Realistic or Modern while the crown hangs heavy |p| on either side

[nightmares.]

MOOD:
pissed off she has to be here but resigned to the fact, and also kinda nervous tbh

two

LOCATION:
outside the palace

INTERACTIONS:
the king, the queen, theo

two

TAGS:
cadence

two

pandora of acassia

her marriage was never meant to be her choice.

that was a fact pandora had known for twenty years, and yet--

why was it so hard to accept?

an arranged marriage had been on the books for her since her conception; her hand promised to some foreign prince before she could even string together a sentence. not just any foreign prince, of course. with acassia being one of strongest kingdoms on the continent, king isidoros would only accept the best of the best for his daughter - a prince of the aurelian kingdom, one of the few neighbouring countries that rivalled acassia in power. she'd never so much as laid eyes on thelonious, and now she was being shipped off to be his bride. the political union of the century; one that would strengthen kingdoms tenfold.

it all made so much sense.

maybe that was why pandora resented the idea so much. it was the best strategy her father could have adopted, the best move for their kingdom. it even had the additional benefit of ensuring she couldn't possible taint their precious bloodline by marrying someone unfit for royalty. it was the natural choice. a natural choice to ignore pandora's own opinion on the matter, to hold her autonomy in complete disregard.

after all, who cared about what a princess thought anyway, right?

she did.

unfortunately, she was the only one. her campaign to convince her father otherwise was short-lived, and the thin scars across her palms - still faintly visible today, three years later - were enough to dissuade her from every trying again.

it was simply her fate, and she would have to learn to accept it.

pandora had said next to nothing throughout the three-day journey to aurelia, despite her ladies-in-waiting's attempts to lighten the mood in the carriage with conversation. at least she'd been allowed to bring the closest things she had to friends along with her, though she could tell that the three young women were just as apprehensive about uprooting their lives and moving into a new land as she was herself. it was almost comical, really; she had spent years longing to leave the dastardly place she called home. and now the day had finally come, and all she could feel was a growing pit of dread in her stomach.

then again, she was merely relocating from one prison to another.

"shall i pull aside the curtains, your highness?" the voice of one of her ladies - elizabeth - caused the princess to look up from the book in her hand, and her gaze turned to silks draped across the windows of the carriage, sheer enough to let light through, while still preventing them from looking out - or anyone from looking in. "we're approaching the palace, i think."

pandora merely nodded her head in response, setting her book aside in favour of taking in the scenery in the path leading up to her future home. for all she knew, this could be her first and last time seeing this view - she had no idea if she'd ever be allowed to leave the palace grounds once she arrived. she wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't.

the majestic turrets of the palace could be seen in the distance, and she couldn't help but admire the magnificent architecture as they drew closer to the building. of course, she didn't let the awe show on her face - she was here to represent acassia, and it wouldn't do for her to gawk at anything that was vaguely impressive like a common peasant. the palace grew closer and closer as they approached, and at last, the carriage came to a gradual stop, finally marking the end of the extensive journey.

as if on cue, pandora's deep-seated anxiety about the situation - that she had tried so hard to suppress so far - decided to rear its ugly head, and she felt her heart beginning to speed up, a lump forming at the back of her throat. she had no idea who thelonious truly was, besides his royal title; she didn't even know what he looked like, for goodness's sake, save the portrait she'd been sent six months ago. and yet here she was, in his kingdom, a guest at his home, preparing to spend the rest of her life with him.

lord help her.

"princess pandora of acassia!" a loud declaration from outside signalled her arrival. the door was pulled open by one of the coachmen, and pandora allowed elizabeth to help her out of the carriage. it had been several hours since their last stop of the journey, and the princess had to resist the urge to stretch out her sore muscles as soon as her feet touched the ground. just as well, for she found herself faced with the sight of the royal family standing in front of her, a perfect image against the picturesque backdrop of the palace.

of course. they'd all come out to receive her, their honoured guest. because it would have been disrespectful to her kingdom otherwise.

honoured guest? more like an unwilling pawn.

the king and queen were easy enough to identify, on the basis of the golden crowns that adorned their heads, but pandora's eyes were quickly drawn to the dark-haired young man that stood next to them.

thelonious.

"your majesties," she greeted, sinking into a deep curtsey. "and your highness." pandora offered a slight dip of her head to the prince instead, signifying their equality in status.

code by valen t.

