𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑜𝑒𝓈 + 𝓋𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒶𝒾𝓃𝓈

the  heat  of  aurelion  and  the  lack  of  modesty  were  a  mix  for  the  crown  prince  that  left  him  acting  as  if  he  were  home.  a  lack  of  clothing  for  those  in  vaeloria  was  fairly  common,  many  wearing  swimwear  rather  than  dressing  to  the  nines  given  how  many  beautiful  pools  or  beaches  the  court  held.  he  earned  a  few  stares  here  in  aurelion,  but  laz  simply  did  not  care.  he  did,  however,  feel  a  slight  bit  bad  when  it  was  one  of  his  own  citizens  he  managed  to  shock.  he  chuckles,  though,  because  it's  far  too  amusing  not  to  laugh.  "  lady  vespera.  "  comes  his  greeting,  a  slight  nod  as  he  glances  towards  the  tunic  he  draped  on  a  chair  and  could  put  on.  "  you  are  not  intruding  at  all,  i  was  simply  done  here.  "  but  now  he's  found  an  amusing  reason  to  pass  the  time,  even  if  it's  with  a  lady  he  didn't  often  speak  to.  his  gaze  tracks  her  movements,  surprised  but  not  annoyed.  the  question  earns  a  classic  smirk,  laz  already  feeling  the  bitter  taste  of  a  lie  on  his  lips  before  he  even  speaks.  "  i  am  as  good  as  expected,  lady  vespera.  i  doubt  there  is  anything  to  be  done  until  we  are  allowed  to  compete  once  more  and  safe  from  vampires  in  the  night.  "  it  was  worded  carefully  to  not  be  a  lie.

// requested by @nasyanastya

vampires.  now  there  was  a  word  that  hadn't  been  uttered  in  a  millennia  perhaps.  records  were  always  wiped,  every  generation  of  rules  liked  to  re-write  their  history  to  suit  their  needs,  but  it  struck  her  as  troublesome  that  not  a  single  court  of  aethara  held  any  knowledge  of  an  entirely  different  species.  which  one  of  their  ancestors  had  wiped  it?  had  it  been  the  fae  or  the  vampires  themselves  who  wished  to  erase  their  existence  and  their  knowledge?  maybe  they  shouldn't  be  surprised,  who  were  they  to  arrogantly  assume  that  only  fae  and  humans  existed?  so  many  questions,  and  astra  suspected  they  would  remain  with  little  answers  as  possible  because  their  visitors  did  not  seem  like  to  sort  to  share  any  more  than  was  necessary  to  work  against  the  rebel  faction  of  vampires.  "they  might  aid  us  with  defeating  the  rebel  faction,  but  something  tells  me  the  vampires  are  not  be  trusted.  "  in  truth,  astra  might  have  given  them  more  benefit  if  their  queen  had  come  along  with  her  children.

it isn't that astraea is not one to be taken seriously. on the contrary, alysa holds her sister's opinions perhaps to a slightly higher regard than that of some of their other siblings. no, it's only that... to alysa? such a statement as astraea's is akin to someone informing alysa the sky is blue. of course they shouldn't be trusted! the eldest aurelis presses her lips together to avoid an amused smile or worse: laughter. "i could not agree more." she wants their mother to demand every book in the grand library be read again, in case they had somehow managed to miss something, even though she knows it isn't that simple. someone wanted them in the dark. "if their story even holds any weight, of course. can you fathom our parents sending four of us on a hunting mission? to a realm unaware of our existence?"

and yet... there is still the sting of a hit to her wounded pride. vespera has spent weeks crafting different excuses to present him with as to why they should delay the wedding, and now lakith wants to boast how he's pulling the strings? how dare he! if only people understood what a tragedy it was to spend so stiflingly long to look 'effortlessly' beautiful and to not even be desired! she's been silent for too long, and vespera can only attempt to recover with a sympathetic smile. "oh ? what a respectful decision given the circumstances. it's only a shame i couldn't have brought it up to you sooner. what a fortuitous blessing how similar of mind we are. perhaps several years, as we have no idea when this tragedy will end... if only my father could be convinced. i'm sure you know how stubborn he is once he's carved a notion into his thoughts..."

