soleil

wilhelmina jasen | euphemia gordon

[archcrs]

Wilhelmina of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, Queen of the Netherlands | intro | threads | musings | appearance

Lady Euphemia Gordon, Mistress to the Scottish King | intro | threads | musings | appearance

[kathrynhoward]

JESSICA RAINE as KATHERINE PARR BECOMING ELIZABETH (2022-)

[archcrs]

if you challenge me, i shall defeat you. ( davina to euphemia )

"challenge you, your grace?" a smile played at the corner of the lady's mouth, though she tried to repress it. "i don't believe i would ever dare such a thing." if  i did, euphemia thought, i have already won- and the small bump now growing upon her stomach only proved it. the queen might have the crown, and the king's hand in marriage, but euphemia had his affections- and that brought her pride. 

[rcdwyne]

vaememes​:

𝚃𝙷𝙴    𝚂𝙿𝙰𝙽𝙸𝚂𝙷    𝙿𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙲𝙴𝚂𝚂    𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃𝚂.

these are taken from the starz show with the same title, triggers may be present, proceed with caution, feel free to adjust any you that you deem necessary. 

why do you smile, your grace?

when one is king one dines for many reasons with many guests…

did you and the queen take all your meals in here?

i’m sorry. i do not wish to take your appetite.

i tried everything to warm her heart.

she was cold to you?

the battle for her heart was hard-won. winning the throne of [optional:place] was less arduous.

when did you know that she/he/they loved you?

shall i take the king/queen to be my husband/wife?

why don’t you speak to me?

go back to your mother. find another life.

why do you talk to me this way?

i don’t know what my choices are! i don’t know if i have a choice.

if your love is so fickle that it can blow away like dust… i will forget you.

you came to tell me you will fight for me. am i correct?

and you hate your father for stealing me away, and…

if i marry him, i condemn myself to a miserable, loveless life.

so you’re saying you must marry him because he said so.

i haven’t known as many women/men as you think and those that i have were of the flesh. 

i mean, i… i want to… but- but the point is that- the point is that… that i love you.

you make me yearn to be king/queen so that i can be a better man/woman for you.

you are a wordsmith. you bend words to your whim.

a boy/girl kisses you, and everything i’ve taught you is undone.

the betrayal he/she/they will deal to you, it will break the world.

guard yourself! if you do not, the enemy will know just where to strike.

i have learned you have been banished from the court.

still, you have suffered for my benefit. i wish to make amends.

i want you to tell me what kind of husband/wife he/she would be.

he/she/they is clever and has a fevered lust for knowledge.

a man/woman with too much power and no discipline is dangerous.

i see another side to him/her/them.

he/she/they is like a knight of camelot, flawed, but also brave and dedicated. lancelot.

you clearly know your mind about him/her/them, so why ask me?

if you wish to be queen/king, then take the king/queen.

i think you rode here not just to ask for forgiveness, but to speak [optional:name] name aloud.

i think you love [optional:name]. may god help you if you do.

you are trained to be a queen/king. it is the way of kings and queens.

i cannot think of living here without you by my side.

i will not be the cause of your unhappiness.

you’re right. you’ve done too much for me.

are you to have two husbands/wives?

you’re lucky now to even make a queen/king.

you have permission for your marriage to the king/queen.

oh. but- but what has changed?

would i make you happy? would i make you as happy as your wife/husband did?

your heir will ensure the continued peace between our two kingdoms.

your loss has endeared you to the people. they share your grief.

you’ve had your courses for days, but you do not tell anyone.

it will be a modest life, not the one your parents planned for you.

do you even know if he/she/they wishes it? do you wish it?

you loved me [optional:name]. you still do.

my mother fought a battle while i was in her womb.

this sword is blunt. they both are. we wouldn’t want you cutting yourself.

oh, i could still hurt you with this.

you fight almost like a real soldier. 

oh, all armor has weak spots. here. here. here.

what is this display? you dare swordplay with the heir?

you, put that down, and come with me.

you do know, i presume, the basic signs if you’re with child?

i have no talent for tricks, and i have no news for you.

i have no power to make her/him/them doubt her/his/their own mind.

if you speak too soon, you may make waves against yourself.

i do not grieve as they expect, and then i feel that i am wrong for being as i am.

i will sleep. you may tell me in the morning.

i am much better at that than you are, and i always will be.

i don’t want you to go.

i simply wanted you to know before i journey back to [optional:place].

will you have me?

it is a tragedy but our marriage was never consummated.

what are you playing at?

we made sounds of pleasure, yes, to cover our embarrassment.

i ask you to accept my word, accept it and support it if asked to do so.

who would ask such a thing?

oh, no. please tell me you’re not planning what i think you are.

so you’ve lost your husband/wife, but not your ambition. i warned you against that.

this family don’t inquire. they extract the answer they want.