 

[cadence]

MOOD:
anxious! pissed off! cant decide if he rather kill his dad or himself

two

LOCATION:
outside the palace

INTERACTIONS:
pandora

two

TAGS:
nightmares.

two

thelonious of aurelia

today, i meet the woman i have been engaged to since i was a tot…

drops of ink bled into the parchment, his hand, still tightly gripping the quill, hovering above the leather-bound journal. he exhaled shakily, dropping the glass pen before it snapped in two at the force he held it with. writing was meant to be a healthier way to deal with the strong emotions he was plagued with… and yet, thelonious only felt angrier the more he wrote. he didn’t want to write. he wanted to rip the journal apart page by page. to tear the pieces to shred and set them over the open flame of the candlestick on his desk. to watch as the fire spread from his journal to the wooden desk it sat on to, hopefully, the whole goddamned palace until it was nothing but a pile of ashes. no amount of words, as therapeutic as his brother attempted to convince him journaling was, could change the fact that he was angry.

what was one meant to feel when others constantly played god with your life? when you were nothing but a pawn in someone else's game? he'd tried so hard to take the news in stride, months ago, when his father first announced that he and pandora were to be wed at last. but how could he feel anything but despair when the idea of marriage terrified him? the idea of turning out exactly like his father made his stomach sink and fire built behind his chest in a way he couldn't tell whether it was anger at the gods for putting so much on his shoulders or fear for the inevitable. could he learn to love her? when he lost his temper, would he beat her the way his father did? the thought made his breath catch in his throat and the color drain from his face. he couldn't. now, more than ever, the idea of running away and never returning appealed to him like a moth to a flame.

he stood abruptly before the thoughts became too tempting, hissing as his knees hit beneath his desk, knocking over the opened vial of ink. he cursed when the ink spilled onto his parchment and ripped out the stained page, setting the notebook safely on the corner of his bed. while he despised writing his feelings away like some girl, the notebook had been a gift from his brother. he sighed, staring at the intricate designs in the leather before glancing towards the servant who stood near his doorway, watching him like a hawk 'in case someone decided to break in,' which he knew was code for 'your father doesn't think you'll show up, so i'm here to make sure you do.' "clean this up," he ordered, gesturing towards the spilled vial. he glanced at the clock with a sigh. if pandora's journey had gone accordingly, she would be here at any time. perhaps she's died in a carriage accident he thought briefly, pushing the thought aside in order to prepare.

thelonious stepped out of his chambers moments later, sighing to himself when a guard followed a few feet behind him. security had been upped since the death of his brother, as expected, but he couldn't help but feel even more suffocated than usual with the constant company. he made his way through the long corridor, ignoring the elaborate oil portraits that hung on the wall and the painting figures on the ceiling, his eyes kept forward. he paused when he reached the end of the corridor, two guards opening the main castle doors for him. outside, his parents were already waiting for him.

"thelonious, my boy!" thelonious had to grit his teeth at the sound of his father speaking in that cheery, political voice of his. the one he used when he wanted them to put on a show. the perfect, most loving royal family. he made his way towards his mother, hoping to make it to his place at her side before his father was able to stop him. but, as expected, king edmund grabbed him by the arm, stopping him in place. "thelonious," king edmund started again, tone still cheery but thelonious could tell he was warning him by the way his thumb dug into his shoulder. "try not to embarrass me today, son. the fate of our kingdom depends on you. isidoros could always change his mind; decide his princess is too good for you." the king laughed after that, surrounding servants joining out of respect. if it had been just him and his father standing outside, thelonious was sure he would have spat at him.

with his shoulder free, he finally made his way towards his mother's side, teeth still grit in frustration. now that the time had finally come to meet the woman he'd marry, he couldn't help but direct all the rage towards his father. it was his fault he was forced into a marriage he didn't want in the first place. sure, the arrangement made sense, but what kind of father didn't give their child a choice? "ignore your father, dear," his mother's voice distracted him from his thoughts and he glanced towards her. "king isidoros will not change his mind," she smiled, as if that were meant to be assuring to him. he really fucking wished he would.

the three of them silenced when the carriage in the distance quickly approached, eventually coming to a stop a few feet in front of them. immediately, thelonious' eyes were drawn to the door. morbid curiosity, he supposed, because really he'd be much happier never having to look at her at all. would she at least be attractive? so he could at least somewhat enjoy eventually bedding her as they tried for an heir? the thought made his stomach lurch and he had to compose himself before he found himself sick.

"princess pandora of acassia!" the herald eventually declared, the doors to the carriage finally opening. his anxiety only continued to grow as pandora stepped out of the carriage, making her way towards them moments after stepping foot onto the ground. he took the moment she took to greet his parents to compose himself, breathing in as deeply as he could without being heard to reassure himself that, despite this not being ideal, things would work out. "your highness," he nodded in return, thankful his voice hadn't given his feelings away.

his mother, queen helena, was the first to speak after that, a gentle smile on her face. "you must be so tired after your journey, darling. would you like to rest? we do have a feast prepared in your honor if you'd care to join us. or, if you'd like a moment to meet my dear thelonious in private, you're welcome to it. this is your palace now, love. make yourself at home."

code by valen t.