#bliighter

Do I even want to know what ‘schwifty’ means?

Are you admitting en publique that there’s an English word you don’t know the meaning of? 

  Albert’s return from war had him more aloof than he had been even before 1914, he tended to vanish into the rooms of the Palace and usually with some fine whiskey he had sourced from one cupboard or another. Of course when Nick came around to tell him of tall tales of times he knew to be far out of his age range, Albert had seemingly become less tolerant of them, letting Nick say them without interruption before pointing out how old he would have to be, taking a long drink and disappearing into another room in the maze of the Palace to be left at peace. It was not at all Nick’s fault, Albert had his own struggles to work through and he simply lacked patience, especially where he knew he could get away with it.

  It was one quiet evening in Buckingham Palace where rumours of David’s continued interest in married women had reached the ears of the King and as a result, Bertie had been summoned into one of the state rooms for something of a formal meeting with his father. Albert bringing with him his latest glass of whiskey as he went rather moodily to meet with his father. He saw Nick hovering around outside the doorway but thought nothing of it as he passed him and after addressing his father properly, took a seat on the other side of his desk to hear what it was David had done this time.

  It took a little while for the King to get to his point, that his eldest son was not necessarily the right man for the task ahead and he as unsure with how much he was willing to reveal to him. With eyes settled on Albert, the Duke took a large sip of whiskey and returned that stare, waiting before George explained that he thought he would make a better King. Which, as it would, caused Albert to burst out a laugh, managing to catch the whiskey before it escaped his grasp. The serious look from his father managed to get Albert to listen with more interest as the words ‘There is something I must tell you’ came.

  Oblivious to Nick at the doorway, Albert settled to listen to what it was that was so important that he was talking of his doubts over David’s future. ‘There are many mysteries that are revealed when a new monarch is announced, more so when they are recognised by peers. One of which is the very fact that there are entities that live among us that have existed for centuries, even longer in some cases.” Straight to the point it seemed, Albert was not at all sure what it was he was hearing but his thoughts did indeed turn to the image of certain faces that never seemed to age. A frown already creasing his head as his father continued. “A matter of state secrecy, you understand, but one I must explain to at least one of you. These beings with faces unchanging are the personifications of our nations. They are the living, beating existence of countries, human in appearance but certainly far more than what it is we perceive.”

  His father was not a joker, he would not have pulled him to an official office to talk of what might have been treason if it wasn’t the king himself saying it and then to drop such a shell like that on the already shaken prince seemed most cruel. Too cruel in fact without any excuse. It took him a long moment and with a shaking hand, Albert went to take another drink, his gaze dropping to the bottom of his glass as his heart pounded in his chest. It was in its reflection that he caught sight of Nick and the smug look on his face. Of course, Nick had been telling him all his life about his stories, his memories and experiences from times Albert had thought impossible. Moments after he spotted him in the glass, Albert dropped it and let it smash to the floor.

  “Nicholas over there, for example is the personification of England itself.” George explained but Albert only spared a glance his way, not offering any smile or apology, stunned into a silence and feeling suddenly very, very trapped. He heaved in a settling breath and ignored his father’s disapproving stare as he pushed himself to his feet and dodged over the broken glass by his feet to put himself deeper into the room and away from the pair of them, head shaking as he processed all that he had learned. There was far more to consider and piece together than he had the heart to work out in that moment, so he settled on the simplest of options and settled himself (at some distance) to look upon the man who had actually been honest with him since the beginning.

  “I did –not -need —to know this.” He could have gone on his merry way without having this knowledge to burden him and he doubted the pair of them understood the nightmares such a revelation would inspire. “I had my —suspicions, I —just didn’t want to believe you.” He said to Nick seriously and hesitated before he added on “I am sorry —for my own –denial of your –stories.” He spared a glance to his father but the moment the doorway was clear, Albert took his leave. It had been a great deal to take in that night, he had other troubles that haunted his dreams and had him uncomfortable in company he did not understand all of this would make things much more complicated he was sure and that his nights would become sleepless as he pondered the information and accepted the realisations he had in that room.

Send 👶 to meet my muse as a toddler 

@bliighter

  Royal houses were never truly quiet, there was always something that demanded attention from someone or another. However, York Cottage on this particular summer day was dominated by a screeching toddler in the upper rooms. The staff below apparently oblivious or at least not looking to interfere had left the boy to let out his tantrums and assumed that his Nanny would tend to him, else she was teaching him his independence.

  There was loud rattling and tantrums that echoed around the rooms and by most unfortunate coincidence, the rest of the Yorks had made their way outside into the garden individually which had left their guest, Nick alone in the house. Albert’s screaming continued mercilessly, even as Nick appeared in the door.

   His eyes closed, face red and covered in tears, the small soft bear hurled to the floor and his pyjamas all creased awkwardly over his shoulders from where he was furiously shaking at the safety bars around his cot and the two wooden planks used to train him to sleep on his back were jutting out awkwardly from the gap in the bars. Unsoothed by the first cooing from Nick it took him entering the room far enough that Albert finally sensed he was even there.

