🇸🇪🇲🇵🇪🇷 / 𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐢𝐬

+        If you had to marry somebody here, who would it be?

      🌹 margaret didn’t want to think about that. every unmarried male heir was a possible match, and there were so many of them. ❝ antónio ? ❞ it had been a long time since she thought of antónio as a possible husband --- back when they first started to writing to each other. at first, margot thought that she was going to marry him --- why the ministers encouraged her to do it if not for marrying ? --- but at the time went by, that thought lef her mind. ❝ he’s my friedn and he knows me, at least. it would be nice to marrying someone that you know for a little while. ❞

       🌹 scotland was a difficult matter for margaret. she didn’t knew much of them --- only the things patrick told her and their language, which she learned to please her father. yet, scotland and england were always fighting each other --- a unification would only bring more problems. but if her father was going to be crowned king of the scots when her uncle passed, james would be heir of the two countries and also king of them when the time would come. ❝ a unification seems to be the only way for the scots with my father being my uncle’s heir. however, they have their own identity as a nation. with a unification, they’ll mostly like lose it or england will be drowned in civil wars. but so far, i like the ones hailing from scotland that i know, and my father’s stories about the country were my delight as a young child. ❞

       🌹 ❝ i was raised to be one, after all. ❞ a small smile, that could be read as a cocky one, danced on margaret’s lips. having the same education and tutors as her brother made her think that --- her mother was a queen, why she couldn’t be one too ? ❝ but the question is: of what country ? ❞

       🌹 margaret truly didn’t know how the answer. she loved both of parents, ye, her bond with patrick was much more strong than the one she shared with her mother. but she didn’t want to disappoint queen anne --- margaret wanted to prove that she was worth of being called a tudor daughter. ❝ i ... don’t know. depends on the promise i think. i love my father and would do everything for him --- maybe i’m willing to do that if i can put a smile on my father’s face. ❞

+      if you could be anything you wanted without the confines of society, what would you be?

       🌹 if margaret was being honest enough, she never thought of that. she didn’t know a world where they didn’t call her ‘ your highness ‘. the only time she wasn’t treated like royality was when she was disguised as a man, but it wasn’t like many people spoke with her in the races. but she felt some kind of freedom. ❝ someone that could do whatever they please to. maybe a bourgeois ? but without the confines of society, i would wish to be either a sailor or a competitive rider. ❞ 

    🌹 that was an easy question to answer. ❝ arthur. ❞ margaret answered without scruples, yet an embarrassed smile danced on her lips. ❝ james had always been the heir, too untouchable and always busy with future king duties. ❞ she explained. ❝ arthur was the one stuck with me when i was a child. it was him who used to carry me around or sat still when i was doing my tea parties. ❞ margot giggled, memories of their childhood filling her mind. ❝ but i do love james the same as i love arthur, yet i think me and artie have a more deep bond than the one i have with jamie. ❞

“not much, he survives… but time is passing and i received word that he prepares for the change of succession - for my time as a king,” with a squeeze to her hand he guided her back to her rooms, showing her around with the gesture of his hands before unfolding himself from the cape around his shoulders. he was perhaps blessed to know that he could speak plainly to dear margaret, to tell her his thoughts and hopes. but he did not forget euphemia as he sat with her, gesturing for one of the english servants to fetch wine, water and nourishment for the princess royal. euphemia could no longer have her child to share such moment with, it was this that left patrick almost guilt-ridden; his very bones itching with regret and mellow frustration. 

“james and arthur have been brought up since their first breath to become heirs; they are no more my sons but the country’s lineage. james… he is tied to your mother. arthur? he is given more leniency, but you will see… his time will come,” patrick mused, stroking the hair on his chin as he thought quietly; sober thoughts reminding him that if he was to finally become king of his home country then he could wish arthur to follow in his footsteps - waging wars between brothers was an ugly move, but one that must be taken if scotland was to remain independent and strong on its own terms. “alas,” patrick remarked, taking the holder of wine as he poured himself and margaret a glass before watering hers down with the other jar - eyes not flicking towards margaret as he focused on measurements and a steady hand ( a steady hand worn down by war, lack of practice and life lead through luxurious means ). “we must discuss your future in time, so take your time in learning the ropes. perhaps i should set you up with a scottish man, so i may take you with me when i come to the throne,” patrick teased, playing with his cup against the wooden table, before lifting his eye to meet his daughter’s. “but you deserve the best, my maggie. i will make sure of this.” 

