Queen of Sweden

He gripped his fist tightly, looking down at his feet for a moment as he thought of what to say next. “Yeah, wonderful, you look…. You look amazing,” he said with a sigh, knowing it was pointless at this point. Look at him, the proud Antoni now becoming a pathetic fool in front of the women he once truly loved. He hated it, he felt weak, and he hadn’t felt such weakness since he was a child. “I’m sorry if I intruded”

“..Thanks...I think I picked the wrong mask since I’ve been recognised a lot” she began rambling as she did when she got nervous, she was getting better at that but clearly this was harder, or maybe it was just that she was caught off-guard. She cleared her throat and sighed “You look very good too.” She said more quietly this time. “Oh no, you didn’t I just...wanted to rest a little.”  

viktoria’s eyebrows were furrowed as she looked down at her ruined gown. how embarrassing it was, to be soiled in the middle of a crowd. “really?” the blonde asked, her voice a low whisper. “do i look so ruined? perhaps i should change…” 

“I don’t think you look ruined at all” She assured her, “I think you look lovely, the stain isn’t that noticeable and well I think at this point of the night no one will really notice” She said glancing around, people were too invested in their own thing or too drunk to pay much attention to anything “But if you want, then you can say you planned a change all along”

It had been awhile since their betrothal had been broken up but the pain of it still hurt every time Antoni thought about it. After the end of it, he did a 180 from when he was with her. He went from being a faithful, caring fiancee to someone who found solace with any woman he could find. Yet their comfort didn’t solve his pain and even know he still thought about her - wondering if she thought about him as well. Having been at the balcony for awhile, he knew he would be forced to go back in, but just as he was about to he heard the voice he hadn’t heard in god knows how long. Slowly turning around, he stared at her with slightly widened eyes. “Astrid?”

Her smile faded once she realised who she was talking to. Astrid hadn’t really been able to emotionally deal with everything that happened after Ebba died  -truthfully part of her didn’t want to do it and so she kept herself as busy as she could-  yes mainly it was the grief of losing her brother but also there was the topic of the broken betrothal. It hadn’t been her choice at all, but by what she was told Antoni thought quite differently and more recently she had heard that he had been enjoying the single life a lot, it did hurt her a lot but again she kept pushing all those emotions down, she knew that no one wanted to see the queen being a heartbroken mess “..Antoni..” She said feeling her mouth get dry, she would have liked to avoid seeing him for longer “uhm...are you ..having a nice night?”

mikael leaned on the balcony railing, swirling the last few sips of wine around his cup. there was nothing he enjoyed more than the chance to converse, to peacock, to endear himself to a wider audience. the masks also provided the opportunity to meet those he would not under normal circumstances, and without the necessity of complete propriety no less. but the room was becoming increasingly stuffy, and so eventually he wandered outside. at the sound of a voice, one he would know anywhere, he straightened up, “ast—your maje—” he cut himself off, glancing around for other listening ears. though the masks made it possible to obscure one’s identity, he could not help still being cautious when it came to addressing the queen. especially if other advisors from sweden overheard. “astrid, good evening,” he relaxing his shoulders. “yes, indeed. i thought i might take a moment, get away from all the noise.”

Her smile grew when she fully realised who she was talking to “Your mask is better than mine, I actually didn’t know who you where until you talked” She said before shrugging “I guess I won’t be anonymous tonight but at least I like the mask so, it’s alright. Are you having fun though?”

There would have been a time in Santiago’s life that he’d beg to go to something like this. As a child he was left behind when his father and siblings would go off to events like these. His brother had assured him they were boring, but he’d have given anything to be with his family, to fit in for once. Now he knew better, now he knew how dull these were when you didn’t have anything to do, he supposed if he’d been allowed to stay by Sofia’s side all night he could have found some enjoyment but she’d shoo’d him off to enjoy himself. So instead he found himself outside getting some escape from the party happening. Looking back at the voice he stood straight when he noticed it was the Swedish Queen. His mask still on his face giving him the appearance of someone much higher than his actual standing, he was sure, “Good evening to you as well.” He paused, “I can leave if you’d like to be alone your Majesty.” 

“Oh I guess my mask isn’t so good if I’m so easily recognisable, it’s a little dissapointing” She  said sighing although she really wasn’t that bothered, even if it would have been more fun if people really didn’t know who she was “but no, I don’t particularly want to be alone, just needed a break from everything” Plus it was much warmer inside and the cool air was a nice change “I am sorry to admit I don’t know who you are-” 

-

Eva shot Astrid a look. “I thought that was always my job when we were children,” she told her before breaking out into a grin. It was true that she was a little hellion as a child, but Eva had grown into quite the young woman, or so she’d been told. “I thought I saw something,” she sighed, glancing around the garden. “But perhaps I was wrong.” Sliding her mask back onto her face, she grinned. “What do you think of my mask? Bet you wouldn’t even know it was me,” she chuckled. 

