it felt as if their paths crossed very little in spite of sharing the same bed. sharing the same kingdom as its rulers, such behavior may not be foreign to others ,… but it certainly is for the current king. the depths of each corridor had it’s own disemboweled voice. grating his conscious every time he passed through , like a tale untold pressing to blossom from the soiled woodwork. this could be what they wanted , that singular thought clamped his resolve, and so he found himself in their chambers. word reached him that her health is at risk , however no one would specify the cause, much to his discernment.  ❝ i heard you were unwell , what did the physician say ? ❞ he may have fallen into his duties far more along with his own mental decline. seeking out answers that may simply be hauntings of an unsettled past.  trauma still fresh as the bloodstained walls that embellished the winsdor castle. 

𝑳𝑨𝑫𝑰𝑬𝑺 𝑹𝑶𝑺𝑬 up their seats once the voice of the king echoed along the rooms, whatever trace of cheer between them gone as they slowly and voluntarily retreated out of the room. she was left alone with her husband, and while she had craved for the moment for so long, it certainly felt odd. they had grown estranged from the other, at least in distance since their marriage. his duty ever so present, drawing him away more times than she would have liked. the cookie she once ate she left on a porcelain plate, placing all her attention on the man before her. “ it is now that you come to ask of me ? ” liliya was far too annoyed with that small fact to let it slip below the rugs. though she sighs and comes to wonder how he’ll react to the news – he was ever so unpredictable. 

“Ah…” the single word passed the English princes lips. The way the other spoke of her mother was all too familiar to Jasper, except his demanding parent had been his father. The grip around the pencil he still held in his hand grew a little tighter at the thought of his parents but he managed to stop himself before snapping it in half. A nod was given in response to her question. “Parties aren’t something I enjoy much these days.” He pointed out the window behind her and towards the garden that at least for the time being appeared relatively peaceful. “I was thinking of taking a walk in the garden. You’re welcome to join.”

𝑰𝑻 𝑺𝑬𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑫 they shared much in common and that amused the young princess greatly. she was aware the relation between their countries was not ideal, it was more negative than positive — she was aware, but she did not feel as though the prince could become a threat of any kind. it was quite the opposite, really. the people in her own court made her feel worse at times, murmuring things about her behind her back, though she was well aware of it. she was tempted, truly, to flee with the man — as awful and scandalous as it may sound. she despised the setting, despised the people among the room. “ i am afraid you and i have quite a lot in common. ” she said, almost in a half-laugh, clearly amused. “ if we are able to flee without anyone noticing, then — i suppose i could go with you. ”

It wasn’t often Alec was spoken to as though he was an actual human being. So he was surprised to say the least when the queen of Sweden of all places had suggested she apologize to him. Maybe she wasn’t aware of the family he worked for. Which for his sake was probably a good thing. “I-…I could not accept your apology - you were just worried. Although it is appreciated,” he told her as he shifted awkwardly where he stood. Alec glanced off into the distance for a moment. It was hard not to be aware of the going ons at the castle, even when he was never able to partake in such festivities himself. “There was a party today, was there not?” he asked. From what he had heard the Queen before him was the hostess, it confused him to see her and he couldn’t help but wonder if her attempt at a gathering had failed.

“ 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑨𝑹𝑬 far too kind. ” the queen came to wonder, how it was that the kindest people always somehow came from lower stations. they weren’t blinded by greed, their souls still somewhat intact of the awful avarice creeping within nobles and royals alike. frida gave him a soft smile, still unfazed to move in the slightest, she doubted it bothered him. “ i am afraid there was, though i cannot say it was the best i have ever attended. finding a glimpse of peace has been quite the highlight of my day. ” though there was such sadness in her eyes, she could have said otherwise.

The warm beer was far from satisfying, but the extremely minor intoxication it would grant him was better than complete sobriety. Eyebrows furrowed into a look of confusion. “What does that even mean?” he asked, although he had an idea of what Romy was insinuating. He shrugged his shoulders, “I mean we’re already in hell, right? What’s sex in a confessional really going to do?” he asked, before taking another sip of his beer. “This shit is awful,” he said as he placed it down on the bed beside him. He grabbed his bag and rummaged through it once again, hopeful that maybe something better than piss warm beer would appear. A heavy sigh passed his lips as he threw the bag to the ground. “I can’t believe this is all we managed to find,” he said, waving the can in the air as he picked it back up again. “We could trash some rooms. Someones bound to have something better than this,” he suggested before taking a sip of his beer.