    🌹 ❝ papa ! ❞ she gasped excitedly. if her father were going to be crowned king of scotland, then she would be princess of two countries --- have two crowns. that excited margot, yet made her terrified. she knew she took her role as princess royal of england graciously, but being princess of england and scotland and unmarried would put her in sight of many nobles and royals. in spite of that, she was happy for her father. she knew that the role of prince consort were a bittersweet one --- men were trained to rule, and not for taking care of his children. ❝ i hope that he finds his peace. ❞ margaret wasn’t close to her uncle or with the scottish court, they were mere strangers for her. but he was dying --- and the princess royal thought that couldn’t be anything worse than knowing death was near, but couldn’t do anything about it. 

she looked at her new chambers in awe, running to the nearest window to see its view. margaret wasn’t disappointed as it had a great sight of the gardens and a grove nearby. turning back her attention to her father, she sat with him, taking a sip of her cup. she knew arthur was destined to great things --- the three of them are, as they were born with tudor and stuart blood. but she agreed with her father --- she saw james more as the heir than as her oldest brother, unlike she did with arthur. ❝ yes, sometimes i feel james is too distant and untouchable, unlike artie. ❞ margaret admitted, drifting her cerulean eyes to the table's wood. a large smile took place on margot’s rosy lips. she loved her father --- he seemed to know the best things to talk when the matter of her marriage came in their talks. ❝ oh papa, that would be amazing. ❞ margaret would do everything to remain at her comfort zone --- near her family and with the same culture. she felt frightened thinking that what happened to her german friend could happen to her --- margot hoped to be married into an european family. languages nor the religion weren’t a barrier to her. but living in a country far away from her loved ones ? margaret didn’t knew if she could bear such thing. ❝ thank you, papa. knowing this give me some kind of comfort. at least someone doesn’t want to trade me with new alliances. ❞ margaret didn’t spoke for her mother --- but she heard her ministers plenty of times. 

Bessie. Now that was not a name good enough to feature in the title of the painting. He does not mean it is a bad name, but perhaps a childish one. One that would not inspire rich Florentine men into buying the piece. “Young children do not have a clue, indeed.” From his own experience he knows that to be true. At four, his father allowed Francesco to keep the cat that roamed the palazzo hunting mice. He named it Grigio, for well, he was grigio. The thought flies through his mind with a quick flash, as well as the care he felt for his other cat, Salto, who stayed in Fiorenze with Paolo. “Perhaps I reek of Fiorentine eleganza, no?” He jokes, a slightly arrogant but ultimately playful smirk appearing amongst his features. Franci’s posture does not change as the lady drops her name. For a second he thinks his suspicions are confirmed (she is, indeed, a noble from a powerful house, and he’d assumed she was), and smiles proudly. “It is a pleasure, indeed, Your Highness. And an honor, if you’ll allow, to paint the princess’ most beloved horse.” Now that is a story worth selling. The princess royal’s horse, a champion, regardless of her foolish name. Kept from competition for the ceasefire in Switzerland. That is a painting that will tell the story of Bellinzona, 1559, for centuries to come. 

   🌹 margaret nodded in agreement with his words. she wasn’t so young when she choose bessie’s name --- she wanted it to be anne, but one her friends put the reason into her head. the queen’s name was fit in war ships, but not in horses. and she choose elizabeth and started to call the horse bessie to shorten it. ❝ ah, yes. but i need to say that horses names are too dificult to pick. dogs and cats are so much easier. ❞ she smiled, retiring her eyes from the florentine noble and back to bessie. margot giggled --- francesco wasn’t wrong. he had a different aura around him, something different from the other nobles she knew. maybe it was a true florentine elegance. ❝ or a foreign breeze. ❞ the princess royal, teased, stroking bessie black fur. margaret gasped at his words. she never thought of commission bessie’s paint --- margaret herself hated when she needed to stay still for the english painters. it would be difficult to have bessie do the same, but she would gladly try to. ❝ i would love that, my lord, thank you so much. do you have any idea when you’ll start ? ❞ margaret asked excitedly --- she would everything she can to help francesco. 