“Well sure but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it too sometimes” She said nodding softly. Eva had been a little wild when she was younger though in Astrid’s eyes at least nothing terrible “What?” She asked looking around “Maybe it was a servant.” She looked back at her sister and smiled “It’s one of the best here honestly I really like it but I did know it was you” 

Many people were enjoying the anonymity the masks pretended to give them, for some it did work. It hid many faces and allowed people to have freedom, or they thought. If you looked closely, you could tell who most people were. Who they interacted with, what they did, what they said. When people thought they were hidden, they did beautiful things. Xiaoli was someone who could hide herself among the others in the Ming dynasty. There would be some who knew her but enough people paid her no mind that she had freedom to simply watch people almost ruin themselves. 

“I adore the masks.” She commented as she grabbed a drink, “People do such interesting things when they’re allowed to hide their faces.” @1642hqs-starters​​

“I suppose the sense of anonymity gives people a lot of freedom” She said as she also grabbed a drink,  “Although I am not sure how much of that is true, since I think,  can be identify easily enough” Her mask was good but she still thought there were people that would know who she was “I still like masquerades though.”

viktoria had stayed there for as long as she thought polite. as a princess, viktoria would do her duty and attend events from her gracious hosts, but after awhile, everything felt so overwhelming. she was used to having a partner by her side and now all she felt was strangers. feeling her heartbeat quicken and the tell-tale signs of her eyes prickling, she stood up abruptly, intending for the exit. however, the crowd was thick and a servant boy splashed deep red wine onto her gown. blinking, she was too shocked to react. “my gown…” at least the distraction was welcomed, as now she needed to freshen up. 

“Oh it was a little accident” She said quickly after seeing a poor servant boy lose his balance and get wine all  over the beautiful gown the other royal was wearing, and though yes it was upsetting it had truly been an accident and she hoped the boy didn’t get in trouble “If it helps the stain isn’t that noticeable.” 

The masquerade was in full swing and as much as Eva adored dancing and socializing, she’d been in the middle of a story with some other royals when something in the corner of her eye piqued her interested. “Excuse me a moment,” she said without even finishing her original thought and she was out the door into the palace garden, searching for whatever she’d seen. She moved easily through the maze of flowers and shrubbery, peering around every corner and over fountains and benches to see anything she could. And just when she had chalked it up to most likely a child playing or a rogue dog or cat wandering about, she turned, gasping as she came face to face with another person. “Oh!” she cried, placing a hand over her heart. “You frightened me. Do you make it a habit to sneak up on people in the dark?” 

“Just to my little sister, I guess somethings just don’t change” she said with a small laugh, they were older but that didn’t mean that she wouldn’t tease her siblings if she could every nor and then. “What are you doing, just enjoying the party?” 

 ♔ announcing ASTRID HENRIKSSON,  the QUEEN OF SWEDEN ! in a recent portrait they seem to resemble GABRIELLA WILDE. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years and for that reason, they are FOR the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, THEY REMIND ME OF WHITE LILIES, STORMY SKIES, ROSE GOLD. 

open

“leana, darling, 跟紧,” the queen called, bidding her daughter to stay close as the two year old walked ahead with uneasy steps. she would have preferred to have ahold of her hand or have her settled on her hip, but the princess was acting as stubborn as her father and threw a fit until she got her way. was her oldest this headstrong at this age ? she hardly had the time to reminisce now with how much leana consumed her thoughts nowadays. indeed, within those few seconds, lianhua had realized she had let her daughter out of her sight. she began calling her daughter’s name, looking to see if she had possibly hidden herself amongst the decorations of the hall, until she rounded a corner and finally spotted her.

“lea-” she stopped in her tracks, quite shocked to see her daughter hugging someone’s legs. without a second thought she made haste to them. “i must apologize, her governess is with her older sister and i only looked away for a moment.” lianhua scooped her daughter up in an instant, despite the girl’s initial protests. as unsteady as the young princess was, she was fast on her feet and seemingly undeterred from whatever came in her path. “i hope she did not disturb you.”