the  starborn  had  not  been  herself  as  of  late ,  asterin  had  been  trying  to  hide  it  of  course  but  she  knew  that  her  siblings  could  see  through  the  façade  when  she  was  not  trying  hard  enough .  stepping  outside  their  quarters  had  been  something  she  had  been  less  inclined  to ,  especially  so  since  their  new  guests  were  here .  if  they  expected  their  presence  to  be  something  of  a  relief ,  then  they  were  mistaken .  she  had  tried  to  leave  today ,  but  her  hesitance  had  gotten  the  better  of  her  and  she  had  only  dared  to  step  out  on  the  shared  balcony .  the  view  affords  her  sight  of  the  gardens  and  she  sees  them  amongst  the  flowers .  vampires ?  how  had  their  parents  not  have  known  they  had  existed,  that  a  whole  kingdom  of  them  existed ?  it  did  not  soothe  her  heart  to  have  heard  so.  a  presence  though  she  could  have  heard  spooks  her  nonetheless  and  she  turns  to  her  elder  sibling  and  forces  a  smile .  " oh !  i  did  not  hear  you .  the  wind  is  strong  these  past  few  days  and  i  think  it  has  messed  with  my  hearing  a  bit . "

"Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" Premiere in London - July 2019

he  did  what  others  were  likely  attempting  to  do  -  get  to  know  their  vampire  visitors.  how  successful  he  was  in  gaining  further  information  was  left  to  be  seen  maxon  had  yet  to  make  up  his  mind  of  them,  but  to  him  they  would  always  be  strange,  and  that  was  saying  something  because  he  thought  humans  were  much  of  the  same.  strange,  because  most  of  them  came  with  human  companions  which  he  learns  quickly  were  in  some  ways  their  blood  supply  as  well.  the  prince  does  shudder  internally  at  the  thought  of  those  sharp  fangs  coming  anywhere  near  him.  that  perhaps  wasn't  the  most  alarming  thing,  he  supposed,  it  was  that  fact  that  they  had  a  side  of  lunatic  faction  now  trying  to  change  fae  into  one  of  them.  when  he  entered  the  game  parlor,  just  for  a  bit  of  a  break  from  his  usual  endeavors,  his  gaze  landed  on  the  lady  vespera,  glad  to  see  a  familiar  face,  he  rather  shamelessly  slips  into  the  chair  across  from  her.  "lady  vespera,  what  a  welcome  sight  you  are."  a  friendly  smile  curving  his  lips  as  he  lifts  one  of  the  cards  that  sat  on  the  table  with  a  brow,  "is  there  a  seer  here  reading  tarot  cards?  or  are  these  actual  game  cards?"

in any other possible scene, one where prince maxon valerius calls her a welcome sight would have vespera nearly falling to the floor in delight. today, however? she's just survived a run-in with her betrothed. it ought to have reinforced her ambitions -- and it has! -- but the mental exhaustion of metaphorically drowning leaves vespera... faintly herself, unfortunately. dark eyes narrow at the surprise intrusion, only to relax at the recognition. "prince maxon! you must forgive my bad manners, i'm... mildly on edge. due to the recent events." well, it's not a complete deception! there's simply... worse tales unraveling in her life than sharp teeth. one corner of her lips curls into an amused smile. "what a relief that it's you and not my own fam-- familiar nightmare of being caught alone and unaware by a vampire." she really should dial in her correct persona: pleasant, agreeable! instead, vespera answers with the truth. what else could go wrong today, anyway? "there was a seer reading tarot cards, but i fear i might have frightened her away when i didn't like the 'interpretation'... really, though, it cannot be that difficult!" she takes a long sip of her wine and taps on the cards, eyes glimmering with something like mischief. "what if you try? i think you could give me a better future."