“if james ever turns into a gossip, the revalation will have begun. mother would never allow it, you know how she dotes on him,” he offers up a smile that’s both reminiscent and sarcastic. His feelings on his brother are well known between some circles, his baby sister is one of them. “don’t give me that look, you know it doesn’t work on me any longer,” except, every time she made a sad face arthur would do anything to return the smile. “now, tell me about the horses at whitehall. i know there’s no one else who’ll listen to you babble about them - i’m sure you’re about to explode with news of them” 

    🌹 margaret hummed in agreement with arthur’s words. it was a fact that their mother doted much more james than she did with them --- after all, their older brother was the heir to the english kingdom and the tudor name. yet, she just wished that arthur and james could reconcile. ❝ yeah, a gossip king will probably have his head cut off. ❞ she shrugged, a small and sad smile dancing on her lips. ❝ it doesn’t ? ❞ margot asked with false indignation, putting her her free hand over her heart. ❝ what should i do, oh lord arthur ? ❞ giggling, she looked at her brother’s features. ❝ oh, bessie had another cub while you were traveling. i named him after you, brother. but now her oldest cub, pat, will be representing my name in the races while she’s here with me. ❞

Stories of the English monarchs roam around Europe, and Portugal isn’t a stranger to the tales of the Tudors, specially considering the two countries endeavors together. The English money trumps the Portuguese, and their power, too, and however strong the caravelas may be, however larger and more experienced the Portuguese sailors are in comparison to the English, Queen Anne's corsaires had still managed to successfully take down the Portuguese fleet. António understands that as a sign of England’s greed and grandeur, there’s no denying, but Portugal rules in curiosity and naval advancements. There is no catching up to them, he is certain of that. “If you hope so, then so do I, Margot.” To be honest, António is curious as to the reasons for Margaret’s reluctance to get married. Does she want to choose her husband herself? Does she not want to get married at all? Does she hold preference for the female physique? Regardless, all he wishes for is Margaret’s true happiness. “Do you have time for a sit down, perhaps some tea like we’ve talked about in countless letters. I have yet to experience a traditional English tea time.”

     🌹 she didn’t want to burden antónio with her worries. the fact that queen anne’s and prince patrick’s marriage was a cold one wasn’t novelty to the europeans courts --- the fact that they only had three children within many years of relationship was a great sign of that. but they didn’t know what margaret did. but margot smiled anyway --- she was going to be married for political reasons someday, if she wanted or not. ❝ you are too kind, tonho. thank you. ❞ the princess royal wished that antónio could find his happiness --- in the form of a caravel or a lover. she heard many stories that sailors were married to the sea --- maybe her portuguese friend would be one of them. at the mention of tea, however, her smile grew bigger. tea parties were a big part of margaret’s routine in england --- she just loved seeing everyone loosen up for a bit and the gossip that came with it. ❝ i would love that, tonho. you need to experience the new green tea we imported from the east, i can call a maid and do the preparations right now ! ❞

location  :  the main hub of activity around bellinzona  status  :  open to both sides of the peace treaty

he had given her a task, he had entrusted his vision, his voice and his message within her very mouth ( her tongue suddenly thick and heavy behind small pearls of ivory ). the sultan would join her soon, or so he had said. but till then, she would be amiss of her two younger children; her dear husna and habib, who were to be nurtured by the consorts and the sultan himself. 

she strayed from the confines of sasso corbaro to take to the common ground, her traditional garments put aside for warmer wear - western clothes pared with her nath piercing worn, a large ring decorated with amber jewels given upon her wedding day by the sultan himself. her older children were left with their nalini, a nanny who both educated and cared for them in gulbadan’s absence. 

it was perhaps overwhelming for the consort, as she stepped into a world unfathomable to the loyal people of the mughal empire. and yet, she tried. her mind cast back to the teachings of the goddess lakshmi; for she was the one who would take gulbadan’s hand, guiding her forth to opportunities of the west. 

“excuse me,” she announced, her tongue rough and strange around western words as she held her hands upon her belly. “i am gulbadan devi sultan begum… i have just arrived from hindustan, and though i am late… i wish to extend courtesies from the sultan of the mughal empire himself. may i ask, how long have you sought sanctuary within these borders?” 

    🌹 the best thing about being in bellinzona --- although margaret would never that out loud --- was the variety of cultures that did not follow the standard imposed by the catholic church. she would always look curiously at those she realized were not part of the same culture as herself and the need to talk to them were too strong. yet, most of the times, she would remain at her place, watching them walking away. margot didn’t achieved enough courage to say the first “ hello ” --- the guards following her would always say obnoxious things. she understood the worry her parents had --- david douglas was dead and who could guarantee that he was the only one from the english court ? 

