musician + 26 + #teambeaumont
#26 - Courtinâ in the Kitchen by Gaelic Storm (iâm dyING.)Donât ever fall in love - itâs the devilâs own invention"Lynessa, I require your presence. Immediately."Lynessa looked oddly to her mother, brow furrowing a little. This often wasnât like Avelina. She was hardly ever so abrupt with Lynessa. After all, the two of them were so close they did not usually require such harsh demands between each other. âBut, Mother, I am quite in the middle of working on my mending for the orphanage in the midst of town with these ladies. Mightânt it wait until I am finished? It would be but a moment.â
Avelinaâs mouth was set in a harsh line, her gaze flickering from her daughter to the young man standing straight and tall behind Lynessaâs chair before returning. âUnfortunately, my dear, this matter is quite pressing. I shall return you to your duties momentarily, I assure you.â"Madame, would you like me to accompany you?" Joseph said quietly, barely above a whisper so as not to alert anyone else in the room. Though if anyone had heard, they would perhaps be interested in the oddly gentle tone he used towards Lynessa."No, itâs quite all right. I am in no danger from my mother, I assure you. I will only be but a moment. At ease." She replied with a small smile and a hand placed quietly upon the guardâs arm, blocked from Avelinaâs view by her body as Lynessa stood in one fluid motion before following her mother out of the room and down the hall."Are you mad?!â The hissing voice of Dmitrei assaulted Lynessa almost instantly as she and her mother entered a deserted chamber and he pulled her aside, a hand clamped with almost bruising strength upon her arm. âAre you truly attempting to destroy everything your mother and I, that you have worked for all these years, for something so simple as feeling?â"Dmitrei, release her. This is not how we discussed approaching this.â Avelina replied in a hushed voice, staring the man down until his hand left Lynessaâs arm, swearing under his breath as he turned towards a nearby window. She then looked to her daughter with calm eyes and took Lynessaâs hands in her own. âWe know, my darling⌠We know about your feelings for the Captain of your Queenâs Guard. Youâve done quite well in concealing it for so long, butâŚâ"But somehow, you still managed to slip up." Dmitrei broke in, turning back to the two now that his initial anger had cooled. "Which is disheartening in a way, as you had always been so adept at maintaining imageâŚ" Lynessa stared back at Dmitrei, fire and anger beginning to spark in her gaze, an accusation melting on her tongue as he pressed forward. "Even if you disagree, you were found out, my lady. Kitchen maids, loyal to their beautiful mistress or not, still whisper gossip to each other and it can very easily find its way to sympathetic ears.â"I have no idea what you are speaking of." Lynessa said almost too quickly, her face a stone mask as she glanced between her mother and her true opponent. She could only hope they could not hear the way her heart was pounding loudly in her ears. Surely they could be convinced that they were mistaken. He was hers. Truly the one thing that ever had been hers, totally uncorrupted by the grand plan that had ruled her life from the moment she first drew breath. They would not have him. She would not allow it.
"One of the maids saw you kissing him in the kitchens, darling. Heard you making promises of marriage and fidelity that you cannot offer." Avelina said, brushing a hand through her daughterâs hair. "Plans have been set in motion, my little queen. You cannot be distracted now by someone so trivial. You are meant for better and brighter things.""And what if I mean to make him my king?" Lynessa said quickly, pulling her hand from her motherâs grasp and taking a step away from both Avelina and Dmitrei who both had started at her declaration. "I am the Queen Ascendant, am I not? Why should I not be able to choose my consort of my own volition?" Her teeth bared at this, daring them to defy her, daring them to force her to show the lioness cloaked in the mantle of a raven."You forget, my lady,â Dmitrei drawled as his own gaze leveled with Lynessaâsâanswering her fire with the ice in his own, âYou forget who set you on this path. Who helped form you into the Queen Ascendant that you claim to be. We are not stones to trod upon, to be molded and shaped in the images of your choosing. We are not the Godivas and Valles and Fontaines of the world. Your mother and I are all that is keeping you from being torn apart by the masses outside once it is discovered that their golden princess is not as she seems.âLynessa looked to her mother, then, face still set in its wary mask, ready to jump to her own defense if necessary. âDoes he speak the truth, mother? Would you truly throw me to the wolves if I, for once in my life, followed my heart instead of the golden path you set before me?â She felt her heart sink as Avelina looked away, out the window to the castle spires gleaming across the courtyards."I would not have you waste your life and your potential upon a silly dream that cannot be, my love." Avelina said after a while, slowly stepping forward to envelop Lynessa into her arms. "Send him away, my darling. Make him believe you donât love him. You are quite good at playing menâs hearts. He will destroy you and everything you are meant to be if you continue in this way, and I shall not allow you to lose everything you are."Lynessa closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in her motherâs shoulder, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to overflow. For she knew they were only telling her the truth. What good was love to a queen with blood staining her hands? What sort of scraps of a heart could she even offer him? She was a goddess, a statue to be worshiped and adored, to be held cool and serene above the crowds.And who could ever truly love a woman made of stone?"I will tell him in the morningâŚ" Lynessa said finally, tone defeated as she pulled away from her mother, taking a deep breath and composing herself. "Allow me to have tonight to prepare and he will be of no issue by sunset tomorrow."