  The screaming subsided to a worried rumble and resulted the largest puppy eyes imaginable as he watched the man in the room. Blinking at him for a moment, hands still gripping onto the bars as he watched him. His elder brother was nowhere to be seen, nor was there any sign of his Nanny Just Nick and Albert alone in the nursery and quite possible the whole upper floors of York Cottage. Albert could even sense in his young age that Nick was not inclined to offer him what it was he actually wanted. His crying returned though it was more quiet sobs than screaming before he flopped himself down on his bottom and tugged at the wool blanket he was sat on, defeated and exhausted, Albert settled for the company at least.

  Nick’s attempt to settle the child came in the gentlest of ways as Albert found his bear was returned to him from the floor. Teary eyes looked to it and after a moment of upset hesitation, he reached for it and took it to hold tight against him. Large eyes looked up to Nick again as he did so and only came away when Nick put his brother’s wool blanket gently over him and tucked it against him to carefully and gently lay him back down on his back, tucked up.

wHY THE DOGPILING N O

i think calling England Ol Blighty was a churchill thing so id be good :U

Send 💀 to betray my muse 

  Albert and his father had grown close in his final years, the now first in line to the throne after his elder brother had realised that his death had impacted him more emotionally than it had his other siblings, they were near enough friends before he had died. Of course David had the most severe inheritance which he did not envy.

  His brother was the rightful king, David would not be struggling though, he was meant for the role. It was only a few weeks later when he had confessed that he wished to marry Wallis Simpson did Albert suddenly realise what it was that was on the table. David could in no way marry Wallis and remain head of the church, nor could he have the support of the church which was meant to be the institution that placed the crown upon his head. It troubled the Duke because he knew it was he that would have to take up the crown if David’s threats rang true.

  David had stopped all communication with him in the last week and it had meant Albert was feeling quite out of the loop of things, no one seemed to be communicating what was happening regardless if he was to be made king or not. When word came that Nick wanted to meet with him, Albert had thought about the meaning of such a gesture, it could have been that David’s intentions were very clear and that Nick wished to familiarise himself with the man who would become king, or and what he thought (and hoped) most likely, that he simply wanted to see him as the pair quite often ended up spending time together. He sensed it might have been out of an understanding that he felt dejected at being cut off from all communication.

  Agreeing to a hunting trip up in Balmoral, off season but he doubted they would actually be doing much hunting and a great deal of talking, the walk and fresh air he was sure would do them both good. Albert arrived without his beloved wife who had come down with a bout of influenza, he had noticed a fair few of David’s closest friends were going to join them as hunting divisions but he hardly worried for it when he was teamed with Nick.

  As they headed out into the purple hills, shot guns over their arms and dogs at their heels the groups split into their pairs which left the Duke alone with Nick. Albert asked about his brother, if his intentions were at all what they all feared and to his horror but also gratitude, Nick confirmed that David was indeed threatening to abdicate if the church and privy council refused to let him marry Wallis. Mentions of ‘examples being made’, ‘loose ends’ and ‘removals of other options’ had Albert wonder if Nick was suggesting that they attacked Wallis or killed her living husbands to clear her of any bond to them. Not at all realising that such suggestions could have been applied to him too.

  They traversed five miles from the ancient castle, discussing what it was that could be done. Albert was something of an expert on the constitution like Nick undoubtedly was but Albert was also an expert on his brother. They talked of putting Wallis into the Church of England, annulling her previous marriages as Henry VIII had done and thus making her free to marry David. Methods they both seemed to be agreed upon as they walked without really looking to hunt anything, paying little attention to the light that was slowly being lost as the hours ticked by.

  A difficult bit of terrain had Albert and Mimsy, his yellow labrador, walk ahead of Nick and his canine, entering into something of a ravine, a well known and usual hiding spot for the true deer stalk that would have taken place months before hand, the Duke knowing the area like the back of his hand and not at all worried for the darkening skies, knowing Nick would be much the same. Though half way through the hidden pathway Albert heard the distinct clack of a shotgun being closed and a call from his friend.

  “Birdie?”

  The Duke turned to see if perhaps he had actually spotted a buck but was greeted with the barrel of Nick’s shotgun. Slowly and with his heart thumping mercilessly at his ribs, Albert raised his hands in surrender, his shotgun still open over his elbow and brow creased as he looked passed the gun towards the other man. “Nick, I’m hardly a –prized stag.” He tried to joke but his humour was not actually present as he kept glancing between him and the gun nervously. “–Why don’t we –put that down and we –can -talk about whatever this is about?” He asked, unable to stop his eyes from darting from the gun to Nick, though he eventually managed to settle on his face, his arms lowering slightly in disbelief that his friend and near enough one of his brothers would actually mean to kill him.

  “Nick, –please, I have –two daughters at home. They won’t understand. Don’t do this –to them, –please.” He swallowed, “I -don’t want the –crown, that’s the last thing I –could ever wish f-for Nick, you know that!” He protested, the Hanoverian streak he shared with his father creeping through as a startling shadow of the late King. Whatever it was that passed through the other’s head about the utter chaos that would follow if David abdicated, if he did not listen when he had been warned by powerful men the country over that he would be killed, his mistress likewise if he failed to comply, he surely would listen when news of what happened to his brother reached him.

  Nick pulled the trigger and an almighty boom filled the still air of the moors, echoing all around with a chorus of the hunting dogs scattered across the vast moor. Albert practically flew backwards with the force of the shot as a spray of red covered Nick. Buck shot was unfair but it was at least quick, the Duke was dead before he had even hit the ground, his body a mess of blood and hardly recognisable.