but when a woman she was eyeing for a few minutes came into her direction and sarted talking, a large smile, with full teeth, broke into margot’s lips. at least God was seeing her stuggles and blessed her with something she wanted. ❝ oh, you and the sultan are too kind. i am margaret tudor, princess royal of england, and despite being in two opposites sides, i also offer the courtesies of queen anne and the english and scottish court to you and your family. ❞ she would soon be princess of scotland --- if her father were right about her uncle’s health condition --- and wanted to please patrick with new allies. ❝ i’ve been in bellinzona for almost a month, if my calculations are right. and you, your imperial majesty ? ❞

each country had it’s own special commodities that much he knew. it was why the countries relied on one another, for the goods that one may have that the other lacked. ‘ i’ve found since being here that we collectively have our own specialties and in a place that one may lack, another thrives. that is how the world works after all. ’ over the last few decades the ties built between some countries had been torn while new ones were built and thriving. charles had learned firsthand the damage that expansion between new countries could cause. but in reality, countries of the world had things to learn from each other. ‘ the day is beautiful and i could not pass on the opportunity to admire all that switzerland has. ’

    🌹 margaret never had seen things like in that perspective. england had almost everything it needed to thrive --- and with the rule of her mother, and hereafter her brother’s, margot was sure england’s golden day would continue. ❝ i never thought about it. ❞ she admitted. ❝ but you do have a point. ❞ with her saccharine smile, margot’s cerulean eyes drifited to the colourful flowers. maybe that was what england needed --- colour. nodding in agreement, her eyes went back to the unknown man. ❝ neither did i. staying indoors too much make me impatient. castelgrande is a beautiful place, but i think that i’ve met everyone there. i needed to go to a fresh spot. ❞

mariana had found herself preoccupied often in the company of strangers, still struggling to piece together any familiar faces when her siblings and extended family had drifted off on their own. the vast gardens and the library had been a lovely selection, quite too and it had taken her aback to find another wandering around nearly alone. “ well, you could always ask. i would not know the first thing about botany, the garden’s are quite beautiful regardless. i am sure you have some alike it back home? “ 

    🌹 whitehall’s gardens are full of roses, white and red, to symbolize the tudor house. despite margaret being proud of her ancestry and the history of her great-grandfather, she missed color --- a thing she found in bellinzona gardens. the princess royal found mesmerizing how many colors a flower’s petal could have. ❝ we have plenty of roses, to be honest. ❞ she chuckled. ❝ white and red roses, exactly. yet, here i found so many flowers. maybe i need to create a garden of my own. ❞

“You will probably find yourself returning to England with an extra few in your repertoire,” Friedi pointed out with a chuckle. “I have had to learn Arabic since my betrothal, but the benefit of having so many native speakers to hand is not to be missed.” Her own grasp on languages was not bad, but never as quick or as natural as it had come to her sister. Part of the problem was her stubborn refusal to apply herself, her pointless rebellion against those who sought to tell her what to do. “Often, formidable is just another word for impressive. I have a feeling that may apply to your mother.” It was no small thing to be the first of anything - she had learned that much from watching her father. “But you do not need to be your mother again. Not when you do not face the same pressure that she carried.” The girl before her was not destined to be queen. Friedi’s eyes widened slightly, but the smile that appeared upon her face was broad and genuine. “My sisters may disagree with you,” she teased. “Although I think I am very good at being a sister. You remind me a little of my youngest sibling - Dorothea. You even look a little alike.” 

     🌹 margaret hummed in acknowledgement at her new found friend’s words. she had a vast repertoire of language she was fluent --- most of them were because of the alliances england had, and some other for her own pleasure, or to please her parents. ❝ you are so lucky. and maybe i am too. you see, i was learning german before my trip, and maybe you can help me with some pronunciations ? ❞ the princess royal asked with a soft variant of her infamous puppy eyes, which she wore to get everything she wanted from her brothers and father. yet, it was too early to use the full version with friedi --- margaret didn’t want to give the impression of being a spoiled princess, although she was one. ❝ ah, she needs to. the english ministers are not easy people to deal with.  ❞ margot could recall their irritated gazes everytime she, as a child, would sit with her mother through the state meetings. ❝ maybe they’ll agree with me when they start to miss your company. ❞ her smile was a bittersweet one --- margot knew she would miss her brothers when the time of her marriage arrived. ❝ oh, then i need to meet her ! ❞

post  count  this  week  (  09/05  to  16/05 ):  n. of replies ( 12 ) + n. of tasks ( 0 ) points  gained: 12 points + 2 bonus point for 5 replies = 14 point  allocation: influence +3 ; intelligence +3 ; wealth + 3 ; physical +3 ; luck +2 ; health  total: 102  /  150.