“ 𝑰 𝑴𝑬𝑨𝑵, if you put it that way. you’re fucking right. ” the world they currently lived in could easily be compared to the purgatory or hell, for that matter. and no doubt it would be her resting place, if either were to become her reality. she couldn’t possibly imagine a worse scenario, though she didn’t want to jinx it at all either. the jailhouse was not as bad as they had it before, if anything it was an improvement, hence why they even cared to settle at all. but the past few days had been straight bullshit. their scouting grounds were becoming rather empty and it showed. perhaps after all, it was wise to move from it altogether. “ this fucking sucks, for real. ” his suggestion was not bad, in the slightest. she craved for more, though she couldn’t exactly pinpoint what that more could be.  “ do you think they would notice? because i’d back you up, if you were brave enough to steal from them. i’m fed up with this shortage nonsense. ”

the clock marked three in the am, but not an ounce of tiredness rested within her body or mind, for that matter. she stared at the ceiling of her room, as if that alone would drift her into slumber. she feared to move, since waking her brother up was the last of her intentions. but to stay in bed was something she could simply not tolerate. she sat at first, clearly hesitant; feet dangling off the side of the bed. though once the stood, the bed creaked and she stopped herself for a second, before glancing blindly to where her brother’s bed would be. @cfdxspair​

Halden was relieved that Liliya hadn’t tried to argue the matter. He walked beside her, keeping enough distance so it didn’t seem like he was being overbearing but close enough to catch her if she fell. “Because that’s not who I am,” he told her honestly. “The world is a mess as it is - I have no reason to make it worse for anyone else. Besides…you’re Jakob’s wife,” he added. “Regardless of where our loyalties lie politically, he always has and will remain my friend and I would do anything for his family.”

𝑰𝑭 𝑺𝑯𝑬 had been well, she would have scoffed –– but she abstained from doing so. the english queen could never comprehend how someone could see the life with so much positivity. even more so, someone who had the weight of a country behind their back. she knew, from a very young age that optimism and kindness would do her no good. whether it was told by her governesses or her mother, it made no difference. it was how the russians raised her, though she took the advice to an entirely new level. “ i was not aware you knew my husband. at least, not so intimately. ” surely there were many things her husband had forgot to mention. though, she supposed a king would have quite a myriad of things in his mind.

“My apologies…It won’t happen again,” Halden promised her. He picked at the fabric of the seat beneath his fingers as Josie continued to speak. Everything in their life always had to revolve around politics, the curse of the life they had been born into. He could care less about such things, although he knew better than to admit that given the position he held. “I’ve learned over the years of knowing Jakob that it’s probably for the best to not try and understand what’s going on in that head of his,” he replied honestly. 

Halden worried his bottom lip between his teeth before pushing himself up off the the bench they sat on. He made his way towards the window, his eyes glued to the raindrops that started to hit the glass. “Maybe…” He turned his head back to look at Josie for a brief moment before looking back out the window. “I mean I do enjoy your presence…and I hope you appreciate mine,” he replied with a soft laugh. 

He shrugged at Josie’s words. “I think your brother knows to pick and chose his battles. Besides - it’s just as much our decision as it is his, is it not?” If Halden was being honest, he hadn’t really discussed the details of the marriage with Jakob and he certainly wasn’t in a rush to.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑭𝑨𝑪𝑻 that her brother had not even reached out to consult her of the impending betrothal, saddened her deeply. as much as the norwegian king tried to make it seem like she had any say, she knew that at the end; her word would not matter much. even if she opposed to the marriage, it would go forth nevertheless. “ i certainly doubt it. though i must say that i do appreciate your presence. we have not been friends in vain, i suppose. ” in all truth, halden was perhaps the better choice, for he was unlike many others. he had least had a sense of kindness within him that made it pleasant to be around him ––– it would be impossible for him to be a terrible king. “ though i do find it laughable that it must end like this. it never would have crossed my mind, truly. ”

Halden was just about to cross his arms over his chest when Liliana grabbed a hold of him. He readied his arms to catch her if she fell over, but knew better than to try and hold her up without it being her suggestion. Last thing he wanted was to get hit for trying to be helpful. “No need to apologize,” he told her. As she attempted to move away from him, Halden took a step towards her. “At least allow me to escort you back to your room,” he told her. Given who she was, he assumed she would refuse so he decided to add - “Better for me to be there to catch you. If you have another bad spell like the one in there-…” he said, nodding towards the room the two had recently come from. “Someone else might find you lying on the floor, and they might not be as inclined as I to not spread rumors.”

𝑳𝑰𝑳𝑰𝒀𝑨 𝑯𝑨𝑫 trouble placing the kindness of the king. no one was ever pleasant with her, unless there was something in return. it was how her life had always been, a clear image as to why she was well –– too forward and brash. she stared at him for a moment, a bit conflicted with herself. she was never to look weak, never to let anyone see deep within her, never to fraternize with a potential enemy. and yet, she nodded softly in approval. it was still bewildering how much she had changed in the span of a few moments. “ i suppose it is alright. ” the young queen began to walk towards the long maze of hallways, not too rushed nor too slow. “ i still cannot comprehend why you are being so polite. ” she said quietly, glancing at him for a moment before returning her gaze to the ground.

