Cotta and Eclair

It’s the end of the winter… You stood at the shore as ice cold water hit your feet and the salty smell of sea filled your nose drills. Your body is used to this surprisingly pleasant feeling. Pain of your frosting bones and stinging sinuses helped to ease your mind every passing day. Frostbite or cold don't worry you as you're wielding an immortal soul inside your heart…

…A soul that kept you on this earth for many centuries as of now. All because some higher power decided that your job on this planet is to be the embodiment of Plymouth — a port city on the southern coast of England. Even though some people might think this might be like being some kind of god… It's not exactly like that… You can't die; but you can get wounded and feel the pain inflicted upon your body. You're representing a culture, history, land; But no one really cares about it for some reason. You're treated like a regular person for most of the time. Maybe if you were created to represent a country as a whole people would actually respect you in some way… But you weren't. Life has been tough for you from the very beginning.

You see; at first no one even noticed that you're an immortal — furthermore no one even noticed your presence. You were just some girl that appeared on their land out of nowhere. Because of that there was no one willing to be your guide in the early stage of your life. Thankfully you didn’t have to experience being a toddler so you somehow pulled yourself through your early life all on your own. You observed people from far away — observing, learning, growing. The studies made you realize that even your immortal status won’t be able to protect you from some things in this world as it was ruled by men. Women you've encountered all your life were victims of this as well. All the stories about missing opportunities, abuse and rape you've heard always made you feel nauseous and… angry. Furious even. Your isolation saved you from the possible calamity but still… Life like that isn't just fair. But what possibly can you do? Again — you might be an immortal embodiment of a beautiful land… But in the end not only is your land small and probably almost unseen to the eyes of any higher-ups; you're also a woman.

The choice has been made; you didn't want to take any chances that would make your existence any less fulfilling. After leaving the secret life you've been living you make your presence known to your whole region. All the people now know that Plymouth has their own human embodiment… but none of them will ever know the real Plymouth…

This is how you started your life as a man.

It wasn't easy as you had to learn how to look like a man, how to act like one and how to be part of their community. It felt scary at first but you learned fast. Planning outfits that hide your body correctly and practicing your deep voice became part of your everyday routine. Make-up wasn’t bought to make you look prettier but to make your features sharper and more prominent. When you looked in the mirror, it wasn't like looking at a different person; more like looking at your male twin. You couldn’t hide every feminine aspect of your body, but you did good enough. You could say that you looked like a prince charming of sorts; both soft as a flower and sharp as a rapier. Your disguise does work out but still you decide not to get too close to people — even your own crew — so no person will be able to get through you. It might get lonely at times… but the sea keeps you company.

All of a sudden, your trail of mind has been cut by the sound of a loud galloping. You swiftly turned your head to see a horseman approaching you. The tunic he was wearing; it had an emblem on the front that you recognized very well. It was a royal messenger. It’s not the first time you’ve been approached by one of them — your crew has been already asked to fight on the sea in the past. You fell onto your knee awaiting your memorandum. 

‘Message from our sovereign Lady’ He waved an envelope he just pulled out of his pouch right above your head. You quietly grabbed the possible latter and the man slowly departed off the shore.

‘Long live the queen!’ He yelled and disappeared over the sandy horizon. Your eyes are fixed on the message you’ve just received. A beautiful royal emblem was sealing it shut. You pulled out a small dagger out of your pocket and ripped your letter out of its wrapper.

Dear Plymouth Captain,

I deeply admire you as my subject and an important member of our naval defense. I express my greatest gratitude for all the work that you have done for me and my people. 

England still needs your assistance as of now. Due to a possible invasion of our realm’s borders, you are being summoned to take part in the royal council. The meeting will take place on the last Friday of February during the evening hours in Devon’s embassy building. I hope you are willing to serve our country again as it needs you.

Elizabeth I

Your eyes widened. Of course, as a loyal subject, you will protect your queen and her people but… not only is the meeting scheduled for today; it is also getting close to evening already. You started speeding through the beach, sand mixed with snow getting into your heavy boots. The sudden uncomfortable wet feeling sent shivers down your spine, but you brushed it off and continued your scurry. Good thing you had your horse waiting for you in front of the port — you have no idea how you would get there in time if it wasn’t for her. Jumping onto her back, you rushed towards the embassy. Why did the messenger get here so late? No idea; nevertheless, you aren’t planning on being late for the meeting anyway. It was the first command from your queen since her coronation, so there’s no way you're going to embarrass yourself by postponing the council. The fact that now there’s a queen ordering you filled your heart with some kind of comfort; a mortal woman that people respect and look up to. Sometimes just her existence would inspire you to drop your act but… is a simple feeling worth taking a risk? You don’t want to waste all the years you’ve spent creating your new identity just to end up being treated differently.