She was distracted looking out some window without really paying attention to the view, it wasn’t even that she was stressed well she was but she wasn’t lost in thought about things she had to do, simply she was letting her mind run wild for a little bit, when she felt something pulling at her dress, she looked down to find a little child holding on to her clothes, she smiled at her “Hello, who are you?” She looked up searching for a parent or nanny and sure enough someone was getting closer already “Oh don’t worry, it’s okay, she didn’t disturbed me at all and well kids will sometimes just go looking for adventures right” 

mingxia - open +

mingxia felt right at home, the heady blend of power, intrigue, danger, sorrow and romance that permeates these walls. much like what goes on in the forbidden city; same double-dealing and elegant poisoning.. just lacking in mysterious drownings and accusing one of black magic. she almost wished her oldest brother, the emperor an accident for bringing her to france for such talks, had it not been for what this could do for the princess in the future. the connections she could make, the power she could acquire, the ones that she could wrap around her pretty little finger, and the information that she could obtain. what she has learned so far, nothing but political intrigue, a few shady dealings arranged, some scandals contrived from nothing. was making her a bit homesick.

it was a beautiful starry night; wasn’t too cold out. she let out a content filled sigh closing her eyes as the gentle breeze cooled her face. her peace was cut short as she heard someone’s footsteps. opening her eyes, nodding her head at them “out for a nightly stroll as well?”, smiling softly.

“Good night” She said as she got closer, it was slowly becoming a habit of her to have a little stroll before going to bed properly, it helped her clear her thoughts and well the gardens were truly lovely ad she didn’t need too much of a reason to spend time there, she knew it was probably not the safest thing but she actually wasn’t very concerned. “Yes, it really is a lovely night after all, the moon looks so pretty today.”

…

Oh a French thing. That fit with some of the things Chenyu had heard from his in-laws. The English did mention (mumble, mutter, and spit) various things about the French and nudity, lewdness, and - did not one say something about a French Disease? Taking his pew-neighbour’s guess as truth, Chenyu nodded, not daring to voice the understanding that filled him.

”Where are you from, then?” he stage-whispered, earning a tut and a small kick to the back of the pew.

“I am from Sweden” She said “how about you?” She asked a little ashamed that she didn’t know, but knowing every single royal and non royal around wasn’t a very easy thing, still she should be more prepared “Other than the naked ones, I hope you’re liking the celebration?” 

…

Hardly an expert on Greco-Roman mythology, Chenyu decided to simply nod as if he knew what she was talking about. Also not an expert on Christianity or its creation myth, he then continued to nod even harder. He decided, of all of the reasons the stranger had given, the third one was the one he understood the most - and therefore agreed with. Yes, the artist must have just wanted to paint nudity. And who could blame him? It was still strange to Chenyu for such images to be present in a place of worship, but he was an outsider here, and must accept the strange customs of these people.

”Oh, right, of course… Is it-” there was a sudden and sharp shushing sound behind him, and Chenyu bit his lips closed, embarrassed. A moment of silence passed where he dared not speak, and he was lost when a man in a very Important looking hat began giving a sermon from the pulpit. After a very dull quarter hour, he leant close to the woman once more, and kept his voice barely above a whisper.

”Is it customary for weddings to happen surrounded by pictures of naked people?” he whispered earnestly.

Astrid had to muffle the small chuckle so no one would notice it and thankfully it seemed no one heard or it wasn’t so loud anyone would get upset, she had to admit she hadn’t really thought about it until now and yes it was a little weird. “Well, I think is the first time i see it, back home there aren’t any like this...they all have clothes” She wasn’t terribly religious but she did liked the architecture. “Maybe its a french thing.” 

“You’re not intruding,” Madeleine smiled at the other woman with what she hoped was warmth. Truthfully, she didn’t mind the imposition at all – drinking by yourself could end up a little too sad, in the end. If she’d wanted real true solitude she’d have feigned illness and slipped away to her own rooms. More than that she’d have slipped away to the hidden chambers within her rooms that were reserved for real privacy. “I’m having a lovely night, thank you. I’ve danced with so many people I’m exhausted, but it has been lovely. It’s everything my brother deserves.” She laughed quietly, shaking her head. “But what of you? I hope you’ve been enjoying yourself too. Things have been so– well, a night for celebration and happiness has been needed.”

“It has certainly been a lovely night and I wish the couple a very happy union” She said smiling back, marriages among royals were a complicated thing a lot of times, many done just for political reasons and it was a little sad to her, especially when she thought about how more than likely she’d marry someone because it was the best for Sweden not for love and probably the same would be for her siblings, but still she could wish that  even if the marriage started like that, the people involved could be happy together. “Yes, I have been enjoying myself as much as possible, and you’re right I think a celebration was very much needed” She still felt off but she just thought it was that so much had happened that just having fun after all of it felt weird.