Myles threw himself down on the bed; within one of the many cells that filled the abandoned jailhouse, maybe a little too roughly given the fact that there was nothing but metal to break his fall. Had he been sober, he might have flinched or cried out in pain - instead he let out a breathless laugh as he moved over to allow space for Romy to sit down next to him. He pulled his backpack off his shoulder and threw it on his lap, unzipping it quickly and wasting no time in pulling out two 16oz cans of Coors Light beer. He held one of the cans out to the woman beside him, “I can’t believe we’re going from a jail to a church. How fucking ridiculous is that?” Myles asked, unable to control his laughter at the thought. He opened the can of beer in his hand and took a long swig from it. “I can’t wait to go to confession.”

@efervescentias

𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑨𝑷𝑷𝑶𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 𝑾𝑨𝑺 blatantly clear. one look at the young woman and one could easily tell her current emotions. the run was not as successful as she would have liked it to be, sure, alcohol and some snacks she had brought with her, but nothing grand in her eyes. and grand for her, was more than just a small dose of something to be drunk with. she needed to feel more than that to live the shitty post-apocalypse. still, she took the warm can of beer in her hands –– at least it would make the night less shitty. it was either that, or nothing at all. she sat beside myles, her current rather sour expression turning into one of clear amusement upon her hearing his last words. lips turned up into a smirk at the irony of his words. “ so you can confess the hell out of me or ? ” only god knew they both would burn in hell, though she couldn’t stop the myriad of imagery crowding her mind ––– and none saint at all.

“Scolded by who exactly?” Jasper asked. He tucked the book he had been drawing on in the inside pocket of his jacket before crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down at the other. “Your family? Your husband?” he added. He remembered when he had once cared about the opinions of others. He ignored most people these days, aside from his few close relatives. Although there were times he couldn’t be bothered by what they thought of certain matters either. “You could always hide and poke your head out for the occasional comment.” Jasper glanced around the room before his eyes fell back on the other. “This crowd seems rather invested in themselves at the moment, they probably wouldn’t even notice - at least not for quite some time.”

“ 𝑴𝑨 𝑴𝑬𝑹𝑬, my mother. ” she almost laughed at the thought of having a husband. not only was she not promised to anyone just yet, but she could not even begin to think who could possibly want her as their wife. “ she can be very –– demanding. ” which was typical of the french. if the woman ever caught her saying such things, no doubt she would be in the biggest of troubles. the crowd, she hadn’t seen grow but the once nearly empty room now displayed quite a myriad of people. they laughed, they smiled, all seemed to be immersed in their own little world. they all did it so naturally, with so little effort and yet, it was nearly unachievable for her. by the look of things, perhaps the english prince had much in common with her than she thought possible. she appreciated his efforts, though she could not simply get away from the all too perfectionist family she had. “ perhaps. are you fleeing yourself ? ” she asked, noticing he clearly did not intend to stay. 

“So I’m not the only one who thinks your brother is mad for suggesting this?” Halden attempted to joke before remembering the Windsor’s family history. “I suppose that might have been a poor choice of words,” he added as he shifted awkwardly in his seat. He looked over at Josie and did his best to offer her a comforting smile. “I know what you mean…” Halden couldn’t be entirely honest with Josephine as to why he found all of this disorientating - but the least he could do was let her know he understood where she was coming from. “We do not have to rush into anything. I know that might cause some talk around the castle - but I’d rather us both be ready before matters get serious.” Halden of course was sure he would never be ready for whatever this was to become - but he would allow Josie to make that call. “I’ll be ready whenever you are.”

“ 𝑰 𝑾𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑫 definitely stray from the word. ” the word had torn her family apart, whatever peace she had ever known just dissipated at the mention of such word. “ but, you might be more comfortable in knowing that you are not the only one. i . . . understand the political advantages our marriage could offer. but it does seem out of the blue, for me. ” the blonde managed to stray her attention towards the fabric of her skirts, turning and picking at the loose strands of thread, in hopes that perhaps her betrothed would not judge her that much. “ perhaps he thought his friend would be the perfect match for his sister ?  but i cannot say, truly. ” part of her hoped her brother saw the best interest in him, but she could not help but feel like a pawn, awaiting her turn in the bigger scheme of things. 

the words that emanated out of his lips, though, she did not expect. she seemed almost bewildered at such statement. the fact that he, a king, would even consider her as a person with choice; a woman. made her realize how good of a soul he had. “ are we sure my brother will agree to this ? does he not want me to marry you straightaway ? ”