Your companion’s hooves splashed the muddy snow as you both bolted through the almost empty streets of the town. Soon they were joined by snowflakes falling from the sky; winter was almost over, so this is probably one of the last snowfalls this year. The seasonal change is probably also the reason why someone would want to attack us. It is way more comfortable to travel through the ocean when the temperature and weather are friendlier. But who wants to attack our realm? Is it the French? No… They have their own conflicts… Scotland? No; why would they get ships from Plymouth to aid them? It’s way too far away. Well… That leaves one country left… Spain.

The sky had already gone pitch dark, but thankfully you could already see your destination right in front of you. There were people on the outside; probably waiting for your arrival. It probably means that you are late, but at least you tried, right? You swiftly got your horse to stop right in front of the main doors, which resulted in a loud neigh and… a scream? 

‘AHH! Bloody hell—watch where you’re going!’ A slim figure jumped from the front of your horse. Looks like you were going so fast you almost killed a man… He was wearing a long, dark coat and a black, elegant hat; blond spikes of hair peeking out from underneath it. After jumping off your horse, you lent him your hand to shake.

‘Oh. My apologies, mate! I really didn’t see—’ 

‘You know you’re late, right? We can’t keep the Queen waiting’ he spat out bitterly, completely cutting you off in the middle of your sentence. You sighed, brushing off the rudeness; you had worse encounters with higher-up officials. But who exactly is he? As you both entered the building and the heavy wooden door slammed behind your back, you could make out more features as the light from a nearby torch fell upon his face — he looks so young. Too young to actually have an important part in the royal court. The heavy coat was now hanging on his arm. His attire was elegant; black doublet, dark breeches, some ruffs here and there; everything matching the simple headpiece decorated with a single feather — fancy… The shadow cast from its brim almost completely covered the upper part of his face. You were still able to make out what hid underneath it: a pair of piercing, emerald eyes... and two big bushy brows that fell upon them. You noticed that the orbs you are gazing into were filled with pure annoyance as his eyebrows furrowed down.

‘No one ever taught you it’s rude to stare?’ he grumbled as one side of his lips curled up into a nervous smile; it felt as if he was already fed up with you. But who can blame him? You almost ran him over and now you’re staring into his soul like a total lunatic. You felt the sheer embarrassment of the situation as your cheeks flushed slightly.

‘Didn’t you—didn’t you say that the queen is waiting for my arrival?’ you stuttered.

‘Indeed. We better get going’ He led you through the corridors at a fast pace. You didn’t expect that getting into the meeting hall would take you another five minutes; this building was huge… and also really empty. The only thing breaking the silence between you two was the sound of your boots trotting against the wooden floor.

‘Listen; by the way your attire looks I can already tell you’re an important figure here. I’m really sorry for being late, but I got the queen’s message only a few hours ago! I don’t know how this happened, but somehow the royal messenger reached me too late’ You exclaimed with a pleading tone. You didn’t want to give a bad impression to the higher-ups, and especially the queen. His body tensed up, his head turning away, as if he didn’t want to look into your eyes.

‘Sure—someone in the palace made a terrible blunder. Thank you for your report. I will take care of it’ he muttered out as you two finally reached your destination. This room looked different than the other ones; the doors were bigger and covered in wooden appliqués. Your guide pulled the metal knobs and the corridor echoed with a sound of squeaking. There was a group of people already waiting inside, including the queen.

‘Welcome, Captain. It is a pleasure to finally be meeting you. Thank you for the escort, Arthur’ Elizabeth addressed you both. You smiled nervously as your eyes met with the gaze of your queen. Her brown irises were shining just like the grand jewelry she was wearing. Her appearance was just striking.

‘I’m deeply sorry for my delay, Your Highness.’ You broke eye contact and looked down, bowing deeply.

‘Not to worry, Captain—I am happy that you are joining us today anyway. Please sit’ You obeyed, taking the nearest empty seat that you could find. As your head turned back to your queen, you saw the blond man sitting right next to her — first the queen herself calls him by his first name and now he sits beside her? How close to the royal court is this guy? 

‘As you already know — we suspect an attack on our country’ Elizabeth’s tone got colder and that certain, warm sparkle in her eyes disappeared. One of the men surrounding her rolled out a map on a table in front of her as well as handed her a letter.

‘One of my subjects sent us clear evidence that King Philip II wants to invade us. He wants to dethrone me and Christianize our country. Of course I cannot let any of this happen — that’s why I called you all in here today. We need to prepare ourselves for a battle’ she put the paper down and looked back at you ‘Captain of Plymouth. I had heard the stories of your attacks on Spanish ships. I want you to prepare my fleets for this occasion’ Your eyes widened and a big smile appeared on your face. It is true — you did conquer a lot of ships, not only Spanish ones — but never before have you been praised for that by the royalty themselves. 