my answer will support whatever keeps my conscience and my head attached to my neck.

how else do you imagine i’ve survived this long in this vipers’ nest?

is it foolish to believe myself in love with a man/woman whom i have never met?

hold your courage and fight for what you want.

this is a game that must be played.

am i so changed that we are no longer friends?

it’s clear evidence of her belief that you are weak.

please, for the love of god, i asked you here for peace.

oh, so you have lost your country too.

then pick your place, not theirs, [optional:sister/brother].

what happened to the sister/brother i once knew?

whatever awaits you in this life, fix your place in the heavens.

you once told me to fix my place in the stars and not be divereted.

i simply come to claim what is mine and i am fixed.

we loved our king/queen and that is why now we grieve.

i will take my sons/daughters and i will reclaim everything that is mine.

i trusted him/her/them and he/she/they betrayed me.

i will never trust again.

it was all bad breath, bad poetry and disappointment.

have you had anymore dreams?

i don’t want to know who dies next.

i ride to claim what is rightfully mine: my inheritance.

i will take what i’m owed in gold.

i will never give my power away.

i have eyes and ears all over the palace.

if you challenge me, i shall defeat you.

if you want him/her/them, say so.

[optional:name], i need to tell you, i love you.

i feel a strong desire to embrace you.

there is still a dangerous ride ahead.

are you not coming with me?

tell me, are you afraid?

then you are a merciful to save life when others are too quick to take one.

i nearly took an arrow in the backside.

we do not get what we want in this life, [optional:name].

do you like it here? it’s cozy, isn’t it?

what’re you wearing that veil for? is it to stop [optional:name] from kissing you?

i’m glad that you want to kiss my neck.

[ofhugosbellamy]

it had been far too long since she had last seen her sister-in-law. perhaps years. of course, they have spoken through the occasional letter but nothing was like conversing in person. isa had not spoken to any of her family members as often as she would have liked. it made her uneasy, nervous that they would sense some big change in her and reject her. they would not do that, though. the queen waited outside wilhelmina’s doors for the servant to announce her, then she walked through the large doors, holding onto her baby. she offered the other woman a polite curtsy. “zus, how happy i am to see you. i thought you might like to meet your nicht, annelise.” @archcrs​

[archcrs]

.

she had risen at the announcement, returning her sister-in-law’s curtsey. “isa.“ the hint of a smile spread across wilhelmina’s face as she took in the sight of the queen and her niece, taking a step closer to them. “i have missed you so dearly, please make yourself comfortable.” she guestured to the sofa and chairs in the room. “she’s beautiful,” the brunette said, looking down at the infant, her heart clenching at the sight of her niece. 

[archcrs]

rcyvlbcvns​:

bean gave a nod, heading over to the horse. she hadn’t had to tell him the horse was with the dutch - bean has each horse memorized. he likes to think the horses appreciated it. “here he is,” he said softly, moving to let tencendur out to put the saddle on. “he seems excited to see you, ma’am.”

she had given up riding for years- she had loved it as a girl, but had been told a few short years after wedding the king to refrain from it; physicians and midwives warning that riding often leads to miscarriage. wilhelmina had given up listening to them during the years the plague had kept the world still- if a child had not come, it might never. “i think he’s more excited about getting to stretch his legs.” she knew the stablehands probably kept the horses well exercised, but she looked forward to getting to take her beloved horse out herself.

[rcyvlbcvns-deactivated20220928]

♛ for anyone | @archcrs​

bean had a busy day in the stable today, it seemed almost every staff needed to travel to town or every royal wanted to go for a ride. he just got to sit down when he heard someone enter the stable. he pulled himself up making his way. “which horse, ma’am?”

[archcrs]

she held her gloved hands together as she glanced around the stable, before settling her eyes on the stablehand as he spoke. “tencendur,” she stated.  she wondered if the staff were able to remember the names of each stead- wilhelmina had little doubt that the stables were filled to their limit.  “he ought to be boarded with the rest of the dutch horses, i believe.”

[osvaldrps-archived]

#mood

[prophcsy]

open starter | @1642hqs-starters​

                 Switzerland was a new experience for tatia, the first time she had left her ancestral home things had gone south and she had ended up in italy married to their monarch against all other plans. she expected the roads to be difficult and for something to go wrong, but it had not, and she was relieve and dedicated to simply enjoy the new surroundings. one hand on her swollen belly she walked the halls up and down, admiring the architecture and the decoration. soon she was unsure of where she was. coming down a flight of steps she smiled at the other. “it seems quite easy to get lost here, or it just me?” 

