air and tell her about her father, but he couldn't do so without raising suspicions. If he found her in the ballroom, he would risk others seeing the torment in his eyes - Frederick would easily piece some conclusion together. If he was seen entering Ana's chambers, then that would create other kinds of conclusions. At least in his study, everyone knew he regularly had an audience with members of the family for matters of business. He got up and opened his door, beckoning one of the passing guards over before telling him the same message he'd passed on to a maid earlier. He needed Ana to come see him alone at her earliest opportunity.​