Elizabeth had asked you to step forward and come up with a strategy with other captains and commanders. The task you were assigned was quite hard since no one knew when exactly the attack may occur. So you focused on recruiting new corsairs on board and protecting the borders. Everyone needs to wait for now and protect the realm when the danger strikes. As the gathered man argued about the country’s budget and possible outcomes your attention came back to the man sitting right next to the queen. He’s been quiet since you sat down; you noticed him peeping on you every time the woman mentioned your name… but for the rest of the time he’s been quiet and distant — just like his mind was somewhere else while his body had to stay seated next to Elizabeth. Suddenly it was like a soul returned to his body. His face swiftly shifted towards you as you catched yourself studying him again. A faint squeal could be heard amongst the loud conversation; no one but you took notice of Arthur suddenly leaving his chair and making his way towards you. Were you in trouble? He did get quite annoyed with you observing him last time; did he lose it now? Your eyes didn’t leave his’ as his steps got closer and closer to you; his vivid eyes piercing your chest as his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Soon he was right behind you and one of his hands met your shoulder.

‘I need you to meet me in the next room’ You felt a warm breath hitting your ear as he whispered. The sensation sent shivers down your spine as your neck twisted to face him. This encounter wasn’t intimate but your long isolation and lack of closeness to anyone — especially men — made your stomach tingle in a certain way it never did before. It was uneasy but also stirring. You remained your composure and hid the kindled emotions inside of you by putting on the mask of a professional captain.

‘Excuse me for a minute, your majesty’ you addressed your queen — and after meeting no objections — followed the man. You both entered a smaller, less elegant room with no windows, probably some kind of storage.

‘I need to ask you for a favor’ he leaned against a stone wall as the heavy doors clicked behind you. His face still showed a look of dissatisfaction ‘I want to become a part of your crew’ the words escaping his mouth made you almost choke on your saliva; there is no way this fancy, sharp-tongued twig wants to take part in a sea battle.

‘So first you’re getting an attitude while talking with me and now you’re asking me for such favors? Listen — I don’t let random people onto my ships; and especially not people with no previous experience in fighting or sailing. I can’t just trust random lads with protecting England and-’ as you were too focused on your own rambling a sheet of paper has been shoved in front of your face. You couldn’t make out what exactly was written on it as the man’s grip was so tight it almost crumbled the paper, you took it into your own hands… As you used a nearby lighted up candle to make out the contents — a big text took your whole attention.

“Letter of Marque”

‘Well. It just happens that England is staying right in front of you, captain. And — as you see on this document — I've got full authorisation from the Queen to take part in the battle’ your mouth opened wide as he proudly; his lips curling into a proud smile. 

This guy was England in the flesh… Through the span of your long life you've only met a few other personifications but all of them were mere cities or regions. You didn't expect a country to be so… unimpressive? You don't know what you had in mind while imagining how he would look but you certainly didn't expect some short-tempered, big bushed git.

‘Oh- Well then… I suppose…’ You stuttered wondering why he would want to be part of your crew. He’s basically the whole nation — wouldn’t he want to have his own troop? ‘How come you don’t want your own crew? I’m sure that since you’re so close with the queen she would be willing to help you with that’ His confident smile turned into a rather sheepish one; the corner of his lips twitching as his face began to sweat. 

‘Hah! Well… It’s just… Queen’s order’ He regained his poised composure. He was annoying but it seems like joining you was important to him. Also working with him would probably give you some benefits… You bit your lip; undecided.

‘Alright. Welcome onboard Arthur’ The deal was sealed with a handshake. His fingers are soft and slim; not like any other men you’ve encountered in your life.

‘Please refrain from using my name. Call me England’ 

‘Fair enough. I don’t use my name either’ You dismissed the harsh-sounding request. Embodiments like you do have names just like regular humans; you just never use it. It was mainly caused by the fact that even while having a new identity changing your name felt… wrong; it took away a sense of self. At the same time you couldn’t use it either so you just called yourself Plymouth and called it a preference when anyone asked. He seems to have his own reasoning for using only his label.

It was just now when you noticed that you’ve never got off of his hand; you gripped him tight. His muscles tensed up and eyes widened in response. After the realization of how awkward you’re making this situation you swiftly backed away, letting him go.

‘... Riiight. It is settled then…’ He turned his gaze away from you, a faint flush spreading across his face.

‘... It sure is…’ England fixed his hat, trying to hide his face in the process. He casted one last glance at you — as if studying your embarrassed face — and then left; doors slamming behind him. Something was wrong. You had let your guard down. Did you even try to keep your deep tone and heavy stride or did you just focus on that smug tosser? You let your weight shift onto the cold wall behind you; sighing. You mumbled out a line of curses under your breath — praying that this encounter didn’t raise any suspicions, and hoping that the next one will be way more pleasant.

Note:

The most important thing I want to mention in here is: I'm not highly educated in history. This fanfiction is based of the common knowladge I had and some things will be altered/stretched so I can add more scenes and characters. If you want to actually learn about the Spanish Armada go read an actual book.