[archcrs]

she had passed many during her exploration of the swiss palace; but none had taken the time to do more than nod in greeting- servants running from room to room, fulfilling their duties to the hoardes of royalty and nobility who had packed themselves into the castle. the other’s words caught euphemia’s attention, but it was perhaps her condition that kept it. she was expecting her own first child, though not nearly as far along as the other woman seemed to be. “i suppose it does seem so,” euphemia hummed. “though there’s always people milling about, so one shouldn’t be lost for too long”

[rcyvlbcvns-deactivated20220928]

@1642hqs-starters​

nicolo gave a soft smile as the other approached, “hello,” the youngest italian prince admittedly hadn’t gotten to know the staff or other royalty yet. most of the time he faked it until he finally got the answer. “enjoying the outdoors…?” (if you’re his friends/family you can either ignore the not knowing anyone part and the hesitation or dm me and i can make a different starter.)

[archcrs]

she had not been searching for company when she had ventured outside; nonetheless she inclined her head to the boy. “yes,” the dutch queen said. “it is lovely weather for a walk, do you not think?”

[bridgertonian]

RUBY BARKER for Darkus Magazine

[archcrs]

( ruby barker, cis woman, she/her, 28) ** ♔ announcing EUPHEMIA GORDON,  THE KING’S MISTRESS FROM SCOTLAND ! upon closer look, they resemble RUBY BARKER. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years and for that reason, they are NEUTRAL the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, they remind me of A GROUP OF LADIES GIGGLING IN A CORNER, SILK RIBBON GARTERS, THE HIDDEN TRAIL IN A DEEP WOODS.

tw: infedility, arranged marriages

euphemia was the second child of the marquess of huntly, eventually becoming the middle of three

courtiers for parents, there was little chance of euphemia not picking up some skills

growing up, she knew her brother would follow her father as marquess, but always thought she would be at least a countess through marriage- so when her father told her she would be marrying a man without even a baroncy or lordship she could scarce believe him- it would be one thing, she thought, to marry a man with a title if there was no love between them, or a man without one whom she did love- but this was neither- a business transaction where she gained little. neither love nor prestige would come to her through this match.

nonetheness, she obeyed her father and wed him- hating them both despite her smiles. love sometimes grows in a marriage, she knew- but she would never let it take hold within her, even if he was kind. she had made up her mind and her will had been stern since childhood

when a position at the scottish court as a lady-in-waiting was offered to her, she did not hesitate before leaving. a family of courtiers, she would find a place there, she knew.

so lady euphemia gordon arrived at court, still using her family name rather than that of the husband she had left behind, pretended he did not exist

she would have been content as a lady in waiting, surrounded by coutiers, mixing with royalty

games of chess, of cards, of wit- part of her education as a girl had been in the art of surviving at court, at thriving

when she caught the eye of the king  she realized he was more than she had ever wished for- yes, he was married, but so was she afterall. she had not sought out to seduce him, but they ended up falling in together. 

perhaps, it was the security that came with having a title that she had craved so much, and she found the same fulfillment from being at court

she still remains distant from her father, but adores her siblings

honestly she’s just a stubborn woman and felt like a lot of her worth would be in who she married, and is coming to terms with the fact that she was wrong <3

inspo: anne boleyn, madame de pompadour

[archcrs]

( jessica raine, cis woman, she/her, 36) ** ♔ announcing WILHELMINA JASEN,  THE QUEEN OF THE NETHERLANDS ! in a recent portrait they seem to resemble jessica raine. it is a miracle that SHE survived the last five years and for that reason, they are FOR the kingdoms working together. reflecting on them now, THEY REMIND ME OF FLOWERS GROWING BACK AS THORNS, STARING IN A MIRROR & WONDERING WHO YOU HAVE BECOME, THE STARS IN THE SKY ON A MOONLESS NIGHT.

tw: misogyny/infertility and how they so often interconnect

wilhelmina was the eldest child of the duke of brunswick-lüneburg & ruling prince of brunswick-wolfenbüttel, a principality within the holy roman empire- and his wife

the eldest of what would be four children, she was well education- in both studies & court politics. 

she wed the current king of the netherlands at 20

she threw herself into her duty to her new kingdom- to fully learning the language as when she arrived she knew very little, to employing ladies to her household, to giving to charities

wilhelmina has said that she loved the netherlands since the moment she stepped upon dutch soil

she was always a soft and gentle girl, but through the years has hardened herself. gone are the pale silks and loose hair of her youth, now she dons navy, violet, black- after all, fashion has always been political

when no prince or princess comes to be born, it is so often nature to blame the wife- and why would one blame their king when they could blame the german princess they have for a queen

she is well aware of the rumours, well aware of so many of the netherland’s nobility and wealthy bringing their young women to court to dangle in front of her husband, but she is not one to go easily.

she has dedicated over a decade and a half to this country- and there is little fear of the jasen line dying out- for even if she does not produce an heir, the king has four siblings

inspo: alix of hesse, catherine of aragon, anne of austria, taylor swit’s reputation album

[kathrynhoward]