❝  what  is  it  you  think  of  our  newest  guests  ?  ❞

"i find them depraved," alysa admits into the air, bypassing all pleasantries even as her tone remains casual. "i think to trust them would be one of the most foolish mistakes out court has ever made." this admission follows in almost a whisper, as the oldest aurelis child is nearly incapable of critiquing a single action of their mother or the inner circle. "and what of your opinion?"

Margot Robbie

it  was  rare  to  find  helion  stationary  these  days,  especially  given  the  recent  news  he  and  his  wife  were  amongst  the  first  to  learn.  the  consort  processed  by  taking  rather  long  walks,  practicing  his  shields  and  attempting  to  block  out  the  many  screaming  emotions  in  the  castle.  the  city  of  aureth  was  a  boiling  pot  at  present  and  there  was  little  the  fireborn  could  do  to  stop  his  city  from  going  up  in  flames.  stress  very  rarely  reached  the  king  these  days,  this  was  a  reminder  of  his  laziness  that  was  not  being  received  in  the  best  way.  it  made  for  poor  company,  but  he  was  truly  attempting  to  do  his  best.  when  the  frostborn  does  find  a  space  to  settle  in,  it's  merely  to  write  a  letter  to  his  house.  it's  not  long  before  it  seems  someone  chooses  to  join  him  in  his  study,  and  given  its  place  in  their  personal  quarters,  very  few  would  venture  this  far  without  being  stopped.  helion  still  isn't  quite  sure  what  he's  to  say  to  his  children,  but  there  is  no  avoiding  them  either.  "  i've  got  to  write  my  sister  before  she  appears  at  the  front  door  demanding  answers  i  do  not  possess.  would  you  like  to  keep  me  company  ?  "

laz  was  used  to  people  being  worried  for  him,  but  he  was  not  used  to  actually  being  worried  there  was  a  danger  larger  than  he  lurking  in  the  shadows.  his  protective  instincts  for  his  siblings  was  at  an  all  time  high  –  something  he  was  sure  was  annoying  –  and  his  anger  at  the  situation  made  him  seem  like  that  young  and  reckless  fae  that  ran  from  his  duty  and  home  to  sail  the  seas  all  those  centuries  ago.  he  wasn't  an  enjoyable  creature  to  be  near  at  present,  but  he  also  craved  to  be  near  those  he  loved.  it  settled  him  despite  him  being  silent  more  than  vocal.  the  letter  at  their  door  the  day  prior  did  nothing  to  improve  his  mood  –  if  anything,  he  was  far  less  bearable  now.  when  someone  walks  into  the  room  the  prince  had  claimed  to  eat  in  silence  he  was  already  standing,  intending  to  leave  as  he'd  finished.  "  room  is  all  yours,  no  scary  bloodsuckers  that  i  can  found.  "  voice  bitter,  which  was  also  a  new  one,  and  offered  before  he  even  looked  up  to  see  who  was  walking  in.

there's been several times in her life where vespera has prepared and staged an accidental run-in with the valerius siblings, but very few times that she has managed to actually accidentally happen upon one of them. that alone would give her pause, but that it's the crown prince, and he's... half undressed? oh, vespera adhira is unable to form a thought, much less a word. "laz--" she starts to say the prince's name after a moment, as if to confirm she's not hallucinating, when she finally manages to recall a single shred of etiquette. "-- your highness! i apologize for the intrusion!" still, despite the momentary lapse of common sense, it's not as though she's never seen the crown prince before. in fact, she's seen him plenty from afar (clothed!) over the years. he usually appears... to carry himself as less cross than this. "please don't feel you must leave on my account, your highness." a single delicate hand reaches out, barely touching his wrist before she pulls away. "... i don't mean to overstep, but are you... faring well? is there anything i can do to help?"