crowning glory !

          her  smile  begins  to  settle  the  anxiety  inside  him ,  but  it  doesn’t  quite  finish  the  job .  will  would  be  forever  grateful  for  his  wife’s  constant  support ,  the  way  she  always  had  a  smile  ready  when  he  needed  it  or  a  gentle  touch  when  he  craved  it ;  yet ,  there  was  only  so  much  love  could  do  against  the  worries  of  a  king  trying  to  stop  a  war .  at  the  end ,  will  knew  what  she  meant  by  saying  he  was  the  reason  for  the  summit ,  if  it  wasn’t  for  him  his  father  would  still be  waging  his  cruel  war  against  the  world .  for  all  he  could  understand  he  had  done right  by  the  world  that  damned  night ,  the  now  king  couldn’t  shake  the  guilt  or  loose  the  ghost  that  followed  him .  “ you  put  too  much  faith  in  me ,  my  heart .  i  just  hope  i’ll  find  a  way  to  not  let  you and  our  realm  down . ”

          he  relaxed  more  significantly  after  she  proclaimed  her  support .  though  he  knew ,  he  really  did  - for  they  had  already  stood  firmly  besides  the  other  in  what  he  would  always  remember  as  the  worst  of  their  days - ,  the  reminder  that  she  believed  in  him  enough  to  put  her  own  name  and  credibility  on  the  line  made  him  feel  a  new  surge  of  bravery  through  his  veins .  “ thank  you ,  truly ,  my  queen . ”  he  breathed  out  and  clasped  her  hands  between  his  own .  “ even  if  the  peace  talks  fail  completely ,  if  we  loose  all  we’ve  fought  so  hard  to  keep ;  it  will  not  hurt  half  as  much  if  i  have  you  at  my  side . ”

truly she was not certain he was capable of letting her down.   she knew what kind of man he was , what his intentions were , how he always tried to do what was best.   that was as much as anyone could ask for in a king , or a husband , or a father.   she’d known terrible men , terrible kings , terrible husbands , and terrible fathers  -   which is how she knew just how good he was , even if he liked to think he wasn’t doing enough.   it was always enough in her eyes.

Helainia cocked her head to the side with a smile.

“Ah…” She sighed audibly as she gazed at the duchess.

“The journey was arduous. Absolutely tiring. Personally, I’m not a fan of traveling anywhere really… but since it is for the prospect of peace I braved the journey. I’m no stranger to traveling long distances though.”

She was originally from North Nabar but had to brave the long journey from Cardona to South Nabar’s capital just to become Queen… along with a few other factors in her destiny to become Queen, but all the more, she was familiar with traveling.

“And you? Did you travel for a long time as well? If so, I hope the journey was easier on you than it was on me.” She said with a smile as she began walking.

          will  stayed  quiet  as  he  felt  his  wife’s  hands  fix  his  shirt ,  only  looking  down  at  her  and  trying  to  internalize  her  words .  how  many  times  in  all  their  married  years  had  she  had  used  those  words  to  calm  his  worst  fears ?  how  many   more  would  she  have  to  until  he  finally  started  to  believe  it ?  he  hoped  now ,  with  his  father  finally  gone  from  the  world  and  his  self  indulgent  war  over ,  it  would  be  easier  to  distance  himself  from  Sacha’s  image . “ i  hold  high  hopes ,  but  i am  afraid  things  will  be  much  worse  before  they  get  better , ”  he  sighed  and  took  her  hand  on  his ,  bringing  it  to  his  lips  to  lay  a  kiss  on  her  wedding  ring .  “ if  i  can’t  look  in  the  mirror  without  seeing  my  father  staring  back  at  me ,  if  i  can’t  stop  feeling  his  breath  down  on  my  neck ;  how  can i  expect  the  actual  victims  of  his  war  to  see  past  our  resemblance  and  the  name  we  share ? ”      

Recognising the other Atia paused for a moment before doing her best to relax. She saw little reason to be exclusionary to the Iilyrians but caution was best used in situations like these. “There is indeed, I do believe Gydina was the right place to find some.”

       the  evening  had  been  kind  as  he  was  able  to  make  his  way  to  chambers  earlier  than  he’d  expected.  despite  being  king  aindréas hadn’t  been  fond  of  festivities.  he  always  felt  his  life  was  more  valued  as  a  soldier,  and  it  was  where  he  believed  he  belonged.  he’d  been  forced  onto  the  throne  by  the  age  of  twelve;  barely  lived.  still  a  boy  but  forced  to  grow  up.  there  was  a  part  of  him  that  hated  his  father  for  leaving  so  soon  as  if  he’d  had  a  choice.  the  door  was  opened  but  not  accompanied  by  knocking  or  even  an  announcement;  he  knew  who  it  was.  he  saw  as  she  appeared  into  the  dimly  lit  room.      ‘   were  you  seen?   ’      now  was  not  the  time  to  be  caught  with  another  woman,  but  he  knew  she  was  sneaky.

       his  shoulders  relaxed  at  her  words.  she  somehow  always  said  what  he  felt  he  needed  to  hear.  the  way  she  spoke   (   and  whether  she  was  intentional  or  not  he  was  unaware   )   settled  him.  aindréas  felt  at  ease  around  her,  in  a  way  that  he  felt  around  no  other.      ‘   tonight,   ’      he  hummed  before  continuing,      ‘   you  know  your  way?   ’      his  tone  inquisitive.

Open starter

@imperialstarters

It was the early afternoon and Helainia decided to walk the halls of the Grand Castellum for exercise.

Naturally her guards followed her, you never knew what kind of potential threat or danger lurked around the corners… after all, her husband felt better with his wife being protected at all times.

She saw someone walking on the opposite side of the hall, and she smiled warmly.

“Would you care to accompany a Queen desperate for conversation? I’m afraid my guards aren’t much for enriching conversations and I’m getting quite bored.” Helainia said to them as she gestured to her guards who stayed silent and looked ahead of them.

       he  knew  better  than  that.  or  at  least  he  believed  he  did.  had  anyone decided  to  confront  his  doubtful  demeanor  he  would  simply  blame  it  on  travel,  but  she  did  have  a  point.  he  wouldn’t  always  be  able  to  blame  the  journey.      ‘   they  will  see  what  i  allow.   ’   he  mused  with  a  nod  confirming  his  intentions,  but  she  did  have  a  point.  now  was  not  the  time  nor  place  for  him  to  appear  weak  in  any  capacity.      ‘   thank  you  for  your  counsel,  your grace.   ’

       ‘   i  see  a  smile  around  each  corner;  i  can’t  help  but  wonder  who’s  hiding  behind  them.   ’      aindréas  was  many  things  but  easily  fooled  wasn’t  one.  his  trust  only  extends  so  far  outside  the  walls  of  the  castle;  where  he  sat  just  wasn’t  comfortable.  his  eyes  searched  their  surroundings  before  speaking  freely.       ‘   i  do  not  trust  these  monarchs,  irina.  and  i  have  little  doubt  you  do  either.   ’

@imperialstarters​

“Oh do join me, there’s far too much of this for just me.” Atia held up her glass showing she’d already had half a glass before she was joined in one of the seemingly endless rooms at the grand castellum. She’d been quite aloof for the few days she’d spent here so had felt it was best to leave her own quarters this evening and was there for company if others came upon her.